Larry Gritton

Poker has always been an important part of my life. My love of poker comes from my mother. Sure enough, my father played as well, but the monthly couples game where the men and women played separate games demonstrated clearly that the women took the game more seriously.  When the games were at our house, I enjoyed watching the women play much more than the men. My mother also played during the week with 8 or 9 women, playing cut throat 7 card stud, and I watched that game, too, when I was home.  My siblings never really got into the game, although my brother Steve once had a game in our basement. While kibbitzing I accidentally revealed that Steve had the Ace of Spades in the hole during a hand of Black Mariah, so I was banished from the basement!

I started actually playing for money in junior high. In between classes and at lunch, a few of us would walk around together playing “Knock O,” a two card game where the high hand would win. 

We did actually have sit down games at our homes, which continued into high school.  Pictured above is one such game played at Jim Tauber’s house on Sheridan Road, where they had the most beautiful poker chips I have ever seen; they appeared to be Bakelite. Pictured are me on the far right and to my right around the table are Richard Miller (currently of Scottsdale AZ), the late great Jim Tauber (California), Chuck Frank (Northbrook), Richard Klein (Chicago), and Rob Weinberg to my immediate left (Lincolnshire). These guys remain good friends today, and the locals still play today.

After I got married to Jennifer my poker playing was somewhat limited, but after she passed away my playing increased.  I have three different local games ,and I am playing 4-5 times a week in Arizona. Poker is relaxing for me, and the stakes I play will not break me if I am losing. It helps that my current wife Sara loves the game, too, and we can talk about it. I have kept and made many friends playing poker, and that, too, makes it so rewarding for me.