"Delia, where you at?"
"I'm coming up on Belgrade now."
"Okay, sweetheart. I'll be at the Tiger's Paw."
When he walked in the door the game was full. "Hey, A.J., anybody on the list?" A.J. spun around. "No, you're first up, Johnny."
"Put Delia on the list behind me. She'll be here in a few minutes."
"Delia's coming? Good! Good! That means you won't be making any money this weekend. You can't win it as fast as she loses it."
"Well, that's the price a man has to pay, A.J."
"Johnny, how much does that dingbat cost you a year?"
"I don't know. Maybe 5 or six thousand. But the fringe benefits are pretty good."
"I can only imagine. I suppose I would do the same thing if I had a squeeze built like that" A.J. quipped. "Did you stop in down the street yet?"
"Oh, yeah" Johnny responded.
"What do you think?"
"They tried to cold deck me."
"They did? Did it cost you any money? I'll pay for it."
"No. Actually I got out the door with some of theirs."
"Everybody's been sayin' that game is fishy. Thanks for checking it out for me. They ain't long for this town."
The 9 seat opened up and Johnny bought in for two hundred. He loved 2 to 10 spread. They got no cheap turn cards from him. And they couldn't lay double bets into him on the end when they caught their gin card. A few hands in and the 3 seat started racking up. Johnny pulled out two more bills. "A.J. could you lock the 3 seat up for Delia. She shoud be here any minute." A.J. grabbed the bills and set the stacks in front of the 3 seat.
A few minutes later Delia walked in the door. She walked up to Johnny, said "hi, honey. Am I in the 3 seat?" then pecked him on the lips. Johnny grinned as the men gazed at Delia while she walked to the coat rack to hang up her coat then sashayed back to the poker table in the tightest fitting jeans ever. He knew she had to lay down on the bed to get them jeans buttoned up. "Howdy, gentlemen" she said as she sat down. Delia was in the game....and happier than a Mississippi firefly on a hot summer night.
Much to Johnny's chagrin she didn't wait for the big blind. She posted $2 under the gun. It was folded around to Johnny in the cutoff who also folded. The button player made it $12 to go. The blinds folded. Delia grabbed two redbirds and slung them to the felt. After the $2 rake there was $25 in the pot. The flop came Ace-Seven-Four rainbow. Delia checked. The button bet out $10. Delia called. Two more dollars raked and the pot was $43. The turn was an offsuit King eliminating the possibility of a backdoor flush. Delia checked. The button bet another $10. Delia called. There was $63 in the pot. A Five came on the river. Delia looked at her stack then grabbed two redbirds and threw them out. The button player grimaced, but made the call. Delia rolled her cards over exposing the 8-6 of diamonds for the nut straight. She had gutshotted the button player off the pot.
Johnny bit his lip. Delia had him in the jackpot. He knew SHE knew it too. If he pissed her off he could be going back to the hotel alone. The button player slammed his Ace-King face up on the felt for everyone to see the injustice of it all.
Johnny smiled at Delia. "Nice hand, sweetheart."
She smiled back that gorgeous smile. "Thank you, honey" she said as she stacked the chips.
There is a very, very old saying around these parts. "Every crooked dealer that got run out of Nevada came to Montana." Most all the games are on the up and up. But still, even today, you have to watch your ass.