THE NUTS

I'm sitting here at this 1-2 no-limit cash table, and it's a battle of the blinds pre-flop. I call, and the big blind checks.
The flop is 2-4-6 rainbow.
How do you judge the quality of a home game? How can you determine if one scene is better or worse than another? It isn't by the caliber of the players -- some of the most enjoyable poker takes place in front of donks. It isn't by the supplies -- I've had a lot of fun betting with thin plastic chips.
You can tell the most about a home game by looking at the attitude of the staff assisting with it.
There's a woman in the corner by the large potted plant. She's the bartender. She gives massages for tips. She has a thin build with shoulder-length brunette hair and a calm, intelligent demeanor. She's wearing one of those torn-cloth, bohemian skirts that were really popular in Europe in the early part of the decade. She's the type of woman that might ask you something about art history and make you nervous.
The turn is the ace of spades.
She just sits there in the corner with her legs crossed and one foot in the air, kicking to the music in tempo -- perfectly.
It's the ace of diamonds on the river.
"See the woman serving drinks?" big blind asked.
"Yeah."
"We're moving to Italy on Thursday. Her parents are buying us a villa."
That's when I knew he thought like me.
"All in," I declared.