Fifth Street, The River Card

Montana Hold ‘Em was the poker game played on the river but the competition became known as the GHC invitational. I have no idea what GHC stands for and am afraid to ask but I do know, the trophy was acquired somewhat illegally the same night the competition got its name.

The game was played like this: At the beginning of every morning, the guide and his party of anglers would receive a fresh deck of shuffled cards. We would then embark on the launch site. After the trash talking and razzing would subside, we would finaly hit the river. The guide was the dealer and it was up to the anglers to keep the game alive. For every trout caught, a card was dealt. For every whitefish caught, it was my idea to retract a card of their choice. Unfortunately my idea never took flight. Cigars were smoked, laughs were shared and fish were caught. If by chance your guide deck was dry and not covered in fish guts and blood by lunch time, you probably had a painfully slow morning. At least the company was always good!

At the end of the day, the crew would gather at the take out and compare hands. The best hand won for that day! An official score card was kept for the tournament and the loser bought dinner that night. At the very end of the competition, the official GHC Invitational results were Blogged for public record - fish caught, numbers, length, size, angler position in the boat, winning hand, etc., This was serious stuff.