17
I got to the casino around nine o'clock. Being a Saturday, the place was busier than it would have been on a weekday but it wasn't too crowded. Once I traded in my cash for checks, I went to the poker room to get a table. Instead of sizing up prospective opponents, I sat at the first table I came to. I didn't care who I played against as long as I won. And I wasn't looking to make a large amount in a short time. I was in it for the long haul, planning to spend a good chunk of the night here.
The table was occupied by a group of kids, by which I mean guys in their early twenties. Thinking of them as kids made me feel old, considering I was still in my thirties. I got the impression they had come together, talking and laughing as if they'd known each other for years. Anybody else might
