The Retort

Poker: Entertainment or Playing with Fire

March 26th, 2010 by Sarah Shadel For The Retort

When I tell people that I deal poker for a living I get one of two reactions: either they think I am the most interesting person in the world, or they completely shut down and act as though I am pure evil. I have learned over time to be very choosey on whom I bestow this information on, and tend to tell newly-met people that I am a college student. That way I can feel them out and see which way they sway before entering those risky waters.

The only problem is that I love poker, so eventually it comes out. To me, poker presents a level playing field for us non-athletic types. It is a way of getting out my competitive urges without having to fall flat on my face. While most sports have one winner in the end - and sometimes it takes all day to decide who that is - poker has a winner just about every two minutes. A complete amateur can sit down at the table, face the elite and still come out the winner - even if it is only for one hand.

Everyone’s money spends the same at the poker table. There is no one looking down their nose at you just because you are laid off or because they are a doctor and you are a janitor. At the poker table everyone is equal. Now, with this you have to take the bad with the good. It also means that everyone is susceptible to spending more money than they should, or staying longer than they should. I believe that this is the stance of most critics when they put down poker. What they fail to realize is that the people that fall into these categories are already susceptible to these character flaws before they ever sit down at the poker table. If it was not poker that brought out these traits, it would be something else.

I am a firm believer that poker is not bad. In its purest form, it is a competition to see who is the best, and that answer changes from day to day and from hand to hand. It is not poker that makes people bad, it’s just that sometimes poker makes it easier to see the character flaws that already exist in people.

There are a few things that new players can do to safeguard themselves from the pitfalls that are associated with playing poker. Before entering a poker room it is always a good idea to create a budget for yourself. Know how much you are willing to spend and stick to it. It’s a bad idea to go into a gambling situation planning on winning. It is better to think of it as entertainment, and the money you lose as money budgeted for that purpose. In other words, you are spending your money on having fun and that should be your focus from the start. If you are spending money you can’t afford, then are you really being entertained?

You should also check out the rules of the establishment you are going to. Just like when you take your girlfriend out to dinner, you want to shop around. Some card rooms are nicer than others, and some of them are pricier. Keep in mind that more expensive is not always better. A standard card room takes a 10% to $5 max rake. This is the amount of every pot that the card room takes to pay for expenses. If you walk into a card room that charges more than that, immediately walk right back out. You wouldn’t overpay for a good meal, why would you overpay for a good gambling experience?

It is also a bad idea to drink and play poker. Drinking can obscure thinking and it is your choices that are important when playing poker. Remember, even though you are there to have fun, it is more fun when you are winning. While not drinking while you’re playing won’t guarantee you’ll win, it will raise the odds.

In conclusion, I hope that I have shown some of you the positives of poker. I know that there will always be people out there who think that gambling is evil, but to them I say “Life’s a gamble, you tempt fate every time you walk out your front door.” For the rest of you, I can’t wait to stare you down from across the poker table.