It All Started with a Pair of 2's...

Mom, this story needs to be told, and I do hope I tell it correctly. I was really sleep-deprived. We all were. And I have a tendency for the over-dramatic. But...

For those of you who who have ever played cards with me, you are probably quite certain that I did not inherit my mother's genes. Or my father's. They both love a good game of cards. For those of you who have never played cards with me, if you want to make a few bucks, invite me to your weekly poker game. It's a sure thing.

My mom could go to Vegas with a dime and return with several hundred dollars. It's been done before. Really, I think this was a very attractive quality to my dad -- an incredibly well-mannered, intelligent, impeccably-dressed woman with secret card-playing skills. She can totally hold her own. How intriguing...

Me...well, not so much. Ladylike, yes. Cardshark, no. There are no intriguing card-playing qualities about me. Until a few weeks ago. And why couldn't we have been playing for money?! My brother-in-law, Jerry, who is reportedly Poker-Channel-ready and has a weekly for-money gig, was giving us a "tutorial" of sorts in Texas Hold 'Em. Yes, we needed a tutorial -- the kind of tutorial where Jerry has to print off a cheat sheet from the internet so we could all remember what a straight was as compared to a royal flush. We'll just say we needed to lighten up a bit and blow off some steam.

Well, after a few hands, my cache of circular poker chips in front of me was growing, and there were a variety of colors to choose from. Mom's was steadily growing, too. Before I knew it, I had a pair of twos and I won that game. Woohoo! Mom kept her cool (she is known for that) and chalked up my win to beginner's luck. Missing Chi and the other brothers-in law as we were (they do love a good game of cards!), we talked a bit of smack in their absence and dealt the next hand.

Rakin' it in! Notice the pair of twos...and the big stash? Also notice how calm and ladylike Mom appears in the background. Don't let that confuse you. She is a card shark and will eat you alive!!!

And, for me, it was a beauty. No high cards. No faces. Just two random cards....I can't even remember which two...and a bunch of fake-out. And I beat my mother! I am fairly sure it will go down in history as my only significant poker win (and why were we not playing for money!?). I am sure Dad was smiling down at us, chuckling. He must have loved watching that.

Sulking and gloating...oh, yeah!Now she's laughing, because she realizes I had no idea what I was doing!

Let me just state, for the record, that on January 8, 2010, I beat my mom and all my sisters in Texas Hold 'Em. And then I got a little giddy, or cocky, whichever you prefer. The sunglasses came out, a la the Poker Channel. They totally completed the win for me.

Oh, yeah! Such an attractive photo, but words couldn't describe this stupid blonde moment!