Six Floor Poker Game

One of the perks of being a chief was that you had a team ( Indians as it were) below you who were out doing the work that you had once done. And now you had a pecking order from intern on up, showing their responsibility and capability. If you were a good chief your team didn’t want to call you unless it was absolutely imperative …..nothing short of the patient being on the brink of death!
You have to understand that you earned respect by your ability to handle the bad shit and your willingness to fall on your sword for your chief. There were some dudes that were “light as a feather” that we ragged on how “Mr. Moke” could have done their job. And then there were some who were “heavy” and kept you out of trouble. Their reward was they got to do more complicated procedures or surgeries. That’s how our residency worked at the “G’s”. “See one. Do one and Teach one”
With that being said there was a poker game that was legendary that went on in the chief dormitory room every payday weekend or until the money ran out. It was open to anyone but chiefs and 3rd years had priority sitting at the table. There were 6 or 7 regulars OJ, Joe, Cup, Lee, Howard, Mac and Me plus some others who would sit in. All of the regulars had credit and we used the term “bet on the finger” to indicate you were busted and playing on credit. You could not use this if you had any money. I think we had table stakes of probably $50, no limit on bets, with 3 raises. The usual games were 5 card stud, 7 card stud, a couple of wild card games and the favorite was Hi-Lo, since the pot could be split by two or claimed by one person. Some of the pots reached a couple hundred ( a lot in those day as now ) and that could generate a lot money for hanging on the turf.
When pay day Friday rolled around, we all cashed our checks and a group of wives would come to pick up the money. I would hold out the extra money I made for giving anesthesia or working the ER, usually $ 45 / $60 bucks to gamble with. We would all chip in $2 dollars and send an intern to buy a bottle of Beefeaters gin @$6 and a small bottle of vermouth. Than we would get a gallon jar from the cafeteria kitchen and fill it with ice and add 1 capful of vermouth and the whole bottle of gin.
We started the game around noon on Friday and drank martinis sending out for more gin when the jar got low playing until the money ran out, never the gin…… maybe by Saturday. All that time taking call from the poker game. Lord help the resident who called for help when you had a good hand and wanted you to come. He damn sure better need you. I’ve left the game and done a C-section or Ectopic and returned before the hand was over while someone played my cards. People would say you don’t look fast but when we look up you’re done…..I got that from Smiley, no wasted motion.
You may wonder about drinking and gambling in the hospital…….well we ran the hospital really and since none of us were ever unable to function we kind of set a standard for work hard, drink hard and play hard. When we all completed out training, periodically we would hook up at national meetings and rent a hotel room and resume playing our poker games.
The players were all either in surgery or Ob/ Gyn and the phone was constantly interrupting the game because of gunshot wounds or deliveries Etc and we were experts at managing and staffing cases over the phone.
None of this would be possible in today’s world of medicine but than there are no doctors like us left in medicine.
As I reflect on my experiences there is nothing in my training I would trade
with anyone in medicine in the present. We had camaraderie and covered each others asses and all of us ended up successful.
I think I’m still owed a few bucks from some of my fellow players and if I see them in the next life I’ll definitely ask for my money….Yo! Mac.
The Six Floor Poker Game was an institution that couldn’t sustain itself after we left because it was the people that played not the game that was what made it so special.