johnny pushed open the door of the casino and walked in.
nobody at the tables looked up at him.
a guy with an apron was collecting at one of the tables and he glanced up at johnny when he finished and started toward another table.
“be right with you,” the man with the apron said. he wore a white shirt and a black tie, in the classic style.
johnny looked around. there were ten tables, but games going on at only three. one of the tables, in a corner, seemed to have no house dealer. but the man with the apron went over and collected from the players, so johnny figured it was a real game.
“so - what can i do for you?” the man asked johnny when he was finished collecting.
“what have you got?”
“three and six. five and ten. three seats open in the five and ten. two in the three and six.”
“what’s that over there?” johnny pointed to the table with no dealer.
“draw poker.”
“draw poker! what is it, the last one on earth?”
“you interested?”
“hell no, just curious. “ johnny looked over at the table. there were five players, all old men, and they did not look at all like high rollers. “what kind of money do they play for?”
“it depends. depends on who’s playing. we keep it going for the boomer. the boomer likes to play it sometimes.”
whoever he might be, thought johnny. “i’ll take the five and ten,” he told the floorman.
“hundred buy-in. and i just collected. two every hour.”
that’s cheap enough, johnny did not say out loud. “no problem.” he said.
“you want down for ten and twenty, if i can get it going?"
“sure, why not?”
johnny heard a big laugh behind him. he turned and saw magnus.
“what are you doing running around loose?’” magnus asked johnny. “isn’t there any law in this town?“
“i could ask you the same,” was the best johnny could come up with.
“you know this bum?” the floorman asked johnny.
“i guess i do.”
“you want the five and ten?”, the floorman asked magnus.
“indeed. and put me up for anything bigger.”
there were two empty seats together at the five and ten table and johnny and magnus took them and the floorman began counting out chips for them.
“what’s your name?’ the floorman asked johnny, “so i can put you down for the ten and twenty?”
“j j”
“we already got a j j here.”
“jones.”
“all right, mr jones.”
“what’s your name?” johnny asked with a smile.
“albert.”
“you own this place?”
“no, i just work here. why do you ask?”
“just curious.”
“you two guys want to kill it, or wait?” the dealer, a large blonde woman, asked johnny and magnus.
magnus tossed some chips in the center of the table, and johnny did the same.
“you a regular here?” johnny asked magnus as the cards were being dealt.
“i come and go. you know how it is.”
“right.”
johnny looked at his cards. the three of diamonds and the nine of clubs.
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