The universal language of Poker

I was like a little kid in a candy store as I stepped foot into Emperors Casino in Johannesburg. The décor and layout of the Casino floor resemble ancient Rome so I was instantly taken aback by its splendour. We immediately made our way to the restaurant area which again was decked out in Italian themes. After dinner we walked around for a little before a few of the boys decided to put together a syndicate between four of us. We changed 100 Rand each (AUD $15) and began playing Texas Hold Em heads up vs. the dealer. We started off slow but immediately began to find some rhythm as we got used to this unconventional style of Poker. The beers flowed and we had a ball playing small amounts purely for the novelty factor. We didn’t realise at the time but beer at the tables is complimentary and for the first hour we were purchasing them over the bar. Not a big deal when you’re paying 50 rand (AUD $7) for four stubbies of Castle Lager but still, we felt like we were being short changed. To make up for our error we made sure we made up for money we had already spent on previous purchases. What I found totally amusing by the experience at the table was the amateur approach displayed by the dealers. Maybe I am just used to the professionalism that Crown Casino dealers show at the Poker tables but here at Emperors when I would fold a hand the dealer would pick them up before the hand has been dealt, smirk and say something along the lines of “man, you shouldn’t have folded, that’s bad Poker”. I had to laugh. When in Rome…almost! In the end each of us walked out with a 500 Rand chip each in our pockets. That covered dinner, the beers and the cab home. You have to love a free night out! It didn’t end there though. Having been vigilant with security up until this point, there was no way we were going to let our guard down. We asked Casino staff to call us a cab through a ‘reputable’ Taxi service. When the cab arrived, possibly due to the Dutch courage caused by the amount of Beer consumed, we thought we could bargain with the Driver. Not happy with the 300 Rand asking price, we demanded to be taken home for 250. The driver wouldn’t budge so we jumped out back into the freezing cold and waited for another one. As the cab sped off we realised that we were bargaining for a difference of AUD $3 to go back into the cold when the hotel was literally five minutes away. Small problem is that one didn’t come for another half hour. When it did, the driver received a rapturous applause by the Melbourne boys as not only were we happy that he was there but he quoted us 180 Rand. We ended up giving him 200 for good measure. No stopping at red lights etc.