Chapter 101

I handed Sam the keys to the Escalade and we left for dinner. I chose Pelican's because Cat was working there that night. Bobby, the owner, greeted us as we walked in. He said he would get us a table as soon as possible and led us to the bar area.

We had just received our drinks when Cat came up and hugged me. She said she'd have a table for us in her section shortly. She asked if we needed anything while we waited and I told her we were fine. She gave me a sassy look as she walked away.

Michael held up his glass and said, "Here's to John. Tonight a free man and tomorrow we attach the ball and chain."

Mike and Sam answered the toast with "Here! Here!"

Dinner was great and we each had another drink during dinner. Well, all but Sam. Bobby came up and told us he took care of the ticket. I thanked him and left a nice tip for Cat and another for the bartender. As we stood up, Cat ran over and gave me a hug and kiss. She said she'd see us the next day.

On the way to the casino I asked Michael where the ceremony was to be held. He said he wasn't going to tell me. His job was to get me there on time.

The casino was just north of town on I-25. It had been built three years before and was very nice. They had plans to build a hotel and golf course in the next year.

Sam pulled up front and used the valet parking. Once inside, Michael led the way to the craps table. He said that was his game. I joined him though craps wasn't my game.

The excitement of craps is contagious especially if someone gets on a roll and Michael did. He hit his point three times in a row and then threw a couple of sevens. After that he rolled ten times before hitting his point. I made a couple of thousand during that streak. Mike said he wanted to play poker so I grabbed my chips and told Michael to have fun.

Mike and I headed to the poker room and Sam followed. I could tell he was "working" and I felt guilty about that. We were in luck that there were a couple of seats open on a Texas Hold 'em 10 - 20 table. I half expected Mike to ask me to stake him but ever since he started working in the movies, he seemed to have enough money.

(Note to readers: Texas Hold 'em 10 - 20 requires a small blind of five dollars and a big blind of ten. The betting increments on the first two rounds of betting are ten dollars with a limit of three raises. The amount of the third and fourth round of betting is twenty dollars. Texas Hold 'em is played as small as 2 - 4 up to no limit. No limit Texas Hold 'em is the game played for the World Series of Poker Championship. There are many versions of poker played all over the world.)

Once Mike and I sat down, all ten of the seats were occupied. Mike sat two seats to my right. My first hand was bad so I folded. Mike had called and won the first hand with two pair. I folded the next two hands as well and Mike won the third pot.

I was watching the other players and thought I noticed a scowl on the player three seats from Mike's right. That went on for about an hour. Every time Mike or I would win a hand, the guy would make an angry face.

I was the first to bet on a hand that I had Big Slick in hearts. (Big Slick is Ace - King.) Mr. Scowl raised with enthusiasm. Mike and I were the only two to call him. I had Big Slick suited in hearts (A K of same suit).

The flop was Ace of spades, K of clubs, and Q of hearts. Mr. Scowl bet ten and Mike raised (all raises were the same increment of the bet for that round). I raised as well. Mr. Scowl looked at his cards again. He then glanced at Mike first and me second. He looked at his cards again and called. Mike looked at me and called my raise.

The next card was the Jack of hearts. Hmm... I was looking at a royal flush draw needing the 10. Mr. Scowl bet twenty. Mike thought a second and just called. I hesitated and then raised. Mr. Scowl again took time to study his hole cards and then he re-raised. Mike folded and I capped the raises at $80. Mr. Scowl looked at me as he called.

The river card (the fifth card on the table) was turned and it was a 2 of hearts. I had hit the nut flush. Since there wasn't a pair on the table the best he could have was a smaller flush. Mr. Scowl boldly bet. I called raise and put my chips in front of me. Mr. Scowl looked at me and re-raised. I didn't hesitate and re-raised. It was now heads up and there were no limits as to the number of raises though the raises had to stay at twenty dollars each time.

Mr. Scowl said, "I think you're bluffing. I re-raise."

Normally I would have let it go and just called, but his attitude riled me. I decided that I would take as much of his money as I could. I re-raised.

"Trying to buy the pot now," he said. "Raise!"

Before his chips settled, I re-raised him. He had about $200 in chips left in front of him and I still had a little over $300. He looked at the pot, then down at his chips and raised again. I again threw out a raise.

His scowl was more evident and he re-raised. Our vocalizing started to draw attention and there were five or six people gathered around the table. He hesitated and raised again. At twenty dollar increments, his stack dwindled to where he had thirty-five dollars left and threw it on the table and called 'All in'. Seeing how this was table stakes, no money could be added to the players stake once the hand started.

I called him and he stood up and threw his pocket aces on the table. "Beat that Asshole!" he said in a loud voice.

"Okay," I replied and flipped over my cards to show the flush.

"Son of a bitch!" he shouted. At the sound of his outburst, the poker room manager rushed over to the table. The poker room manager called the guy by name and told him to calm down. While that was going on, the dealer shoved the pot to me. It was a very nice pot. It wasn't the money that motivated me on that hand. It was the obnoxious way the guy played.

Most everyone congratulated me as Mr. Scowl stormed away from the table. I stacked my chips and play resumed. I watched Mike play and was a proud papa. His stack gradually increased during the next hour. I stayed pretty much the same.

