Poker Withdrawl: The Struggle is Real

Poker has been suspended at Club Regent.  (Table games as well, but that doesn't impact me.)  Also, the major charity provider, Northern Stars Poker, has also canceled games until further notice.  It has been less than 24 hours since the poker room closed at Regent.  I miss it already, although I totally support the decision.  Worse for me, curling championship and GSOC events have also been canceled for the rest of the year.  Seriously, what am I to do?  I might have to clean up the messes that my little man creates.  I might have to talk to my partner.  No, I am not that desperate yet, but it may come to that. 

Long before COVID-19, I have felt that poker rooms are basically petri dishes full of infection.  Players eating and drinking at the table without washing their hands before or after.  People sneezing or coughing into their hands and then touching cards, chips, etc.  I always have hand sanitizer in my purse and am not shy about pulling it out and asking people to use it, and, to my surprise, many decline.  Or, people sneezing into the air at the table.  A couple of years ago, a regular player, went on medical leave and was away for several months.  When he came back, let's just say his skin was exfoliating to the same extent that getting a pedicure does.  When he got up, there was literally a pile of skin on the felt. He said it was a side effect of medication.  Actually, it was a product of being in a dry environment for a long period of time without enough bathing to naturally exfoliate.  Regardless, he was touching the same cards that we all were.  Happily, he doesn't play many hands, so he didn't touch many chips.  Oh, those chips.  I stopped thinking about the chips a long time ago.  What they go through in a day, and I am talking pathogens, and then used the next day and so on and so on.  But, I like poker.  So, I have always taken the best precautions that I can and sanitize once every orbit and hand-washing, hand-washing, hand-washing. 

But, I have been forced to think about it this week and the more I thought, I just knew that the poker room would be closed. 

I actually phoned on Thursday afternoon to see if the tournament was still on.  I actually didn't want to go but also wanted to go because I knew it would be the last.  When talking with other players, I suggested this would be the last tournament for a long time at Regent.  Most said that I didn't know what I was talking about and I was fear-mongering.  Some of us were talking about unsanitary things that we have seen.  Most had worst stories than I did. 

During the tournament, I saw someone eating with his mouth full and talking.  I could see his spit going into the air and evaporating and through the law of gravity falling onto the felt.  I saw someone sneeze, not into their elbow, but into their hands.  I then saw sputum on their hands and then instinctively rubbed onto the felt.  Not to mention the hands that I saw touching the dealer button.  More than one ass tried to make a joke about COVID-19 and they weren't funny.  After the tournament, I knew that within the next day, the Casino would have to close the poker room temporarily. 

I thought I would have one more day to play cash and room would close today at 3:00 am.  And, it turned out, that wasn't the case.  All table games were closed at approximately 3:00 pm.  Four tables were in progress and the last hand was completed and closed.  Deep sigh. 

Even though I am in withdrawal, I feel very sorry for the staff affected.  I don't know what will happen for them.  Ironically, the Casino made the decision primarily to protect staff, but, they may be placing them in financial hardship. 

.The coronavirus has forced the world to look at universal precautions and mitigating risk so that even when the threat of the virus lessens, there are going to be several things that are likely going to be permanent. 

There likely will have to be some sort of conclave for poker chips to sterilize them every day.  Perhaps this already exists and is being done, however, I am doubtful.  Food, likely, won't be served at the table and people may be prohibited from bringing in outside food.  Inspectors may be more assertive in suggesting that players who don't look well to come back tomorrow.  Dealers may have to wear sterile gloves.  I am not talking regular medical gloves that would be impossible for them to deal.  I am talking sterile gloves that are fitted.  They would have to get training on sterile technique in putting them on and taking them off.  A new pair would be needed every time they come to a table and every time they leave.  These measures would cost money.  Poker players will lose their minds but the rake may have to be increased. 

And here is another thing that is specific to Manitoba.  It may be difficult for the poker room to re-open.  During this "temporary" closure, management will get real data about how much poker contributes to their profits.  It is possible that poker room might not generate enough profits to continue when they factor in the "extra" costs of security, cleaning, administrative costs, etc. Poker players will say, "they can't close poker" and actually, they can do what they want.  It is actually not a right that poker be provided.  It is a privilege that we have had and some of us have not exercised that privilege responsibly.  Again, those players are a small portion of the population that plays poker.  But, it usually is a small minority that ruins things for the majority.  That just seems to be how life goes. 

And, if you are one of the players who says, "what administrative costs are there?  This is the poorest run room in all the world", chances are that you are a player who contributes to the extra administrative costs. 

I want the poker room up and running quickly.  I want Northern Stars to resume their tournaments.  There is another charity tournament that still intends to continue.  They are going to need a bigger room because I think they are going to be very busy. 

Whatever happens in poker and in life, we all need to express more gratitude for what we have.  Right now, it seems like society is canceled.  When it resumes, we need to keep being grateful because we have now seen, it can be taken away.