I guess I'll hold off on my King Lear joke next poker game

PREFACE: There are many intelligent, clever people who are regular poker players. This post is not a put-down. That said...

There are two guys who host poker games in Southern Jersey, "Mike" and "Jim". They coordinate the games and are permanent dealers. Mike's games are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights at his house while Jim's are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at a different location. The games are both in towns in Camden County, and Mike and Jim are buddies. Presumably, this way people could play every night and each game would not draw people away from the other game. I usually play at Mike's house. However, I have been to Jim's a couple of times and therefore, I am on both of their text message lists. The scene at Mike's house is very friendly (even when it's for big money), and everybody chats and jokes throughout the games.

About two weeks ago, Jim's text messages started becoming more frequent and insistent. He started to advertise games every night, including the regular nights at Mike's (M, W, F). I found this strange and continued to stay loyal to the game at Mike's house.

So last Wednesday I show up at Mike's game, get settled, buy in and grab beer / food, and say... "Hey, Mike, did you know that Jim has started to text people about having games on Mondays and Wednesdays also?"

"Yeah, [Walt]. I got those texts also."

"Are you cool with that? I mean, don't you guys compete, in a sense, for the same guys to show up on weeknights?"

"Kind of, but not really. I mean, as long as we each have enough guys to play it's cool. The groups really are kind of separate. It was weird, though. The first thing I texted him back when he started having those games was, 'Et tu, Brute?'"

I start chuckling and the other seven guys at the table are just staring at Mike. Another player says, "What does that mean, Mike?"

"What, 'Et tu, Brute'?"

(Me: ) "Well, it's from Caesar. It means..."

I go on to explain the context of the line in relation to Julius Caesar, and how Shakespeare immortalized it, and I realize that about halfway through I think I lost them at Julius Caesar - as in, the only two Caesars these guys know are the big statue at the casino in Atlantic City and the salad dressing.

Feeling like an intellectual snob, I let my voice trail off and Mike continues to deal. The image of me being the only guy appreciating Mike's reference highlighted by the blank stares after his line makes me chuckle still.

It reminded me of the time during the summer when I sat down to play in a poker tournament in Bally's in Atlantic City. I was running late and got there just before they started. Everybody is in that quiet couple of minutes just before the dealers start the tournament and I get settled. I am wearing a t-shirt entitled "The Mathematicians". This is what is looks like.



So I sit down and nod hello. A 40-something guy across the table, in a Soprano style accent, goes, "Ey, what's on your shirt?"

I look down to recall what shirt I'm wearing, and the table all looks to check out the shirt. I say, "It's 'The Mathematicians.' It's just the faces of a bunch of famous mathematicians throughout history."

The guy just stares back at me and goes, "Oh."

Me: "Yeah. So..."

The guy: "Cool. I thought it was like an album cover or something."

Me: "Ha. Yeah, no, just some mathematicians."

Thankfully, the dealer started the tournament and the conversation ended. I felt like an intellectual snob again.

It's quiet again.