i was a little taken aback, ruby, when my mum told me.
when they came up - they are in scotland most of the summer - this year i noticed she was really enjoying the shopping, even more so than usual.
of course, i've grown up w/her bridge club, bunco club, poker clubs, etc. she's played cards w/some of these ladies for nearly 40 years. nothing new in that! her parents were card sharks, i can remember spending hours playing w/my grandfather's poker chips, dice, etc.
then she told me about pokerstars.com.
my mother, however, has ALWAYS been a cautious, conservative and sensible gambler. it's ALWAYS card games and always on her own skills.
she also never drinks whilst playing cards and plays w/i a set budget.
she used to go to Vegas every year and play downtown.
there was one famous time when she went w/her sister and came back w/$17,000 in cash.