Monday, April 04, 2011 <---
Straight Flush: Texas Hold'em and Poker Addiction
I've been getting into poker in a big way and never realised how addictive this game could be. It's often the simplest games that capture the most of our time and attention. It's the froggers, pac-mans, donkey-kongs, doodle-jumps... except unlike the above, a cash game of poker is a $100 minimum buy-in. So on the weekend I played two variations of the same game; cash game and tournament, and from that experience could draw only one conclusion. Cash game style poker is gambling. It reeks of all of the classic endorphin hooks to keep you playing and it has no beginning and no end... Tournament style poker has a start and an end and, in my opinion, is still a pure game. Although there's adrenaline involved in both, there's much more to keep you focused on the observation, skill and stratergy aspects when in a tournament, which is what got me here in the first place! I don't know why that is, exactly, as it's supposed to be the same game... but these are my observations.
I know there are "rounders" out there who can play the game so well as to make their living from it, but for most people they are not driven by rent money but by the gambling angle and if you loose, you can always buy back in... it's a game with no defined end point or goal, that in itself should sound alarm bells. A poker tounament on the other hand, you pay your entry fee, get your chips along with everyone else, then that's it. If you bust, you are eliminated. It's up to you and your skills to battle it all the way to the top. The winner takes the prize, everyone else get's a good story...
I do enjoy gambling, but If I do ever feel so compelled, I gamble properly. I play the big table games, I play fast and I play wild, but I never exceed my limits.
Cash game poker has no beginning, no end and no limits. It's in the freeking name: "No Limit Texas Hold'em".
Poker caught me off guard because I didn't consider it gambling, that's not how it's introduced, it starts as a simple game of skill, with an element of chance, like monopoly, but there is a reason it's played in the casino.
So no more cash games for this card fan. I wish you all the best of luck on your own strange journeys...
<--- posted by Oliver at 6:13 PM --->
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