Babes In Poker Room

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Three really nice things about the headlines and TV coverage accorded to poker generally and No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em in particular are these: every casino has jumped into the bandwagon with much nicer poker rooms, players have gotten younger and there are many more female fans just hanging on to every flop and bluff.
Poker groupies do not even make a pretense of asking for autographs from celebrity players anymore. They stride purposefully into poker rooms with absolutely no husbands, “partners” or boyfriends in sight. They survey the men, not the play. Clearly, they are looking for action. How else explain why they come solo or, more often than not, with a gaggle of friends? This is just too reminiscent of the singles bar scene.

On the Radar

You walk into a poker room, see someone you could get into, and catch her eye. But her gaze just wanders over your head and continues checking out the other folks in the room without ever looking back at you again. Alright, try someone else.

You make eye contact, she keeps gazing at you coolly until you are forced to break eye contact first. For some reason, she needs to keep flipping perfectly-straight hair just so she can “accidentally” slant her face in your direction and check you out again. Or you are seated side by side and her body language spells “interested”: legs crossed in your direction, upper body turned slightly toward you, continuous fidgeting with hair and hemline. Don’t wait for the lady to take out an ad, move in and start a conversation.

Making Nice Gets You Somewhere

Opening lines – The women of today have “heard it all” if not firsthand then courtesy of MySpace, chat rooms and thousands of self-help magazines and columns out there. Don’t even bother with the latest wrinkle that you tipped the friendly barman for last week, “The only thing your eyes haven't told me is your name.” Besides, if she is dazzling enough to make you overcome your normal reserve (and, let’s face it, desperate loneliness), you’ll probably stumble through your prepared lines anyway.

If she is even decently half-dressed, complement her on her looks: “I like how your hair frames your face”. Or, “I like how your dress/scarf/pendant sets off your skin tone.” (Don’t bother with handbags or shoes, men are clueless and you’ll be stuck for a good follow-up when she remarks offhand, “They’re Manolo Blahniks, you know”). Practice this with a sincere tone of voice and an honestly pleased expression in front of a mirror.

Why should talking up her appearance work? Women of any age spend a lot of time and effort getting their hair, make-up and outfit for the evening just so. Remember the “just five more minutes!” your Mom/sister/date take to finish dressing and you wind up watching an entire no-bearing hockey game that runs into overtime? It is ever so even if you two are in the middle of a week-long retreat at a naturist (okay, nudist) colony.

Err on the side of caution. Mentally deduct ten or, better yet, 15 years from your first estimate of how old she is. It will get you on her good side at once. Even women in their thirties with two kids flush with pleasure when you ask, “Are you sure you’re old enough to be allowed in here?”

Talk up interests; hers, not yours. If you have a university student on your hands, show fascination about her studies. What is her major? Favorite courses? If you can’t get into a discussion about business strategy, microbiology or literature right there and then, bone up in the local library before you see her again. In the beginning, you might ask what sort of career does someone with a major like hers get into. Jobs are something you can surely relate to, right?

So much the better if the apple of your eye works or (gulp!) runs a business of her own. Surely you can latch onto some connection between her industry and yours.

And that gives an opening for probing things she enjoys doing after school or work or on weekends. Follow through with sports and vacations both of you enjoyed the past summer. Muse on about favorite things to do in the fall.

Talk about poker. One of the easiest things to do, given where you are, is to steer the conversation to poker. It is safer to assume she knows something about the game even if she avoids taking a seat or commenting on an ongoing game. Perhaps she dabbles in it online or routinely wins in friendly home games but finds the raises in 3/6 Limit and 1/2 No Limit too rich for her pocketbook. Then you know that she plays for fun and to pass the time and that you can handle too, right?

And never forget to ask for her number preferably in a casual tone and in the middle of a conversation about good books. Just say you want her opinion of a really “deep” book you’ve been reading and that will pique her curiosity so much she is bound to give you what you want without a second thought.

This is Acehero, quite possibly the only gambling forum in the world that truly rewards our members for their valued opinions. And holds forth with advice for luckless seekers of love in poker rooms.