4. Off-Days

When a good player has an off-day or is not feeling well, he may skip the game to avoid a breakdown in his concentration or discipline. Or he may play on an off-day (knowing he may not be playing at his best) in order to—

• alter the consistency of his play
• make money with decreased but still favorable edge odds
• maintain the continuity of the game (even when he misses a game, he helps organize it whenever possible.).

John Finn seldom misses the Monday night game. Even when feeling below par, he still makes an effort to play. Consider the following Monday night game:

“Where’s John?” Mike Bell asks.

“Recovering from the flu,” Scotty replies.

“But he called me this afternoon about playing,” Mike says with a wrinkling forehead.

“He’ll organize the game even if he’s sick.”

“Mighty thoughtful guy.”

“He’s also mighty thoughtful about taking all your money,” Quintin grumbles. “He’s won a fortune in this game.”

“Still he takes your money pleasantly . . . hardly mind losing to him,” Mike says. “He’s always fair.”

“But he’s tough on anyone who’s wrong,” Sid adds.

“Remember how he tore apart that Boris jerk?”

About midnight, John walks in and says with a weak smile, “I’m never too sick for a poker game.”

“Good!” Sid cheers. “We need your money.”

“I took a nap after dinner,” John replies as he sits next to Sid. “Woke up about eleven feeling pretty good.

I’m ready for action.”

After two hours, John Finn is losing over $600.

“You’re playing a lousy game,” Sid remarks. “You’re losing almost as much as me.”

“When my luck turns bad, I lose big,” John says while forcing a sigh. “Losing over a thousand—going for the all-time record loss.”

“Great act,” Quintin Merck mumbles. “Great act.”