Why Musicians at The Met Enjoy Playing Poker

There are some intriguing tales about poker that have been responsible for giving it a bad reputation. A glimpse into the history of this famous casino game will tell you why. Many of these stories narrate the instances of gunslingling players sitting in back rooms of bars full of smoke. You’ll come across tales of speakeasies where battles were waged over a game of Hold’em or Stud.

If you’re someone who casually plays an online casino game, these stories will shock you. Someone might’ve had to be really cunning as well as ruthless in the old days. After all, it would’ve been so difficult to come out of such seedy environments alive and as a winner! The folklore in poker abounds with gory images of hard-drinking men settling their scores on the poker table.

It’s not uncommon to hear phrases in them such as “dead man’s hand”. On the other hand, today’s poker games are a complete opposite of its seedy reputation. It might surprise you that even the musicians of the orchestra at the Metropolitan Opera play poker. Not in New York tonight? You prefer to play real money online casino? Check out this game, triple play draw poker, an amazing video poker game to play for free or to earn big bucks!

The Met tradition of playing poker

You might’ve heard about the rehearsal breaks and opera intermissions. They offer the talented musicians of the Metropolitan Opera or ‘The Met’ a break before their performance. This dates back as far as the 1940s, when the Met musicians played poker to their hearts’ content. They used to spend much of their downtime in the musicians’ lounge playing this game. This had become a tradition of sorts in those times.

Today, the duration of playing poker during intermissions has been reduced to around half-an-hour. What this means is that the musicians playing poker have to make some quick moves. They obviously don’t have the time to change chips during the intermission. So everything needs to be done in cash. Omaha, Texas Hold’em, Draw, and Stud are among the games that are played at the table.

The stakes involve only small dollar amounts, seldom exceeding $8. The gunslinging players of the Wild West era came dressed in holsters, boots, and cowboy hats. These opera musicians play their poker games dressed in tuxedos.

The joys of playing poker

Some of you might’ve played poker in a group on a daily basis while traveling to work. There was an article mentioning how a group played poker together during their train journeys in the 1990s. Most of the people in the train were either listening to music or reading newspapers. This particular group was the only one trying to win some cash during the trip.

For them, the commute had turned into something they would look forward to every day. Of course, these men were in their best executive suits. They held responsible positions in their respective organizations. However, they made the most of their daily commute by playing this game. The article further goes on to mention that the saddest part was getting down at the destination.

This was the time when they had to end their game and get to work. Despite the momentary sadness, there was this hope that they’ll meet again in the evening. They would then indulge in another game of poker during their ride back home.

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