Turkey and Poker

By Jen Leo | Permalink |

1 comment | November 25th, 2004 | Trackback

Last year's Thanksgiving story, “We're All Turkeys,” can’t be beat. It is one of my favorites.

This year the universal way for the Leos to show their love at Thanksgiving was to show up. My uncle brought his family of five from the East Coast (Virginia and North Carolina). This was a big deal because we don’t get to see them that often. Also, I had never met my uncle’s son in law, or his grandaughter. And everyone knows children make the holidays better. My cousin (Dallas) and her boyfriend (Chicago) were going to have their turkey in Chicago until they heard about the East Coast Leos coming out. Then they pulled all their strings, flew standby, and avoided floods to get here.

I know, just a bunch of logistics. But it is the first time we’ve all been together ever. Everyone has been busting their butts to make sure the houses are in a respectable condition for the East Coast Leos. The hosting family bought new furniture for the family room, and me and my brother spent nearly 30 cummulative hours this week to give my grandparents a new bathroom and clean the rest of the visible areas of the house. (We haven’t spoken about the bread rolls at all. Though we almost overbought seven pies.)

Last night we had a big Chinese banquet complete with Peking Duck, Lobster, shark fin soup, and shrimp fried rice among 6-8 other dishes. I won the bet on the dessert of the day, but sadly there was no money on the table.

So, poker? We’re starting a new Turkey Tourney tradition. My uncle has a new big silver machine gun style case of chips and he’s practicing for some side WSOP tourneys in February, so what else can we do besides play, play, play. I don’t know how many people are in on the Turkey tourney, but I think I’ve convinced my uncle to raise it from a $5 entry to a $20 entry. Last night we played limit and we all rotated being the chip leader. But I took it in the end when we switched to no limit. Types? My uncle will play with a high card, my brother likes to bluff, and my grandfather is very deceptive. We haven’t got him figured out yet. I have no idea what they’d say about me, but I know I’ve gotten a lot better since this summer.

Well, here’s wishing all of you a nice wholesome love-filled Thanksgiving! Wherever you are, and whomever you’re with, enjoy your pie!

Tags: Personal