Julian Skowten rubbed his hands together as he joined three other men at the corner table in Binski's, a neighborhood bistro on Chicago's south side.
   "Man, its cold out there," he said. "The windy city is living up to its name."
   "Yeah, dis is da coldest December I can remember," said Larry "the mouth" Skelley. "What chou got up your sleeve to get us out on a day like dis?"
   Julian's pock-marked face spread into a big grin as he snuffed out his cigarette.
   "Well guys . . . you're gonna love this. I have figured out a way to beat the big cash prize poker tournaments."
   "You gotta be kidding," said Martin Bower, setting his coffee cup down. "That's next to impossible."
   "Okay, okay . . . no plan is foolproof, but I can stack the odds heavily in our favor."
   He paused his discussion as the waitress stopped by the table and took their orders.
   "That idea of pocketing chips and swapping them during the breaks worked well until they got caught. Enforcing that new penalty made it tough," said Martin. "I got kicked out of a minor tournament when one of the dealers saw me take chips off the table."
   "Yeah, they caught onto that scam but this is nearly bullet proof. We're gonna need at least twelve guys to make it work," said Julian. "Eight more besides us four . . . and they have to be good players.
   "What do you have in mind?" asked Martin.
   "I'll explain the details when we get the group together for a light practice. We need to think about who we can recruit to go to Tunica next month."
   "Man . . . you're full of ideas," said Larry. "I got two buddies who awready plannin to go. When you gonna have dat practice?"
   "Let's plan to meet in the back room at the Leisure Palace over on 42nd street. I'll set it up with Jodie and we can meet at two o'clock next Wednesday."
   "What do you think our take could be?" asked Martin.
   "We could split over two million dollars thirteen ways," said Julian. "Not bad for a couple of weeks work."
   "I thought you said twelve guys?"
   "Yeah . . . that's in addition to our inside man."
   All three looked at Julian wide-eyed.

   "My last trip to Tunica Mississippi was eleven months ago in January," said Matt Dublin. "I go over every year for the World Series of Poker Tournament. I enjoy the competition and I'm going back next month."
   "How far is it from here?" asked his friend, Joe.
   "I can leave North Little Rock and be there in two and a half hours even with the heavy truck traffic on I-40."
   "How can you stay sharp if you only play once a year?"
   "Well . . . my little secret is some software I have been using for over fifteen years. It's a well designed computer game that allows you to play Texas Hold'em and it's just like being there."
   Joe's face showed disbelief.
   "I kid you not . . . you can bluff and it will bluff you and I guarantee . . . if you only played the sure hands, you will lose."
   "The computer game is really that smart?"
   "It's not only that smart . . . it trained me to know how and when to bluff. Last year, I bluffed a man into folding three jacks . . . it even surprised me."
   "So it's a game of bluff?"
   "No . . . if you go to that well too often, you get drowned. You have to have some luck and catch some cards, too."
   Joe shook his head. "It sounds awfully complicated to me."
   It is a combination of luck, skill, and endurance. You have to walk a fine line."
   "Just like Johnny Cash sang, You gotta walk the line," Joe said with a chuckle.
   "Stamina plays a big role in the game," Matt continued. "The major tournaments all start at noon and I've see these young guys come to the table after having been up all night playing cash games.
   "You see a lot of young guys?"
   "Are you kidding? I call them plungers . . . they are very aggressive and they'll go "all in" at the drop of a hat. Most of them are college drop-outs and you won't see them around when it gets down to the final thirty or forty."
   "Well . . . you won't see me around at all," said Joe Haskell. "I'm not one to take such risks."
   "I guess you don't play the ponies either?"
   "Oh, I go over to Hot Springs once or twice a year with a group from the office. We have a party at Oaklawn when we go . . . my two dollar bets don't seem to affect the odds."
   "You probably bet every race . . . don't you know you're guaranteed not to win."
   "So . . . why go?"
   "There is an old expression, my friend. You can beat a race but you can't beat the races. If you go to party over there, two dollar bets are pretty cheap entertainment. If you go to win money, you should only bet the races where you can pick a winner."
   "I suppose you win a lot when you go?"
   "Usually I do . . . of course, I can't be right all the time. I just have to be right just often enough to make a profit."
   Joe walked away shaking his head. "I hope the odds of selling your paintings is better than that."

   The meeting room at Winner's Tunica Casino filled rapidly as various managers took seats. They were preparing to finalize the schedule and other details for the 2011 World Series of Poker January event.
   "The word from upstairs," began Dave Pillot, their General Manager, "is that the entry fees will be lower for each event. In theory, that will attract more players and we need to fill up these hotel rooms."
   "It's the economy," said Raymond Kinney, Events Director, "the golf course and music shows aren't enough to draw big crowds these days."
   "Well . . . you all know those empty floors are killing our bottom line over in the Rose Garden Hotel," continued Dave. "Even the special $49 room rates for the poker players are better than nothing."
   "This tournament has always made money," said Nate Boggett, Casino manager. "Those guys play Blackjack when they aren't playing poker. Two years ago I watched one well-known player drop twenty thousand at the crap table."
   "The new Martha's Place Buffet has helped some too," said the Food and Beverage Manager, "but it has killed our specialty restaurant."
   "Okay . . . the first event is set for January 28th and will begin at noon, as usual. The entry fee has been dropped to $200 plus a $35 fee for most no-limit events. Two years ago it was $500 with a couple of $300 events thrown in. This year, the main event has been set for February 13th and the entry fee will be only $1,600, down from $5,000.
   "Wow," said Nate, "that should bring them in out of the woods."
   "I'll have to rehire all of the housekeeping staff that we furloughed back in September," said the hotel manager. "I just hope they haven't left town."
   "I want this to be the most profitable tournament we have ever hosted," said Dave. "I'll tell the tournament director to be stingy with those food vouchers."
   "I hope those tournament dealers are drilled on spotting cheats," said Nate. "The last thing we need is a scandal . . . business is bad enough without scaring people away."
   Heads nodded around the table.