Suddenly, the police burst in, and they quickly hide the cards and chips.
Suspiciously, a police officer tells them that they had recieved a tip about illegal gambling happening on the property.
He turns to the priest: "You- have you been gambling tonight?"
The priest looks to heaven and mutters, "Forgive me, Father" before telling the officer, "No, I have not."
Next, the officer turns to the pastor: "And you- have you been gambling tonight?"
The pastor looks to heaven and mutters, "Forgive me, Lord" before telling the officer, "No, I have not."
Then he turns to the imam: "And you, sir- have you been gambling tonight?"
The imam looks to heaven and mutters, "Forgive me, Allah" before telling the officer, "No, I have not."
Finnaly, the officer turns to the rabbi: "Well, what about you? Have you have you been gambling tonight?"
The rabbi glances at the others before responding, "Gambling? Who with?"
Joke Poo: The IT Support Call
Three software engineers – a senior dev, a junior dev, and a QA tester – are on a conference call with a user complaining about a persistent bug.
The user sighs, “This error message keeps popping up, even after I restart my computer. It’s driving me crazy!”
The senior dev, confidently, says, “Have you tried clearing your cache and cookies?”
The user grumbles, “Yes, of course. I’ve done everything on the help page.”
The junior dev, eager to please, chimes in, “Maybe try reinstalling the application?”
The user explodes, “I’ve reinstalled it three times! I even reformatted my hard drive! Nothing works!”
There’s a long, awkward silence. Finally, the QA tester, known for their brutally honest bug reports, speaks up. “Did you try turning it off and on again?”
The user snaps, “Of course, I turned it off and on again!”
The QA tester says, “Are you sure, because I swear on the ticket that you said you did not turn it on and off again?”
Alright, let’s dissect this joke.
Key Elements:
- Setup: A priest, pastor, imam, and rabbi are playing poker. This sets up a classic interfaith scenario with potential for cultural contrasts.
- Conflict: The police raid the game, accusing them of illegal gambling.
- Character Actions:
- The priest, pastor, and imam all deny gambling after a brief prayer for forgiveness.
- The rabbi’s response is a question deflecting blame and implying a lack of gambling partners.
- Punchline: The rabbi’s response is unexpected and highlights a stereotype of Jewish people being shrewd or opportunistic, while also cleverly suggesting he wouldn’t gamble alone.
- Underlying Theme: Hypocrisy vs. pragmatism. The first three confess to praying for forgiveness for a lie they are about to tell, highlighting their belief that forgiveness can be easily obtained. The rabbi is more concerned with getting caught and therefore uses his wit to try and get out of the situation.
Comedic Enrichment:
Let’s play on the “illegal gambling” aspect and the rabbi’s perceived shrewdness.
Did you know:
The game of poker has a surprisingly complex legal history in the United States. While often associated with “shady” backrooms and criminal activity, poker’s legality is often determined on a state-by-state basis and depends on whether it’s considered a “game of skill” or “game of chance.” In some states, like Nevada, poker is legal and regulated. In others, it falls under the broad umbrella of illegal gambling.
New Joke/Witty Observation:
So, after the raid, the rabbi gets pulled aside by a different officer. “Rabbi,” the officer says, “we’re letting the others off with a warning. But we know you were running this game, so we expect to collect our cut of the winnings”. The Rabbi smiles, “Officer, I assure you I have no Idea what you are talking about, and you won’t find a single chip on me.” The officer is about to start getting angry, but the rabbi interrupts him, “However, for a small donation to the new synagogue building fund, I could maybe get you in on the next game. We are still looking for someone to deal…”
Why this works:
- Builds on the setup: We continue the interfaith poker game narrative.
- Relies on the established characters: The rabbi remains opportunistic, now offering a bribe in the guise of a donation, while also hinting at his continued involvement in the game.
- Leverages ‘Did you know’: It slyly uses the fact that gambling is illegal to create the joke, playing on the idea that the rabbi could be the ringleader. The officer also implies that the police are ok with the gambling if they are getting their “cut.”
- Subversive: The joke plays with stereotypes, but in a way that’s arguably self-aware.
This new joke hopefully provides a bit of humor enriched by a factual detail about the historical context of poker, building upon the original joke’s foundation.