The other players

You lay your chips down at the table, although you signal to the dealer that you'll sit the next hand out as you settle in. Your seat is at the end of the semi-circle in front of the dealer, and you check out the other players, wondering what their back stories are. While there are 5 other people around the table, only 4 of them are seated. Directly across from you is a man in a tuxedo, probably in his 40s, who looks like he could play James Bond in a movie. Standing behind him, with her hand on his shoulder, is the only non-player, a tall stunning blonde in a purple dress. She looks just a little younger than her companion and she has a confident, haughty expression, like she think she's picked the winning horse. The huge, highly visible diamond ring on her hand and the gold band on the man's finger indicate they're married. Indeed, the man in the tuxedo has the highest stack of chips in front of him.

The player next to them is a scruffy man with a bushy beard and dressed in a flannel shirt and baseball cap. Actually, his face is mostly hair, and it's hard to read his expressions. You can't even estimate his age very well, just that he's somewhere between 25 and 50. You decide to call him the lumberjack in your mind.

Next to the lumberjack is another man in a suit, although he looks less classy than the man in the tuxedo. This man looks so old that it would seem normal if he were hooked up to an oxygen tank. Bald and skinny, the suit he's wearing looks 2 sizes too big and he kind of resembles like a skeleton. However, when he glances at you briefly, you can see the liveliness and fire in his eyes. He may be old, but it certainly seems like gambling excites him.

The final player, the one to your immediate left, is a woman about your age. Strangely, she seems more out of place than you. She's also wearing a baseball cap, and her long brown hair is sticking out the back in a ponytail. She winks at you as you take a sip of champagne, and while she's not as beautiful as the trophy wife across the table, she's cute and looks like the girl next door. She's also dressed the most casually, in a t-shirt that looks like it was bought at a Las Vegas gift shop, and faded tattered jeans. She's thin with minimal curves, cutting a boyish figure. From the chips in front of her, she's doing pretty well and not far behind the man in the tuxedo.

You watch the next hand and the old man and the lumberjack fold early, while the man in the tuxedo and the young woman go the full stretch, with the latter eventually winning. Impressed, you give the woman an approving thumbs up, which she shows her appreciation for with a grin.

As the dealer deals the next hand, you get ready to play.