Poker - A Therapeutic Escape

I love it when an unexpected poker game is announced on my block! Got a phone call from BBQ Bob this morning asking if I can come out and play cards tonight. Luckily I had no other plans and I was able to say "yes".

That got me thinking about why I like to play the game of poker. I decided that it is somewhat therapeutic (Google tells me this is the correct spelling but it looks wrong) because being surrounded most of the time by estrogen-tempered females it is nice to hang with the guys and wade in the testosterone pool every so often. At home it is 4 against 1 (if I include our dog Molly), and at work it is 4 against 3 in my group. I find it rejuvenating to be able to burp and fart as loud as possible (and get rated for the effort) and tell the meanest, nastiest, and most tasteless jokes possible - things that a woman just would not tolerate. Of course the inhalation of smoke seems to make things nice too - cigars or cigarettes only of course - and seems to complete the male bonding experience. It feels good to go back to being 10-years-old again, just for a few hours, to remember what it is like to not care about the world and its problems, and just be a boy.

Tonight's festivities will take the form of a Hold-'Em tournament, so females are permitted to sit and play in what is usually a guys-only sandbox. You see, sometimes it is nice to invite girls over - just like we did when we were 10.