"Hi, Uncle Joe, it's Eddie." Eddie is the son of my brother who died suddenly a few years ago. I try to be a substitute dad when I can. "Hey, Buckaroo, how are you doin'?"
"Well, OK."
"That doesn't sound like a great OK. What's bugging you, partner?"
"Mom won't let me play poker."
I remember my sister-inlaw, Betty, once said to me, "You're not much of a role model for Eddie, playing poker all the time." I didn't try to argue that I'm really a writer. No good to belabor it since I do play a lot of poker."
"I can understand her feelings, Eddie. How old are you now?"
"I'm eleven, but I wouldn't play for money. I like to play for fun, and my friends do too."
I had paused and Eddie asked, "Are you still there, Uncle Joe."
"Yes, I am," I answered quickly. "I'm thinking about your problem. You see, you must obey your mother, but what if you were playing some kind of educational card game and it played just like poker?"
"Could you bet, and bluff, just like poker-I like to do that."
"Yeah, I think so, but I'll have to work out the details."
"When will you do it, Uncle Joe?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll get right on it."
Hobby and I were out for dinner a few days later when he asked, "How's the non-poker, poker game going for your nephew?"
"Not so good. I've tried some ideas, but they wouldn't fool Betty. I haven't found anything yet with enough educational merit to disguise to it."
"How about something that would help kids memorize things like dates, or capitols ... something like that."
"That's a thought. I'll let it percolate. What are you having for dinner, Hobby?"
"Maybe a steak."
"Sounds good. They have good New York steak here."
"Hey, Joe, that's a capitol and a state."
"You're half right. Albany's the capitol."
"Right, but how about states and capitols for your game."
"It'd be great if there were 52 states."
"Hey, it's close enough. You could add D.C. and maybe one of the possessions. How about the place we went to play poker a couple years ago?"
"Puerto Rico! Good idea Hobby. Excellent! I'll work on it."
"See, Joe, I'm not just a pretty face."
"Yeah, Hobby, I love you for your mind."
My head was a-buzz with ideas for making a deck having each card a state with ways to make pairs, sets, quads, straights, and flushes. It must look like an educational game to pass the Betty test. After fiddling around a couple days, I met with Hobby for the first vetting. I showed him a map of the U.S. marked with four color groups of states and four lines across from west to east.
"I don't get it Joe."
"Here's a sample card. On top is the bold IL and Illinois; the yellow color corresponds to the yellow area on the map. The color is for flushes."
"Yeah, sure. What's the IA, ID, IN below that?" "They're three other states with the same first initial. If you got those cards you could make pairs, sets, or quads."
"But all states don't have more with the same initial."
"Correct, that adds an interesting wrinkle. There are also some, those with initials "M" and "N," that have eight. I broke each of those into two four-card groups with distinctively different type fonts."
"Got it. Now, what's the big number 2 with the circle around it?"
"Check the map. The line numbered "2" goes through Illinois. If you have any two other cards along that line, you have a straight. That's it for poker. "The other info, capitols, is for the educational game."
"How's that go?"
"Each player gets chips to start; that's so Betty will get used to the idea. In the educational game the dealer looks at one card. The next player has to guess the color. If not, he tosses in a chip. It goes round until someone gets it right and they collect the chips. Then the dealer asks for the state. This will generate a bigger pot until someone gets it right and wins. Next is the question about the capital; same procedure until a winner. After that the deal passes and the play is repeated."
"Sounds like a fun game and the kids will like the idea of winning chips. It should pass the Betty test too!"
"I think it will. Now I've got to get someone to do the graphics so I can make up a few decks."
"I can do that, Joe. Just give me the info."
A few days later Hobby told me he had finished. "Bring them to the Mexi- Cochina and I'll buy lunch."
I had a pitcher of our favorite Midori margaritas on the table when Hobby walked in with a bulging briefcase. "That looks great, Joe. I'll take a drink before I show you the goodies."
"As usual, perfect," I commented about the drink as he handed me the cards. The backs were like a regular deck and the other side was to my specifications and them some."
"Wow, Hobby! You did a great job!" I honestly commented; which practically brought tears to his eyes. Hobby's a great guy; he's got tons of money but nothing makes him happier than doing something to please others. "This looks professional."
"Yeah," he replied modestly; "and look," he said as he took out a plastic case with chips from out of his bag. "The cards fit in here with the chips and the map is in the top."
"Brilliant! Eddie will love it."
A few days after I gave the case to Eddie, who had jumped all over me with excitement, I got his call. "Uncle Joe, you're not going to believe this! Mom played the game with me and my friends. She asked about the other game, so we played poker. She didn't know it was like poker, and she loved it! I can't believe it."
"I can't either, Eddie, but it just proves that poker's a great game for all ages."
