Royal Flush

Susan's Mother, Helen Fischetti
her last days

 

IT’S ALL IN THE CARDS THIS MOTHER’S DAY

Perhaps a poker story isn’t quite in the cards for Mother’s Day; however, in my family it’s all in the cards. The family that plays poker together stays together.  For my mother, Helen Fischetti, Mother’s Day was one of those holidays when after dinner we stayed together for a family poker game. There was one Mother’s Day, my Mother joined the players for poker. By that time, Mother was now a widow without Dad. It was Dad who started poker years ago and in his memory we kept the family poker tradition alive. Poker lives.

I can see us all sitting around the table, me and my husband Bob, sister Teresa, my twin Laura and her husband Dennis. Dennis deals and we are waging bets adding to the tilt of the kitty. Mom played her cards close with a sly smile on her lips suggesting we all just fold. Calling her bluff, Mom smiled as she revealed the winning hand – a Royal Flush! 

 

Apparently Mom drew the highest hand in poker in lovely red hearts. Ascribing to the unwritten law of Poker, the remaining cards, with the exclusion of the five cards honoring the Royal Flush, were discarded and the Royal Flush cards were framed for displaying. My mother came to say, “That was the best Mother’s Day present I ever was dealt.”

After Mom’s passing her fingerprints were left on every poker card of the framed Royal Flush, which now hangs in my hallway. That Royal Flush speaks of the good times with Mom.  Perhaps Mother deserves a more proper dignified tribute; however, in our own way poker brought us all together at her wake. The priest smiled in closing Mom’s eulogy with his last line “Helen waits in Heaven asking to deal her in…”

written by Susan Marie Davniero (Fischetti)

 

                                                   (Published Long Island Press)

Letters to the Editor

New York rolls the dice on N casino gambling.  All bets are off in a free market - gambling speaks its own voice. Most people don’t have the moral language to debate on gambling’s influence for us as a community.

Essentially, gambling tends to reduce everybody to a common denominator – money. And money speaks for itself to leap forward into a stage of economic prosperity or poverty – it could be a win or lost.

Despite the odds for potential setbacks, the smart money says it’s a good bet the gaming industry will continue to soar and gambling is in the cards for New York.   

Susan and Robert Davniero



Susan and  Bob
Alantic City Casino



LADY LUCK

Cards deal

Gambler’s feel

Poker’s hand

Playing grand

Betters’ lent

Money spent

Player’s turn

Nothing earn

Cards undone

Winning none

Gamblers’ dues

Always lose

Cards about

Deal me out

Susan Marie Davniero



Teresa and Susan (at 21 years old)
 Las Vegas

What Stays in Vegas

Susan and Teresa in Las Vegas

 My older sister Teresa and I were not very close growing up, as I would have liked. Yet, there was once a time we were. I recall back in 1974 Teresa was planning a late September vacation to Las Vegas.

 

September 26, 1974 was the year I would be turning 21 - the legal age for gaming in 1974. Given that I had two-week vacation due me from work (Del Labs) I asked Teresa if I could tag along, as little sisters tend to do. I was surprise how eagerly she agreed; "Sure! We'll take a charter flight..." And with that we began to plan our vacation together.

 

It was so exciting, meeting with a travel agent, packing clothes in new light blue matching luggage set I brought at the department store, ready for take-off to fly to Las Vegas on non-stop flight. Dad wasn’t reluctant to send us off on this gambling venture even cheering us on; “Vegas is gaudy but that’s the way it should be. You’ll love it.” Teresa and I seem to grow closer by the day as the departure came closer. I wasn’t scared, although I should have been, to board the biggest plane I ever seen, among the rowdy group of people on board partying.

 

We stayed at the Flamingo Hotel on the strip which was legendary as the first casino on the strip. Yet, now the casino seemed dated among the newer ones, but we didn’t mind the pink structure with plastic flamingos resting by the palm trees. It may sound tacky, but it wasn’t – it was just Vegas being Vegas. .

 

To a young novice traveler like myself at 21, who hasn’t traveled much, Las Vegas seem to have it all - the casinos, clubs, shows, downtown Vegas, continental breakfast comps, sightseeing, nightlife and celebrities. And we saw many - Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Joey Heatherton, Bill Crosby, Manhattan Transfer, Sandler & Young, with some of their autographs. Dean Martin even talked to me from the stage at the MGM Grand to our front row seats and I received autograph 8 x 10 glossy.

 

Sharing our love of card games inherited from our father teaching us poker as children, Teresa and I grew close bonding in this adult Disney Land. Although we were two young women alone we didn’t hesitate to walk downtown night or day. All goods thing come to an end, as the week vacation was soon over.

On the flight home, the party seems to be over for the people on board. To overcome leaving Vegas, Teresa and I planned our fantasy return to move to Las Vegas. We planned to work there as Blackjack Dealer for Teresa and Casino Cocktail Girl for me.

 

Yet, once we arrived home at Kennedy Airport meeting our parents to go home –the dream was over. We awoke returning to the normal routine. And Teresa and I resumed our past relationship we had before we left. Alas, the closeness Teresa and I shared was over when the vacation was. 

We may not have lost much money in Vegas; yet we lost something far more valuable - a sisterly closeness. Apparently, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

 

Written by:

Susan Marie Davniero