I'm All In*

Poker is a game, a gambling game, which I was never interested in before I met my boyfriend. He is a poker MANIAC. Loves playing online, loves playing in tournaments, and loves to win. I liked playing the occasional card game every once in a while, but I'm not a very competitive, or rather passionate, card player so playing cards was something I rarely did and mostly only when thoroughly bored.

After months and months of laying next to him watching him play on the laptop, I grew interested in this betting game, particularly No Limit Texas Hold Em. I felt overwhelmed by all the rules and different winning strategies, I felt as though I would never get the hang of it. Well you'd be amazed how much you can learn after just observing someone else play. I finally got it! So began my addiction to poker.

I started watching the tournaments on tv, asking my boyfriend if I could play a few hands for him on the internet poker sites, until finally I just made up my own account on Full Tilt and Poker Stars. I played with free chips at first, then with real money. Illegal? Maybe, I don't really pay attention to those rules. Millions of people play online, and if the government has such a problem with it, well I know they have the access and technology to shut all those Internet sites down. Until they do, I'll continue to play poker.

Gambling is not for me, but poker is such a fun game! I love games, including board games. They are a far better pastime sometimes than watching a movie or television program, especially on a Friday or Saturday night; even some Sundays. They structure time by helping pass the time...they also bring family and friends together. And competition. And silliness. And laughter. Poker is a mental game, a thinking game, and for the most part, a game of luck. It takes a combination of luck and brooding strategy to win. Also a little bit of bluffing, and a little bit of truth. It's trickery! It is the perfect reflection of life.

I’m not one to play tricks, but I am very aware of what I need to do in order to get my way, lol. Exploitation sounds harsh...MANipulation is more like it. As with life, you just have to make the best of the hand you're dealt, whether it's folding, calling, raising, or bluffing. The biggest poker lesson of all that translates into everyday life? Don't be a donk, lol.