Every time I had a hand and bet it, most at the table would fold. I had started with $500 and now had about $2,000 in front of me.

Michael strolled up and I asked how he did.

"I made about $5,000. How are you doing?"

I told him and mentioned that Mike was doing well also. While I was turned talking to Michael, the dealer announced a seat was open. The casino has a waiting list and the next player was called. As I turned my attention back to the table, I saw Mr. Scowl approaching. He sat in the empty seat, which was next to Mike and one seat over from me. He threw five one hundred dollar bills on the table and asked for chips.

I was on the button (the dealer's position if we players actually dealt out the cards). Everyone called the big blind around to Mr. Scowl. He raised. I was curious if he raised because he had good hole cards or if he was trying to make a statement that he was back. I had K Q off suit and called.

Only one player folded due to Mr. Scowl's raise. The dealer then turned the flop (the first three cards) and it was 6 8 J of various suits. Everyone still in checked around to Mr. Scowl. He bet and I folded. So did the next five players. Mike raised.

Mr. Scowl looked at Mike and re-raised. The player between him and me folded leaving just Mike and Mr. Scowl. Mike didn't hesitate as he re-raised.

The dealer then turned another 6. With just the two of them in the hand, it was heads up. Mike bet and was immediately raised. Mike was studying Mr. Scowl and then just called.

The last card was an ace. Mr. Scowl checked. Maybe he was afraid that Mike had been betting pocket aces. Mike bet. Mr. Scowl got all excited and raised. The most irritating play in poker was the check-raise.

Mike looked at him and said, "If that's the way you want to play, I re-raise."

"Kid, you need to learn how to play," he said as he re-raised.

"I may be young, but my chips are pretty mature," Mike replied sarcastically and he re-raised.

I was getting a little worried that Mike was getting sucked in. Mr. Scowl seemed to feel he had a great hand. Neither he nor Mike backed down. The re-raising kept up until Mr. Scowl was again "all in". Mike still had over five hundred left. When Mike called Mr. Scowl's "all in", Mr. Scowl threw his cards over to reveal pocket Aces. I was amazed that he had pocket rockets again and that gave him Aces full of sixes.

The oohs and ahhs around the table were growing. A crowd had again gathered. Mike sat there holding his hand while looking at the hand laid out on the table. The dealer asked Mike if he was going to show his hand or muck it.

Mike made a feinted move to toss his cards and then gently turned them over to reveal pocket sixes for four of a kind.

A silence fell over the crowd and then a roar went up. As the dealer started to shove the chips to Mike. Mr. Scowl bolted up and shouted, "You son of a bitch!"

Mr. Scowl was about five ten and probably weighed two twenty. He turned to Mike and sucker punched Mike's left jaw with his right fist. The force pushed Mike over on the player to his right. I jumped up but immediately realized I wasn't needed.

Sam, who had been standing behind me, grabbed Mr. Scowl by the hair and pulled him straight back and onto the floor. Luckily, there weren't any onlookers at that spot. As soon as Mr. Scowl's back hit the floor, Sam had his left wrist and had twisted it forcing Mr. Scowl to have to roll over onto his stomach or his arm would have been broken. Sam now had his knee in the middle of the guy's back.

One of the casino's security guards pushed his way through the crowd and yelled, "Stop!"

"Let me have your cuffs!" yelled Sam.

The guard actually responded and handed them to Sam without saying anything else. Sam placed the handcuffs on Mr. Scowl and then stood up pulling the guy up with him.

I looked over and saw the poker room manager talking to another security guard. That guard had sergeant's strips on his uniform. He nodded his head, stepped over, and told Sam that he would take him to the security office.

I finally looked over at Mike who was standing there rubbing his jaw and watching what was going on. I located one of the poker room chip runners and asked her to gather up our chips and cash them in for us. She agreed and grabbed another one of the runners to help. I then signaled Mike to come with me. Sam and Michael followed us to the corner of the poker room.

"We have a serious problem," I started. "Mike is not yet 21 and used a fake ID to get in here." I looked at Mike and continued, "If charges are filed, then that will come out and you could get in a lot of trouble."

"What do you suggest?" he asked.

"Let me see what I can do to get us out of this calamity."

I turned to look for the poker room manager as the chip runner brought us our money. I tipped her and walked up to the manager.

"I'm John Kegler," I said as I held out my hand. He shook it and told me his name. "I don't know what your policy on things like this is, but my son does not want to press any charges against that guy."

"It doesn't matter if he does or doesn't, we have strict policies on violence in the casino. As we are on an Indian Reservation, their laws govern all actions."

I turned around to see where Mike was and saw a uniformed security guard talking to him. The guard started walking away with Mike and Sam. Michael came over and told me the casino wanted a statement from Mike and Sam.

I didn't need any thing happening the night before the wedding. Michael and I hurried to catch up with them. The guard led us into a small room and asked us to have a seat.

The head of security and the casino manager came to the room. The casino manager apologized for what happened. Mike thanked him for the apology but said it wasn't necessary. I too thanked him.

The head of security took out a form and started asking Mike questions. Mike answered them and then Sam was asked many of the same questions. When they were through, the casino manager thanked us and asked if we wanted to enjoy a meal on the casino.