151. Poker night with the boys
Heidegger, the German existentialist, coined the term 'Geworfenheit' to convey the notion of our existence being "thrown" into circumstances beyond our control. Each of us finds ourselves in a starting point not of our own doing. However, in poker, where we can opt in or out, our initial condition is not a choice we make. None of us chose whether or not to be born. Now, many people feel uncomfortable with the idea that some people are dealt extremely fortunate or unfortunate hands when they were born. It strikes them as unfair that we are thrown into a world that is not of our choosing.
Just like in poker, we strive to make the most out of the hand we're dealt. Let's not dwell excessively on those who received exceptionally good or bad hands. While we may complain about the luck of those born into rich and influential lives, or empathize with those dealt a tough hand, ultimately, we must navigate our own cards as life deals them to us.
I was invited to poker night with the boys on Friday. I had to juggle lindy hop Friday night and some late night gambling with my buddies. It was a very wonderful dance session and then I had to call a taxi to get to my friend's house. I haven't played poker in a hot minute.
When I got to the house, I arrived at the same time as Uncle, a person who I utterly despise. I mentioned Uncle in 137. A defunct mob spawn rate at the terrace bar and 121. Updating the friend group on my dating life via PowerPoint, but didn't talk about the beef I had with him in much detail. Uncle makes a special appearance in all of my stories, but I refuse to give him a stand at the podium because he sucks. I'll try to explain-
Uncle is a menace. He is a South-African 30-40-something year old man who flies in and out of KL from Cape Town or Dubai. He works in cryptocurrency, finance, some sort of business bullshit. To be honest, he really doesn't explain his profession very well. This man came to KL because he had to flee Bangkok because he either:
a.) slept with a Thai man's wife and was being chased all over Thailand
b.) ran into some kind of financial trouble while in UAE
c.) got into a fight with a guy and is now getting hunted down across SE Asia
d.) All of the above?
The actual reasons of why he's in the city are very misunderstood because Uncle keeps changing the story every time he talks to a new person. I think he's a bit of a psychopath, the way he interacts with women, let alone people in general. I have never seen this man sober, even during the daytime. Actually, I rarely see this man in daylight, simply because he sleeps all day and drinks all night.
When I arrived at the table, I was greeted with alcoholic punch and a whole stack of poker chips. All of my friends were gathered around, setting up Texas Hold 'Em and basically shooting the shit. Uncle decided to play his first hand by going all in. I asked advice from a friend who wasn't playing and she told me to go all in as well because she was convinced that I had the winning hand.
I lost that round and all of my chips. I was pretty grumpy, but I bought in again and continued to play.
My chips
The night went on a there was a point where I lost all my money and refused to play because I was too upset over my loss. Uncle was pretty generous and gave me a loan for me to continue to play. It was cool of him to take pity on me and let me play. Once I won the pot, I immediately satisfied my debt with Uncle. I really didn't want to owe him any money.
This was a very good play I had.
Sheldon was my only friend that night. He kept me company while I sulked in the corner because I lost my money during the first round of games... :(
It was a good round of games that night. I got many good hands. I petted my friend's dogs.
~ a high roller,
<3 K