This serial will consist of published installments in the vein of George Plimpton's "Paper Lion". We will be covering poker in the first person as an amateur effectively being paid to compete. For our purposes, and since we're not independently wealthy, we are starting with a backing offer of $55. Karaoke Phil will do most of the writing of his experiences with observations from "Verbal" Mark Cardenas sprinkled in. We hope you enjoy and welcome any comments and feedback.
Introduction
It all started with a simple series of emails:
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Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 12:30 PM--------------------
Subject: Poker round # 2. Saturday Jan 8th 6:00pm
Happy New Year Everyone!
Now that the bustle of the Holiday season is over it’s time to do some gambling!!
Poker Round 2
When: Saturday January 8th 6:00pm.
Game: Texas Hold’em. Last person standing takes all.
Buy in: $25.00 per person gets you $1000 in chips.
Please RSVP and let me know if you need more specific instructions!
Mark
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2005 2:01 PM--------------------
Subject: Re: FW: Poker round # 2. Saturday Jan 8th 6:00pm
cough, cough..
Um...hello? Are you available on Saturday? I haven’t heard from you?
Mark
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2005 2:03 PM---------------------
Subject: Re: FW: Poker round # 2. Saturday Jan 8th 6:00pm
I will come - this time for sure. I'll need to review the Texas Hold 'em rules though. I've never really played it (that I can recall) just seen it on ESPN a couple/three times. Beginner's luck??
Phil
So began my love affair with poker. Sure, I had played dealer's choice home games - red dog, baseball, "in between" and the like. But, those games just aren't Omaha 8 Hi/Lo, Stud 8 Hi/Lo, HORSE or the "Cadillac" of poker games - Texas Hold 'em, no-limit of course. Until 2005 I never really played the "real" games of poker. I certainly had not even attempted to study the game. All of that changed on that cold Minnesota day in January when I finally, truly played the game. I was hooked.
Television coverage of the WPT, WSOP, US Poker Championship and even shows like Celebrity Poker Showdown fueled my aspirations and dreams. Poker, they say, is the one sport where an amateur can sit down against a grizzled veteran pro and have a decent shot at winning. And, victories can bring millions of dollars. I found out that I wasn't god-awful bad. I could compete. I lost money for a while, but not huge amounts and not in a matter of days. At first, it would slowly drain away and I would need to make another deposit or have someone transfer me some additional funds every couple of months.
I read, studied, contemplated, discussed and improved. No, I haven't had the meteoric rise that some internet young guns have had. I didn't go pro within two months of sitting down at a computer terminal. But, then again, that's not my style. I am, now, though, what I call a "slow profit" player. I am not getting rich (yet). In fact, I tend to float up and down within a narrow zone range. But, I haven't needed to deposit any funds (indeed, I have even transferred a little to others) in over a year. The bankroll holds steady and occassionally slowly builds. You will see me on the virtual felt - a lot. All in all, the progress has been huge and I anticipate it will continue.
Editor's Note - Look for further entries as "Suck Out! - A Horse with no Name Recognition" unfolds
Posts
2 comments:
I really like the idea of this. Can't wait to see how things turn out. I also think it was great including those old emails. Incredible how far Phil has come since then. Good Luck!
Thank you BMD - we hope to write an engaging series of posts (regardless of whatever the end monetary results are).
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