Dressing for a Big Poker Game With A Winner's Focus

/

When you think of a poker game, it is easy to be drawn into pop culture imagery.

You might find yourself envisaging James Bond, sitting around the table from Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, or Danny Ocean looking suave as he enters the Bellagio in Ocean’s Eleven. These glam night visions might seduce our imaginations — especially as we bust out of COVID-confinement.

Not to be Debbie Downer, but the most exciting news I’ve read today is that Amtrak hopes to use its Biden-infrastructure money to build high-speed rail service linking Las Vegas and LA. My southern California friends are very serious about their Las Vegas getaways, and a high-speed train is nirvana to their progressive creatives minds.

Guys Are Good to Go; Why Women Should Play Poker

It’s just a fact that poker wants to see more women playing the game. For reasons too long even for AOC to take on in a general interest fashion post, poker has a very masculine vibe, which is exactly why Amazon PRIME produced the documentary ‘Poker Queens’ in 2020.

In a 1985 Ms. magazine article headlined “Deal Me In: Why Women Should Play Poker,” feminist psychologist Mary Parlee dissected the gender gap in the quintessential American card game of poker. “Risking valued property, bluffing, challenging, strategically retreating from no-win situations, winning at the expense of others — these are the heart of poker,” she wrote. “Is it any wonder most women don’t play poker?”

The LA Times revisited the subject of women and poker in a 2018 op-ed Why we should teach all girls to play poker. Poker is a game of skill, not luck, and a large part of having a winning hand is learning to read the minds and weaknesses of other players, while masking your own.

My boss at Victoria’s Secret was banned in Vegas, because she was a superb card counter. In poker, card counting is not only totally legal but it’s a necessary skill to win money over time. If you are serious about playing poker, aptitude and analytical capability are inextricably linked. Most poker sites will stress mental toughness as part of a winning poker hand.

The key is preparation. To repeat, in poker, preparation is everything, so if you are invited along to a game, before thinking about the style impression you want to make, ensure you know how the game is played. Using a poker hand ranking chart is one way to get a firm grasp of the game. So study and practice — and by practice I mean PLAY poker.

Enough Feminism, Let’s Talk Fashion

I asked my friend in Vegas what she wears to a casino. This ravishingly gorgeous Black woman quipped that you can to dress to impress and take your opponent's eye off the cards and onto you.

“I don’t know, P” I shot back. “Something tells me that most poker players maintain solid concentration” Of course, they haven’t seen my friend Phyllis, who is as charming and kind, as she is beautiful.

We can watch the Amazon Prime documentary ‘Poker Queens’ for some solid fashion direction. My own view is towards more casual looks with shoes and jewelry to amp up the style volume.

You should take these comments with a grain of salt, however, because some trendmeisters are predicting a return to the roaring twenties, a new 1920s-style jazz age in the coming months. If so, dressing up trends will be impacted to the nines, as we all pretend that COVID never happened.

I don’t share this viewpoint exactly, but one of the world’s foremost trendmeisters does. For me, the trend is more nuanced than another runup to a Wall Street stock market crash. (Shudders!)

Feeling the Joy! Express Your Inner Artistry!

Search for the World Series of Poker on Google, you will find images of players wearing hoodies and headphones, relaxed and comfortable, rather than sporting a bow tie and cufflinks. The modern casino often does not impose a strict dress code, and small poker nights between friends can often be themed, rather than a set fashion. This is where joy comes into the picture.

Whatever your degree of dressing up, color and pattern, whimsy and fun in dressing in your outfits is an arena of consensus between AOC and European fashion trend predictors. People want to feel joy and a bit of triumph — some mastery of life, if you will.

This bold, artistic feeling-the-joy trend is jumping out of the pages of April 2021 magazines, all around the world. No matter where you are going, packing some joy into our outfits is a sure-fire win. Being joyful is an art in fashion, so proceed carefully where you want to be taken seriously. We’re not talking a loud-colors pattern frenzy here.

Study the Venue

Depending on where you’re going, study the venue’s Instagram page. Refer to the website, where house rules are often posted. Are you playing on the floor or in a private room.? One space is clearly more relaxed than the other. What is the time of day?

Use your common fashion sense, and when in doubt, make your clothes the backdrop, and dazzle with accessories. It’s much easier to stash your too-much jewelry out of sight than your main attraction outfit.

His Clothes

For a typical casino, smart casual is the best guideline. ‘Smart casual’ does not include ripped jeans, open-toed footwear and shorts. Smart casual is ‘typically comprised of well-fitting, neat and appropriate pieces’. Jeans are acceptable as part of smart casual, as are clean sneakers, if they are paired with a shirt or polo.

Even a T-shirt works if it is smart – do not go in your favorite band t-shirt or one with a garish logo. For one thing, the look screams tourist. And most casinos want the “cool people come here” look.

Of course, for the big casinos, do not feel you cannot wear a tux and go all out – that is part of the fun, is it not? Just try to verify that you will not be alone with this grand look, so as to look like you’ve never played serious poker before in your life.

Her Clothes

Much does depend on the location, whether at a professional casino or a friend’s house. If you are playing an informal game, there might be a theme, allowing you to be a little more creative with your dress. If I was hosting a poker game, I would hope for some fashion artistry.

If you are attending a proper casino, then do not worry, you do not need to dress for the cover of Vogue. Indeed, in some instances, understated but sophisticated might be the way to go for the female poker player. You can dress that up with jewelry and heels if you so desire, but for a typical trip to a standard casino, that should suffice. Only the very opulent casinos, such as the Bellagio in Las Vegas, will require a cocktail dress or something a little showier.

Because Anne of Carversville is a website for creative brainiacs, let me stress the importance of cultivating your math skills and inner winner convictions ahead of your fashion IQ when considering your next poker game.

Trust me when I say that men are not consulting GQ or Highsnobiety before suiting up for a winner takes all poker night. You can be a woman with both great heart and terrific style — think of my friend Phyllis — and learn how to beat the pants off men at the poker table. The best ones will admire your savvy and probably start having a fantasy or two, when the game is over. ~ Anne