Deal'em

A quick foreword: I am currently working on updating this place to be more of what its intended to be. With some free time this week, I've made a little progress. Currently, things are still very much under construction. If anyone has any tips for someone teaching themselves html, please let me know. And no, I don't have time to take a course. (Though eventually I might make time)

Anyway, back to the original topic: I happen to be a poker buff. I've been playing casually since I was in the 8th grade, and yes, when Rounders came out years ago, it was the coolest thing I have ever seen.

It's possible that my feelings could be more than just an opinion too; look around the Internet, the television, anywhere, poker has been catching like wildfire ever since the movie's release.

But anyway, a while ago I wrote a quick thing on how the U.S. has basically put the axe on American poker play over the Internet. Being someone who had participated in it for many years, I was heartbroken to say the least.

Doing some research on the law, it turns out that it doesn't affect me as a player - and it is still legal for me to participate. However, sites accepting money for such games have (according to many) been banned from taking American money, and so indirectly its lead to dramatic decline in American play.

However, people have marched on and play seems to have continued on as normal, albeit now in somewhat different clothing.

As for the extent of my pursuits - I have always been what I would call a casual player. I've made money in cards, but we are taking 100s of dollars, not big bucks by any means. I play 10 dollar, 20 dollar sit-and-go tables as a general rule, and I do that usually just to make enough money to enter small-money tournaments, which I find to be by far the most entertaining form of the game.

Beyond the pocket change I've spent or earned on poker over the years, it has endeared me for a lot of sentimental reasons as well. Being a broke-ass college kid, without the time during the day to work (school/athletics), the hobby was a great way to spend time avoiding studying for unwanted exams at 1am - or a good reason to stay in and avoid partying for a night when you just didn't feel like spending the money/brain cells. A certain poker site once offered me 10 free dollars to join - which I managed to turn into 180 dollars without risking a dime. I used almost every penny of that to get Wendy's when I was hungry or chip in 10 bucks when our house needed fixing. Poker also saved me after my senior season was over. I was looking to start finding something to do with my life back in Chicago, but I didn't have much - not even enough money for a train ticket back. Poker bought me a $1000 vehicle which I drove for 6 months. It was my first vehicle purchase of my life - whatever happened to that Cutlass Cierra?

I've finished 4th out of 617 in a tournament once, I've finished first out of 10 an uncountable number of times. I've finished 12th, 10th, and 9th in tournaments that included 2000+ people. I've been up 800 bucks in one day, I've been down 200 in 2 hours. I've beaten AA heads up to stay alive, and I've lost with AA, KK, QQ, and KKoverQQQ in the same day. I am far from experienced enough to consider myself a real guru, but I'd make a great ringer as a guest at a random game.

To anyone interested in ever playing, I would definitely recommend it. However, remember these things:

1) It takes some time (about 10,000 hands) to really get a feel for.

2) It's extremely fun and addicting.

3) It takes a good deal of poise. Because, you will get completely screwed about 10000 times. You will also get your fair share of luck along the way.

4) In the end, it's a game of skill. The better you get, the better you will do. You are likely to lose money for a while before you make it.

If this seems like something you would be interested in, go for it man. I think you'll have a great time. How do you go about getting started?

Well, like I said before, depending on where you are from, there are some places that you can, can't and shouldn't go. I will say this:

1) You should be safe and cautious. Start only with sites that are recommended, like PartyPoker, PacificPoker, Bodog, PokerStars, Absolute Poker...etc. If you haven't heard of it from somewhere before, don't use the service.

2) Spend only what you can afford to lose. It isn't gambling, but you gotta treat it like gambling, know what I mean? Don't go in expecting it to be an ATM machine for you, especially if you are new.

3) Keep it entertainment. Play big stakes, small stakes, no stakes - whatever. But always keep it as entertainment. I'm not big on poker professionals. Listen, there are a lot of ways you can make a living in the world and do some constructive good at the same time. Spending 10 hours a day playing cards doesn't seem to me like a great way to do either.

Check out some of the blogs linked on here. You'll read some funny stuff about cards. Like the time I lost 75 bucks with KKK/AA to four of a kind 3's, ran around the room punching myself and doing somersaults around the room in agony.