As the Billy Idol classic "Dancing With Myself" blared throughout the Hyatt ballroom in downtown Austin last night, I found myself playing Blackjack surrounded by a table full of lawyers.
Actually, they weren't official lawyers yet as everyone was still enrolled in the UT law program, but it was a testament to the fiercely competitive nature of the group that so many people could get so worked up over playing with fake chips at a "Casino Night" theme party.
I witnessed one guy chastise his date repeatedly for her "loose" betting of chips after she split a pair of 4's and lost.
"99 luftballoons" played as I saw a gentleman at another table swipe a stack of chips from an unsuspecting player to his left.
The poker tables were even more ridiculous as every other player seemed to think that they were the second coming of Doyle Brunson.
I watched in fascination as people tried to read the faces of their opponents, but this was largely in vain due to the high number of players sporting sunglasses to conceal their "tells."
The whole thing felt like a third-rate "Rounders" casting call minus John Turturro in a Turkish steam bath.
It wasn't all cheating, chastising and brutal competition, however, as a hint of generousity also occurred when a Blackjack player magnamiously tipped the dealer with a fake $500 chip before leaving the table to gorge himself on chicken fingers and jalopeno poppers at the buffet table.
On the plus side, there was an open bar that served top-shelf liquor and a cover band called the Spazmatics that ripped through infectious 80s songs with manic energy.
So, when I was forced to decide whether to continue playing Blackjack where the stakes meant nothing (at least to me) or to embarrass myself on the dancefloor to "Whip It," the choice was much easier than whether to hit on 15.
And I whipped it good.
-BDS
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