Fleming loses Lewis W. Fairchild '24 Professorship in game of Texas Hold 'em
Scholar of English literature bankrupted by weekly Professors' Poker Night

Last week's Professors' Poker Night began with the usual $5 per hand limit and the usual atmosphere of friendly gambling. This traditional Friday night gathering of Princeton professors in the Prospect House drawing room included acclaimed scholars such as John Nash, Alan Blinder, Toni Morrison and Michael Doyle. The group began with a few rounds of Draw Poker, which were accompanied by several rounds of beer. Professor of English John Fleming, a poker night regular, enjoyed some early luck and pulled in a few large pots which reportedly bolstered his confidence. "Old Flemingo was going on about how he had a $60,000 night one time in Vegas," recalled Nash. "He kept calling  himself 'The Chaucer of Poker'".

When the table moved on to Texas Hold'Em, the $5 limit was removed and some serious money started to change hands. Fleming's early winnings were reduced to a handful of chips. It was at this point that things started to spin out of control. Fleming bet his Rolex, his suit and his shoes on the next hand, and won big when nobody called his bluff. "I beat you jerks with a pair of fives!" exclaimed the by now quite inebriated Fleming. On the next hand, psychologist Daniel Kahneman took the betting to the next level, putting his recently-won Nobel Prize in Economics on the table. The other players were shocked by this sudden escalation, and all but Fleming quickly folded. Gambler/Historian James Mcpherson described the Kahneman-Fleming showdown "An Antietam-scale confrontation."

Fleming had a solid hand and knew that Kahneman had to be bluffing. But how could he call Kahneman's bet? Fleming surprised all by wagering his remaining chips, his entire wardrobe, and his Lewis W. Fairchild '24 Professorship in English to boot. "You're bluffing, Danny boy. Kings over jacks" smirked Fleming, as he laid out his full house. "Read 'em and weep," replied Kahneman as he slapped down his hand: straight flush! "Thanks to my Nobel Prize-winning research in the economic decision-making of individuals, I knew that Fleming's expected utility curve was very steep and that he was a risk taker," elucidated Kahneman snootily afterwards.

"Well no shit, genius," muttered Alan Blinder. Blinder has yet to receive a Nobel Prize in economics but did manage in Friday's game to win James McPherson's position as George Henry Davis '86 Professor of American History.