As a concerned friend, Ben told me that when scientists are trying to test the communicability of a virus, they often have the subjects of the experiment play cards. My endlessly understanding wife, Kate, has become a den mother of sorts, serving as the gold standard of warmth and generosity by which all the single guys measure their potential romantic entanglements.Įverybody looked forward to Sunday nights.īut all that changed last month when I got a call from Ben tenOever, a microbiologist who runs a lab at Mount Sinai medical school in New York. They have watched my boys grow up and now consider them friends. Hosting at my house for as long as I have, I have felt these players gradually become part of the fabric of my family. Jim mutters so many undermining insults that we had to buy one of those handheld pitch counters to keep track (his record is 104 insults in a six-hour game). Mat Guliner speaks mostly in “Godfather” quotes, but as Tony Montana.

And because of that, our gatherings are generally joyous gumbos of movie quotes and good-natured insults. But your primary objective cannot be the game.

We also have our fair share of lawyers, editors, finance jerks, tech guys Ed is a masseuse, Jim’s an OB-GYN.ĭon’t get me wrong, we take poker seriously. Regulars over the years have included Hank, David Schwimmer, Eric Bogosian, Irv Gotti, Billy Crudup, Aaron Tveit and writer-director Brian Koppelman.

Our poker group - which was started by a few of us who once played at the storied high-stakes tables captured on film in “Molly’s Game” - has grown into an eclectic collection of misfits and yahoos, many with strong roots in the entertainment industry. And, yes, while cards were dealt and money changed hands, the game play was ancillary to the true objective of our gathering - which was to enjoy a communal respite from the endless demands of the angst-riddled, high-wire-act lives we lead. For the past 20 or so years, every Sunday night from 6 to 11, no matter what was happening in the world, my group of friends and I gathered at my home in New York (or at actor, writer and professional contrarian Hank Azaria’s) to play poker. And that’s why I missed my poker game so much.

Online virtual poker with friends