The New Poker – Yay or Nay?

Las Vegas finally hit the target date: June 4th. 3 or 4 poker rooms in Las Vegas have opened. Yipee, we are back!

Just kidding! We are not back. There are two types of players going to live games right now: short-handed specialists and the local grinders. Flynn and Ollie are not back. Flynn and Ollie are the customers who make a poker game real. F & O are recreational players, hobbyists who love Vegas poker: the game options, the room options, and the overall atmosphere and choices we have when we are there.

An atmosphere of masks and 4 or 5 handed play is absolutely the stone-cold nadda-nuts for us. No way. We want to see facial expressions, maybe have some understandable conversation. Not to mention, masks are just plain ugly. F&O want a variety of opponents, and a full table. Pausing play to sanitize is a killjoy. Sanitizing chips? Riiiiiight. Good luck with that.

Chances are if the virus is there, it’s gonna get you despite these measures. Customers will not abide by the rules, even if masks and hand sanitizer are required. You have no control over what the players did before they walked in, or when they went to the restroom. You have no idea where the chips came from, where the money that bought the chips was, or where that bottle of Fiji the cocktail server just handed you has been. We got news for you; gloves are almost never used properly. So, if you see staff wearing gloves, it means nothing. A dealer would literally have to change gloves after every betting round to come close to being effective.

Get this, though. All of the items mentioned above, poker players had to accept before this pandemic. Poker tables are the ultimate breeding ground for contagious nasty anything and everything under the sun. They are downright gross. Funny thing, just talking about it makes F&O wonder if they will ever go back to playing just because of the nastiness involved, even when the pandemic is declared over. Duh, of course the will. They are brave!

In the meantime, Flynn and Ollie will be courteous. They will try to keep the humans safe. They will wear masks in stores, stay their distance, and wash their hands. They are just not going to do it at a poker table.

Fin

Flynn