Strip Poker

It was going to be a night that none of those assembled would ever forget, and for a variety of reasons. Not only was it Tom's 30th birthday, but it was his bon voyage party; he was leaving the next afternoon to spend six weeks in Valdivia, Chile, where he'd be building a school for the poorest of the southern city's poor.

But, the longest lived -- and possibly most embarrassing -- memories of this evening would come from the strip poker game that was nearly ready to begin.

Tom's wife, Leena, stepped up close to him, whispering, "It's almost midnight. Those who weren't interested in the game have left, so ...I think we're ready."

"How many?" Tom asked.

"Twelve," she said, "counting us."

"Can you play poker with that many?" he asked, oblivious. He'd played a bit of draw and stud poker in college, but Texas Hold'em was Leena's area of expertise.

"Sure," she said confidently. "Tables are usually limited to ten, tops, so I set up two tables to start, then as people chicken out, we'll combine them into one ...tournament style."

"Are people going to chicken out do you think?"

She chuckled, knowing -- and hoping -- that tonight was likely going to go a lot further than simply taking off clothes. "Oh, yeah. I have no doubt."

They herded every one to the living room, and Tom counted heads. From the Gill Street Gang -- childhood friends who'd formed a short live, joke of a garage band and remained close to today -- there were Pete, Carl, Hank, and Cliff. Pete's wife Lois and Carl's long time girl friend Sas were in, as were Leena's sister Joy and a new neighborhood couple -- lesbians, who had seemed tense with one another all evening -- Deb and Rita.

"That's nine," Tom said, "eleven counting us."

Leena donned a sheepish smile and pointed to the lower steps of stairs where a beautiful, young, dark skinned woman sat, watching in silence.

"You're letting Sophia play...?" Tom asked with obvious surprise, believing she'd gone to a friend's house for the weekend. He'd been shocked that his sister-in-law had wanted in -- particularly after the "awkward event" between him and Joy the year before -- but to allow their live-in Study Abroad student to play strip poker with all of their adult friends...? "Are you sure about this, honey?"

"She's 18, dear," Leena told him. "She's an adult ...and she's here to learn about American life."

Tom laughed loudly. "This is hardly American life. Or at least, normal American life."

But she ignored him and began organizing the players. They had rented a pair of Texas Hold'em table tops, but instead of using them on their legs with tall chairs around it, they'd set them atop overturned milk crates and surrounded them with sofas, recliners, cushioned chairs, and piles of throw pillows.

Once every one was settled, Leena explained the rules. She breezed over the basics of poker itself, then explained the peculiarities of Texas Hold'em itself.

"Now, about your buy-ins," she said, reminding everyone about Tom's upcoming adventure. "You have all GRACIOUSLY paid in $1,000, every dollar of which will go to the school construction fund."

There was a round of applause and cheers for Tom. When things settled, Tom chimed in, saying "As Leena has explained it to me, Texas Hold'em tournaments always have a big prize for the last man -- OR woman -- left at the table ...therefore--" He held out a set of keys and, with a wide smile, announced, "The winner tonight will get to use my car for the six weeks that I am gone."

There were gasps and laughs and hoots as those in the know considered the possibilities of having access to a convertible Ferrari for the summer.

"Now, about the strip poker portion," Leena began, pausing for a round of raucous laughter and crude comments. When the group settled, she continued, "You each have a thousand dollars in chips before you. If you lose that thousand dollars, you can rebuy chips--"

"Rebuy?" someone asked.

"Get another HUNDRED dollars, not a thousand," Leena explained, smiling, "by surrendering a piece of clothing."

"So, we're not actually winning another player's piece of clothing personally?"

"No," Leena continued. "Nor are you going to win your clothing back. Once you take something off ...it's gone for the night."

"Do I have to rebuy? Do I have to give up clothes?"

"No, you can leave," Leena answered bluntly. When questioned about just hanging out, she gave a strong response, "If you are tapped out ...no chips ...and you refuse to sacrifice another article of clothing ...you leave."

"What if I didn't come alone?" one of the men asked.

Leena just shrugged and said, "Bye bye. Take the car. We'll call your wife a cab, or she can sleep in the guest room. But you, you're gone. No lurkers ...no Peeping Toms ...or Tamis."

"What if I want to keep playing," one of the women asked, "but I'm out of chips AND clothes?"

A wide smile spread across Leena's face, then across others, and soon the room was divided into those laughing raucously at the implications and those wearing shocked looks on their faces. "So, are we ready to play," Tom asked.