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Quick story about my mom for Mother's Day.
Nov 1995. I'm 25, she's turning 50 in a week. We're talking on the phone and I'm telling her all about my upcoming trip to Vegas with my now somewhat infamous group of poker players called "The Tiltboys" -- my crew.
Nov 1995. I'm 25, she's turning 50 in a week. We're talking on the phone and I'm telling her all about my upcoming trip to Vegas with my now somewhat infamous group of poker players called "The Tiltboys" -- my crew.
She says: "You know, Phil, what I really want for my 50th is to join you and the guys in Vegas for the weekend."
For most 25 yr old guys, having your mom crash your guys trip to Vegas would be a nightmare. But you don't know my mom. I accepted and booked her a flight.
For most 25 yr old guys, having your mom crash your guys trip to Vegas would be a nightmare. But you don't know my mom. I accepted and booked her a flight.
Friday afternoon at 5pm and 10 of us arrive at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Mom meets us at reception already 2-3 drinks in, gives all the guys a big hug, and we immediately head to the poker room. She's already put a few of us on "the list" and 15 minutes later we hear...
"AG, PG, and DICE for 2-4 Hold'em" -- that is 2-4 limit hold'em. No limit wasn't played much or at all in Vegas in those days. We all have a seat. Mom and Dice battle in one of the first few hands, her capping the bet preflop, betting all the way, and winning a monster pot.
The next 24 hours, the 10 of us -- including my mom -- are glued to our seats. Occasional trips to the buffet, bathroom, bar, craps table are a blur. But now it's like 6pm Saturday and I finally give out and go up to the room. Dice and Mom are still at it.
About 3am, I wake up and Mom is not in the room. I'm a little worried and disoriented. I go down to the casino and there she is, playing 5 handed with Dice and three other unfortunate souls. It's been 34 hours straight. She says she's fine. Big mound of chips. Dice looks weary.
At my pleading, they both get up from the table and cash out and decide to head up for some sleep. When we get to the room, mom takes a shower -- the smoke-filled poker tables in the casinos back then were crazy bad.
She gets out of the shower and says, "Phil, I'm just so wired up, I know I'm not going to be able to go to sleep. I'm going back down to play for a few more hours."
And she did. The gang assembled for the buffet breakfast around 10am. Everyone had had maybe 8 hours of sleep.
And she did. The gang assembled for the buffet breakfast around 10am. Everyone had had maybe 8 hours of sleep.
Except mom. Who had yet to have her head hit the pillow. At 50, she outlasted, outwitted, and outplayed 10 25 year old guys in Las Vegas and won the coveted "Sleep Deprivation Last Longer" bet for the trip by about 7 hours.
She's 75 now. She LIVES in Vegas now and plays 3-4 hours a day online at http://WSOP.com -- supplementing her income with the dollars for the kids she's fleecing in her $10 and $20 sit and gos.
That's my mom. I couldn't be prouder.
That's my mom. I couldn't be prouder.
