Moms Playing Poker

  August 2005

Right off of I-40 in Durham, there's a unique place for playing free poker.  It's not how the place looks, or the hours they are open, or the variety of  drinks served every day between opening at 3pm and closing at 2am.  There are pool tables but that's not what's different.  Show up on a Tuesday or Thursday night, and you'll find the usual bunch of guys playing poker.  But at Triangle Billiards, you'll also find a number of their moms.  

One such duo is Triangle Billiards' manager, Kevin Mintz and his mom, Virginia (photo at left).  When Mike Matsinger of World Tavern Poker first signed the bar up to run weekly games, Virginia happened to be there that night.  She watched Mike describe the game and played that night -- taking third place.  "It was weird," she said, "I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I had some great cards."  Virginia has played just about every week since.  She recently placed third in the first Ladies Tournament held Sunday, August 14.  She loves to play at the bar, and its not just because her son is the manager.  "It's a real comfortable atmosphere here, I love it."  All the players call her "Mom."

Kevin and Virginia sometimes find themselves at the same table.  "We've been in about 30 or 40 pots together.  It's terrible because she can read me every time," says Kevin.  "And people generally get out of her way.  I have never put her out."

Margurite Black and her son Chris (photo below) are also popular around the tables.  Everyone calls him "Black" and her "Mrs. Black."  Mrs. Black played all the time growing up, usually seven-card stud for nickels and dimes.  Every year their large family has a big game at Thanksgiving, so she and Chris have been at the same table many times.  She started playing at Triangle earlier this year when Chris told her about it.  Now she plays 2-3 times a week primarily at Triangle but also Sunset, O'Mulligans, and the Carolina Ale House.  

Like the Mintz's, Mrs. Black has an edge over her son.  "She beats me," says Chris, "and it's so wrong."  The Blacks really love playing at Triangle Billiards.  "We like it here," says Mrs. Black.  "People are really nice and friendly.  There's lots of space and it's not as crowded as other bars."  Triangle Billiards is located at the corner of Hwy 54 and Hwy 55 in Durham, in the same strip center as Pizza Hut.  

There are about four or five mother-son combos playing at Triangle.  And they pop up in the strangest ways.  One time Kevin Mintz and his friend Matt arrived at the Carolina Ale House to play poker.  They had no ideas that both their moms were already there, ready to play too!

I gotta say, these moms and their sons are undeniably cute together.  There aren't many fun things you hear about adult guys doing with their moms.   If my mom was still around, bless her heart, I'd invite her to play with me at Triangle! 

(2006 Note:  Kevin Mintz no longer works at Triangle Billiards, and the bar has withdrawn from World Tavern Poker.)

Photos by George Smart.