I started playing poker probably around 2002. My first forray was online poker. In hindsight I really don't know what drove me to give it a shot, but I recall that it was one of those "play poker for free" commercials on TV. Now at the time I was no stranger to gambling, I had a bit of experience in wagering on NFL and even some online blackjack. I made the occasional trip to AC with friends, but for the most part my gambling was spotty and impulsive. When I started playing online I really had no idea what I was doing, how to play poker, or really anything that would justify spending money on such a venture. Since I was in college at the time, money was not exactly easy to come by and I was broke even by starving student standards.
My first few sessions of poker as I recall were heads up matches at $5 a pop. I figured 50-50 odds teamed with minimum exposure to the fact that I had no knowledge of the game. I saw some immediate success and felt the rush of winning. I started entering multi-table tournaments and the rest as they say . . .
Around 2003 I started introducing the game of Texas Hold Em to my friends. At this time a few of them already knew the game and a few didn't, but our early poker matches coincided with the 'Poker Explosion' of 2003. Once Chris Moneymaker took the game of poker to new levels my friends and I had started to get a better grip on the game. At this time I was reading lots of poker books, watching a lot of poker on TV, and regularly owning my home games. This would not last for long . . . my friends are quick learners.
As far as describing myself as a player I would say I am a strong player, but also a student of the game. I am still learning things about myself, but Poker is one of the few things that the more I have played and learned, the more I realized how much more there was to mastering the game. I have had moderate success in my poker 'career'. In 2005 I won $6K in a 160 person tournament at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. In my online play I made some decent cashes, but I really didn't enjoy it as much as casino poker. It took me a long time to 'find myself' with online poker.
Recently, I was diagnosed with ADD and prescribed Ritalin. Now anyone who really knows me will tell you that it was pretty obvious that I was a poster boy for ADD. But one of the first effects of the medication, was my ability to 'grind' in a casino without losing my patience and focus. Through the months of February - May 2009 I was able to do very well in Atlantic City, well enough to pay for my planned trip to Vegas in early May 2009. While in Vegas I played several 8 hour long sessions, and came out on top before losing a lot of my money playing Blackjack and Craps. This recent personal success has given me a renewed love for the game, and I launched this blog as a way to examine a experienced player taking a closer look at my game.
Now what about those friends of mine? Well we have had a home game going for about 4 or 5 years. Most of us have been playing this regular Thursday game since the beginning. I would say out of the 10 regulars, 5 of us are accomplished and knowledgable players, but the other half can all hold their own. The game is pretty serious, but a lot of it is based around joking around, drinking a few beers, and playing some poker. I typically do not do well in these games, but it is hard to find a week where I do not show up. Playing with the same group of guys for this amount of time really makes for some strange poker, but it is an absolute necessity in my week.
So that is my short and boring poker history. What I hope to accomplish with all of this is by adding transparency to my poker dealings, I will be forced to take a closer look at my game and my habits. I am sure it will be a humorous and entertaining look at my poker playing . . . but make no mistake, I take my poker VERY seriously. I do have aspirations of taking my game to the next level, but I am not in a position to do that yet. So stay tuned . . .
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