With the passing of the legendary Doyle Brunson earlier this year, our annual tradition may take on even more meaning…
As has become tradition here at Poker News Daily (and has been true for this author since he wrote it in 2005), it's time to celebrate the holidays. With that in mind, let's take a poker-centric take on a Christmas classic. The names have all been left as they were originally written, but perhaps one day this author will update the names reviewed on the pages!
So, without further ado, and with all due apologies to Clement Moore, here is our take on “A Visit from St. Nicholas”:
A visit to St. Doyle
It was the night before Christmas
And throughout the house
The only thing you hear
Was the click of a mouse
The stockings were hung up
Be careful on the chimney
But there was nothing in it
As I looked at two pairs
The tournament was late
The blinds were high
I've been thinking about a raise
And behind him there was a sigh
The children were silent
And cuddled in bed
As a thought of a boat
Danced in my head
With mom (who sighed) happily packing up
And me in my sights
I had settled in
And thought about my raiser
When you're on the lawn
There was such a clatter
I jumped up from my chair
And ignored the chat banner
To the door
I flew like lightning
Threw the bolt back
And opened the latch
What did my astonished eyes appear for?
The saint of the game and eight of his colleagues
He had a big cowboy hat and a big smile
And with a wave of his hand he led in those who were standing at the back
“In Chris, in Barry,
With Howard and Annie
In Jennifer, in TJ,
And Phils, Hellmuth and Ivey”
We flew to the table
The chips they clicked on
The discussion was cheerful
We drank eggnog
He spoke reverently
When we played all night long
He looked me in the eyes
And showed me the light
“The game, it's great,
The time spent is a great time.
But it's not everything
Enjoy every day as if it were your last.”
“Play the game and enjoy it
Who knows, maybe you're great.
But think about friends and family
These things never go away.”
The eight and I nodded in agreement
As a toast was raised to the man
And he announced magnificently:
“All in, final hand.”
The cards flew to us
As well as flop, turn and river
And we all took a look at our hole cards
To see what was delivered
It came to me
And I raised my hand
I stared down with wide eyes
The royal flush I had
The hand went to me
As did the cheering of the gang
And we all left the table
When the Christmas bells rang
The mood was happy
And as they disappeared from sight
St. Doyle looked at me
And had one final realization
“The best thing for you in the game
And the best thing in your life.
May your hands be huge,
Merry Christmas and goodnight.”
