Tunica -- Heart of degeneracy

You see the paper gonna come, if not I'm gonna go and get it./
I gotta die with money 'cause I wasn't born with it.
-Lil' Wayne

TUNICA, Miss. -- Call it an extended family of cards, chips and personalities. After my parents decided at the last moment to spend Thanksgiving with their folks in Hawaii (and after I didn't want to shell out $1,100 to fly there for only four days when I'll likely can fly there for a third of the price in January or February), I decided to look for other options.

My Santa Fe trip fell through, although at the same time I was researching it, I also was looking at spending a week in Las Vegas. Plus I'll be there in a few weeks for the Winter bloggers weekend.

So all roads led to Tunica. I almost didn't go, knowing that some of my friends are great cooks and gave me an invite for turkey day. But after four years of living in Japan (where the closest thing to turkey for Thanksgiving is a bucket of KFC) and knowing I won't be sharing it with my folks, the holiday doesn't mean that much to me.

I only told a few people what I was up to this week. So I wouldn't have to explain every time.

Only at casinos can you ignore that social conventions, except for money, exist. You can be surrounded by thousand dollar gowns and suits at the fanciest gambling den in Vegas wearing shorts and a T-shirt because that's your business attire if you're there to gamble. Every day is casual Friday if you're dressed up in money.

In Tunica, it's just another weekday. The parking lot at the Veranda Hotel near the Grand Casino is packed. The main pit area at the Horse is full. And there's just one seat for me at the NL$1/3 table.

Most. Loose. Passive. Table. You've. Ever. Seen. I stay there for hours, two to the right of "Georgia," a mid-50-year-old dude with a UGA hat. Biggest calling station ever. He hits two hands on me when I have JJ and QQ. Luckily he didn't have a full 100BB stack. But still. It's the Horse, Bellagio East, the place where I've made the most money in live poker. OK. I gotta give some back.

For now. But very soon, the paper gonna come or I'm gonna go and get it.