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I'm a huge fan of Martha Stewart. I think her TV show is just fabulous. She is the queen of everything "wasp-y" while trying so desperately to appeal to the ethnic masses. I don't live in the US so I don't get to see the show on time. In fact, we just started to get the show a few weeks ago on syndication. The show has Martha trying to be as open as Oprah while doing crafts, cooking, and chatting with the audience. On a previous show she went to some Italian woman's home in New Jersey to see her making spaghetti sauce from scratch. It's amazing watching a woman who is about as naturally warm as a glacier trying her best to hold stage with chatty affectionate Italian women from New Jersey. I realize this may sound like I don't like her, but I really do. Her tips are fantastic, she does great crafts, and her taste is divine. She just isn't what I think of when the words naturally warm and fuzzy come up. Why am I going on about Martha? Today Martha did a show about gambling, card games specifically. Martha does gambling, my goodness. I only caught half of the show, unfortunately. My six month old needed his pre-nap big morning feed so we went to the sofa to eat and it happened to be on TV. Martha had a segment on Annie Duke which left me feeling odd. Annie Duke is the top female poker player in the world. She's a professional poker player who has been playing card games since she was a child. Her brother is the professional poker player Howard Lederer. This is not your average upbringing and she isn't your average player. As such I found it rather irresponsible that the Martha show didn't give this information in their segment on Duke. Instead they show her with her kids as she tells the audience that she started playing poker because she needed the money. I need money as well, but I'm not about to start playing poker simply because I need money. Clearly she had the skills before she started to play for money. If one didn't have any of the background information on Annie Duke before watching this segment one might come to the conclusion that if you play poker you will win. Most people don't win when they play poker, people who play against Annie Duke, for example. Gambling should be portrayed to the masses as something that is for entertainment purposes only. It takes a unique mix of skills to be able to reach the skill level of Annie Duke and most people do not have that mix. Here's another thing that left me perplexed. As I mentioned I only got to see the show towards the end, but off to a table on the side was Whoopi Goldberg playing cards with a table of boys. Not men, mind you, but boys. Someone explain to me the logic of this one, in a nation which is so against internet gambling and says that it will corrupt our (I say our, because even though I don't live in the US I am a very proud American) nation's children. People, it's not the internet which is the problem. Kids will do what they like whether the internet is there to help facilitate it or not, but we’re not doing any favors by having kids playing cards on the Martha show while the host stands at the front with a big frosty smile discussing gambling. The show went on Martha discussing bridge and making gambling themed glass coasters with a lovely woman from New Jersey. Her website describes the segment, "Valerie Shurko of Ramsey, New Jersey, who has been playing bridge with her friends for 23 years, joins Martha to make Playing-Card Coasters she can use at her next bridge game. Getting together for bridge, said to be the most popular card game in the English-speaking world, becomes an event for Valerie and her crew, replete with hors d'oeuvres, desserts, and drinks. And playing bridge, a game that can be traced back 500 years, has been proven to boost the immune system." I guess I should learn bridge as a healthy immune system is always a good thing… The glass playing card coaster is a good thing even for internet gamblers. This way you can have your drink next to the computer without having to worry about marring your desk in any way. Plus it's a nice bit of decoration to get you in the mood to play. Martha covered all of the favorite card games, from blackjack to poker. What she didn't mention was internet gambling. I think Martha should have done a segment on internet gambling. Maybe she could teach her audience how to cover their computer table or desk with felt so that it will feel more like a real card table, thus enhancing the player's experience. How about decorating the boarder of the monitor with card decoupage? Martha neglected the online poker player on her show, but don’t take it too hard. There were things there for us as well. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to eating "cheddar poker chips" and "full house tea sandwiches" my next late night game session. Wait. Full house tea sandwiches? Yes, roasted bell peppers, cucumbers, cream cheese, white and wheat bread. Nothing makes me think of a full house more than that. My mind boggles at the thought. The Earl of Sandwich supposedly came up with meat on bread while gambling, so sandwiches while playing is appropriate. However, dainty tea sandwiches with no meat aren't the stuff that most gamblers are made of regardless of your gender. So, how about the cheddar poker chips? The picture of the cheddar poker chips on the website look like cheddar cookies. I've had something like that before and they were not yummy. I want yummy when I'm gambling. Actually, I want yummy whenever I'm eating. Savory cookies aren't it. Martha did gambling today on her show. Most of the segments were winners, some were losers but all of it was entertaining – just as gambling should be. Related Links: Posted on: June 29, 2006
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