The night was held in order to raise money for the RICF, the Racing Industry Charitable Foundation, which helps support disadvantaged families that live on the backstretch.

Although I ended the night down, I have to say that I've never lost money in a more enjoyable or fulfilling way.

Poker pro Barry Greenstein, in his autobiographical book Ace on the River, wrote that being a professional poker player, or gambler, can feel like a solitary lifestyle. I have to agree, gambling can sometimes feel like a selfish hobby; so to me this past weekend, where I was surrounded by good times and charitable works, felt like Thanksgiving had come just a little bit early this year.

Charity Gambling Revisited

Readers may remember that in an earlier article my roommate--the Goose-- and I tried out charity gaming a few weeks back with mixed results.

Well, charity casino night at the Hawthorne Race Course had worse dealers and a higher rake then my previous experience...and you know what? That didn't bother me at all.

The charity poker tournament, although for charity, seemed somehow more serious than the race track casino night. Maybe it was the constant screams of joy from the craps table or the laughter that seemed to resonate from the blackjack area all night or the funky plastic chips given out in blue cups as currency, whatever it was I felt more laid back playing at Hawthorne than I had in a long time--and that's hard to do I'm pretty laid back.

The Windy City Rounder before he "donates" some money

Blackjack is Fun!

Although the craps table was certainly lively and poker is always fun, the best time to be had in the room that night definitely was at the blackjack table.

I've never been overly excited about the game of blackjack--it's okay I guess--but if I'm going to play I like it to be a communal environment.

Sure the dealing was sloppy and we had to constantly remind the employees of the rules to the game, but who cares? The whole thing was put on by volunteers anyway, and in spite of their shortcomings at dealing my fellow players and I wouldn't have traded dealers if Vegas had flown in their best and brightest as substitutes, they were just too much fun.

Stacy, who is actually from the Cicero area, maybe the best blackjack dealer I've ever had

Pit games held at the casino are just too tight. Dealers are worried about floor directors, degenerates yell, complain and generally make things unbearable, and the constant blinking of slot machine lights can make you feel an epileptic episode coming on.

What I guess I'm saying is, casinos can be fun, but casino nights are always a good time.

Especially when you end up winner against your roommate in props for the night--how does it feel Goose?

Dealing: The Tables Have Turned

Late in the night, when the volunteer dealers had been on duty for three to four hours, I overheard a tournament director trying to find an extra dealer to give one guy at the poker tables a well deserved break.

I thought, "Why not? You know how to flip the cards just as well as the next guy." So I volunteered.

Going back to my previous experience with charity gambling, readers will remember I was not exactly kind to the quality of dealing. So, when the opportunity to "show them how it's done" presented itself, I would have felt like a hypocrite if I didn't step up to the challenge.

Okay, I'll admit it, dealing is not easy. You have to keep track of rake, judge very subtle action, end disputes and deal with sometimes not-so-happy players.

The Windy City Rounder trying not to look stupid

So I guess in light of my experience on the other side of the felt, I'll rescind my rant about the poor dealing at the charity poker tournament I played at a few weeks back. It wasn't right of me and I am sorry--although I will point out that I had only one misdeal to the many I saw at the charity game, but I guess that's neither here nor there.

A Good Night Out

Ultimately, I think everyone who played at Hawthorne's casino night left feeling great about the whole experience.

I'm not really sure whether it was because we were playing for a charity or if it was due to most of the attendees already being good friends, the end result was a night that very much resembled a family get together.

Now that I think about it there could have been another reason for the laid back atmosphere...

I'm glad i was able to take part in such an event, and I hope my loses help push the night's take over the $12,000 that last year's different, but I'm sure still fun, charity event managed to raise.