As I began to report yesterday, the A-crowd, usually looking for a game of "poke her," are now seeking their thrills in the company of men. No, this is not the greatest coming out party since Stonewall, but rather the emergence of "poker after dark" as an outlet for clubbers seeking another thrill. The distractions of models, bottles, and squeezing fortunes from bar percentages no longer gets some owners and uber-promoters through the night. Nowadays they indeed hang out with the queens -- of clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades -- as well as kings of the same persuasions (and it isn't a drag). Like the regular clubs, there are poker joints for different players. As P.T. Barnum once put it so eloquently, "There's an ass for every seat."

"The average life span of a game is two months in one location," says a savvy source. "Depending on connections, it's not uncommon for off-duty or retired cops to be on hand. In any case, the clients never get arrested." The relative safety of private apartments is becoming more common. Joints that do get raided often open right back up again. They enjoy a "grace period between the night they get busted and the court appearance ... the cops don't usually come back, and everybody knows it," says my source. Most games, especially the large ones, don't have cash on hand. Well-known players are fronted money, and those that owe pay later. It is here where the danger lies. If a deadbeat client "won't or is unable to pay, unsavory types may step in to persuade." My source says "this is an accident waiting to happen." One place operates above a joint where women of morals almost as loose as my ex-wife are found. Some games have women floating around as freely as the beer and potato chips. Most games "are free from the broads because there is an almost religious-like reverence for the game. Women like that have no place." Yet, at some, "weed, blow, and babes are expected." Many places have bedrooms where players can nap after as much as 12 hours at a table -- and despite tradition, there's an increasing number of female gamblers.

If a table is short of players, the operator might join in. They "break the game," becoming the fourth or fifth player while waiting for others to arrive. They may even "lose money on purpose to make sure players stay." One source said that some legitimate club operators are dabbling at starting up games, but I could not confirm this. I was told that the biggest operator is indeed a woman. It was reported to me that she made $5 million for herself last year. That game regularly sees name-brand movie stars, club owners, and promoters who have been described to me as "degenerate gamblers."

There are three ways the house makes its money. Smaller games operate with fees on time which range from $10-$15 an hour per player, and the math goes like this: 8 players times $10 at 10 tables equals $800 dollars per hour. On a 12-hour shift, that's $9,600. Expenses include the security guard, refreshments, and rent. Dealers work mostly on tips, as do waitresses or bartenders, if any. The second way the house makes its cut is by taking "the rake," which can be 5 percent of every pot. The third way is the house takes 10 percent of winnings only. Losers walk away sad but untaxed. Most operators set up games for "the money, but some do it to support their own degenerate gambling habit." One club promoter I spoke to says he splits his time between New York, Vegas, and Atlantic City. "At this point I'm a sponsored player. I have people bankrolling me in the New York games. I spend a lot of my time at poker tournaments."

I don't know poker personally, as I've only played a couple of times, and I always ended up naked. I'm just dying to have somebody teach me the game.