A Great Poker Night

I've been fortunate to have had lots of good days playing poker in my life, some of which created lifelong memories for me. One of those days happened about 25 years ago at the Dunes Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Here's the story:



It seemed like a normal weekend of poker. It was a Saturday night and I was playing $30-$60 seven-card stud eight-or-better (the game I almost always played back then). It was around midnight when someone said, "Hey, look, Telly Savalas is over there." (For those who are young and may not know, Telly Savalas was a legit Hollywood celebrity and the star of the No. 1 show on television – Kojak.)



Savalas was surrounded by a small entourage of friends and family. He stepped away from them and started talking to the floorman. A few minutes later, the floorman was walking toward our table. When he arrived, he said, "Mike, can I speak to you for a moment?" I got up and stepped away from the table, and he said, "Telly Savalas loves poker, especially high-low split games. He was wondering if he could come over and watch your game." I was all ears as he continued, "I told him that you are a nice guy and a very good player, and that you probably wouldn't mind if he sweated you. Would you mind if Telly watched you play for a while?" I quickly said, "Sure, that would be fine. And thanks for picking me for him to watch."



Naturally, I was thrilled, not only to meet Telly Savalas, but that he was going to watch me play. The floorman walked back toward Telly. I saw him speak to him and nod his head. Telly then said goodnight to his entourage, and the floorman was now leading "Kojak" back toward our table.



Everyone in the room was looking at him as he walked through. I'm sure they were all curious as to where he was going to land. A guy at another table belted out, "We love ya, baby! Seat open." (The line, "Who loves ya, baby?" is forever associated with Telly Savalas.) Telly smiled, waved to the table, and said, "Hi! How are you doing?"



My stomach was now filled with nervous excitement. Kojak was going to sit behind me and watch me play. What if I went broke? I was feeling a little pressure already. The floorman introduced us and then got Telly a chair.



As I anted up for the first hand, I asked Telly if he played much poker. He said he loved to play when he had a chance, and that high-low split games were his favorite. He wanted to watch us play to learn more about it. In eight-or-better stud, at least five cards must be equal to or lower than an 8 (without pairing each other) in order to qualify for the low half of the pot. The best high hand gets the other half or scoops the pot (wins it all) if there isn't a qualifying low hand.



Telly wasn't used to the qualifier, but said he liked it.



When I finished playing a hand, I carefully leaned over and explained to him why I checked, bet, raised, or folded. He was all ears, and seemed to soak it all up like a sponge.



While Telly was sitting with me, people approached him and asked if they could have his autograph or a picture taken with him. I never saw him refuse anyone. He was the best I've ever seen at accommodating the public, and he was a big star. I was with him at dinners, in poker games, on cruises, in London, and elsewhere, and he never failed to take time from whatever he was doing to sign autographs or have photos taken with his fans.



Telly Savalas watched our game that night until 6:30 in the morning! Everyone loved having him there, and nobody left the game. I was running well, so it was really a great night for me – one of those you put in a frame and hang on the wall. That night, I became friends with Telly Savalas and beat the game for $2,600!



Kojak (the name we call K-J in hold'em) loved to play poker. Oh, by the way, Telly Savalas entered the seven-card stud eight-or-better tournament at the World Series of Poker a few years later – and finished third!



Take care.

Mike Sexton is the host of PartyPoker.com, a commentator on the World Poker Tour (which can be seen every Wednesday on the Travel Channel), and the author of Shuffle Up and Deal (which made The New York Times best-seller list and can be purchased at www.cardplayer.com). He can be reached by e-mail at: [email protected].