The Oregonian

Let's make a deal

By Melanie Conner
Friday, January 28, 2005

There is an unmistakable tension in the air.

The owner of the house is a little nervous. He wasn't told that a reporter would be there. Oh, yeah, and also a photographer. After a few minutes of dialogue he relaxes into a roughly charming host. He requests politely (a pit bull by his side) that no full names are mentioned without permission and that winning dollar amounts are not disclosed. He makes an honest argument, something not easily countered, that the folks in his home are there for fun, to enjoy a private game and play cards.

Partially collapsed stacks of tiny red, green and blue discs ring the table near an equal number of paired Bicycle playing cards, face down. Slim fingers, some with painted nails, pry a corner of their set of cards a fraction of an inch from the red felt and, somehow, quickly, eyes imperceptively register their value.

Also, there is a cooler full of beer and soda.

Welcome to Ladies Night No Limit Texas Hold'em, somewhere in what used to be Felony Flats (the borders of Southeast Foster Road, Interstate 205 and Johnson Creek Boulevard), Portland.

This is serious. The cards always come from new, unopened packs, and the players shuffle and eye the dealer carefully.

At the table, the ladies game emits a light harmony to coat the underlying competition of the game and the stakes. There's an empathy-slash-camaraderie among the women that contributes to an overall airiness to help thaw the ice in the room.

Ice enveloped the area on the Saturday that Ladies Night was originally planned. This made for a postponed game, and everyone is eager to play the set of 20-minute rounds. The girls come from as far away as Hillsboro and Gresham.

One of the girls at the table explains, when she wins the first hand, that she's there to try to win enough to afford ear surgery for her 12-year-old black lab, Leo.

Getting in the game costs $20, and winners walk away with (approximately) a whopping $400.

Small stakes. So, why play? Because its fun and no one goes broke if they lose.

All of the groups accept new members and can be accessed at www.meetup.com/cities/us/or/portland/.

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