How did you get into to poker?

[ovitoo]

Thought this might be interesting to hear others stories. Mine is kind of original.

Like many teenagers, I was in love w/ video games. Started with Rainbow Six Vegas bc that was THE GAME before the COD series (-halo pshh) Pretty addicted to it. Until Call of Duty 4 came out Long story short I got VERY good along with a good friend of mine. We ended up making a team and competing in MLG Circuit Events. There was a 10k prize once a year and various smaller prizes throughout the seasons. We won some cash and ended our final season 3rd in North America. This was exciting but looking at it there was only around 20k to be made a year (if you were unstoppable). Not anyone's idea of a yearly salary. So I was looking for something new. My enjoyment for games carried over. I would watch my dad play on UB for 5 hrs at a time. So I learned. I had made a few 30$ deposits and a cashed out at 200$ most of the time. I also found Live Charity Events in my county and decided to show up. They had a 20$ early bird tournament that was perfect for my skillset (or lack of..lol) They bring anywhere from 8 to 12 tables. My first tournament I remember the final table. 2 plyrs down and everyone at the table was agreeing to chop. I'm not sure why, but I refused. As players got knocked off I kept on being the only player to refuse a chop. At the time I didnt know I was doing the right thing I just wanted to play. I went on to win that tourney. I played it another 4 times within 2 wks and one it two more times. Overall I have played that tournament 12x and took 1st 5x. Never went out ITM, unless you count a chop where I took 80$ more than the other players. If only I had known about BRM back then lol. After this I haven't looked back. That's my story...What's yours?

 

[HotShotX]

Started playing with my Dad at an early age, and betting small amounts. My parents would invite friends over and have a small cash poker night, and would let me play occasionally. I'd win some money here and there, and every now and then clean up.

This was all standard poker, though. I wouldn't learn of Holdem until college.

 

[CANDYMAN1414]

I was one of those that jumped on the bandwagon when it first showed up on tv many many years ago. Figured hey that looks easy ... so many many years later I sit. now thinking man was I dumb.

 

[SmithGT]

I was one of those that jumped on the bandwagon when it first showed up on tv many many years ago. Figured hey that looks easy ... so many many years later I sit. now thinking man was I dumb.

About the same... except for the many many years part

 

[Poker Orifice]

4 or 5yrs. old on the kitchen table with family & neighbours.
My family would play every Sunday night after dinner at my Great Grandmother's house (she'd play too). We played a bit during the week too.

By 10yrs. old I'd found a handful of guys who used to play regularly. One of the guy's father used to go to Vegas pretty often & had their basement set up with card tables, & a craps table. Both of this guy's brothers would also play (their father would join us on weekend nights). They also ran a pawnshop in their 3-car garage (lots of bicycles, skateboards & sporting equipment in there). Few of them had paper routes (which was always good). Biggest win at 10yrs. old was $260 one afternoon (but more typical was losing $10 or $20... regularly).

Got into more de-gen. games as a teen but also used to play at school, after school, at the poolhall, etc.
21yrs. old, lost $5,500 on a NewYear's Eve playing HU 5card stud. Quit playing all poker until 2007. Saw a million FTP ads on TV (along with Absolute Poker, & pokerstars). Joined FTP, AbsolutePoker & Pokerstars.
Took 2nd in the Ferguson on FTP in very first game I played online (~900 entrants, $1 buyin, won $114). I was hooked

 

[JusSumguy]

My dad was a poker player. Made his living at one Elks Lodge or another.

I was the only one to show interest, so he taught me how to play. Back then (50 sum years ago) there was really only Stud and Draw.

His focus was on stringing donks along. He used to tell me that a man is worth much more money to you in the long run, if you let him win occasionally.

He actually started letting me play after he got pissed at a big mouth one night. The guy was bragging up a storm. He finally got fed up with it and bet the guy a hundred that his ten year old son could beat him.

I'm all... HUH? I did take him down and I never heard my father laugh so loud and long.

Later, he told me it was a stupid move on his part. Why? Cuz he was good for next months mortgage payment.

Didn't pay a lot of attention to poker till I was 19 or 20. College was a profitable time for me. I was a jock, so I played a lot of testosterone filled children for their monthly checks. Jocks style of play is to try to convince you that their junk is bigger than yours.

You seen that commercial? (I love boys night out) That's how I felt around them. They would try, and try. Every time they gat some cash, it was time to beat me and get their duckets back.

Too bad the world caught up. Had a nice run though.

I got my biggest lesson from him one evening when he took me outside and scolded me for playing too many hands. But it's soooooo boring dad. He looked me straight in the eye and says. "If you're not bored, you're not playing right." Thanx dad.

-

 

[OniGamer]

"If you're not bored, you're not playing right."

Thanks, I'll keep that one in mind. I lost my bankroll last week for this reason. Boredom turned into to many hands turned into loosing hands turned into going on tilt... lol

 

[BlueNowhere]

Mine is boring. Last summer I was bored and decided I fancied learning poker. A year later I'm now good at poker. Easy game.

 

[twoturntablez]

There was a tv channel with computer games. Holdem was one of them, $5 per month for the channel. I played it over and over until I could beat it. Then I started to play at the pub. It wasnt long and I was beating that, then I started to play online. Im working on beating that!

 

[t1tpfdc]

Loved playing games as a kid, including card games.
Euchre, pinochle, hearts, spades, whist
Now poker is the easiest game to find online, at least for a Euro.

 

[BigCountryAA]

Played as a child with family using match sticks and pennies.

 

[SofaKingCrazy]

I played poker all my life really with the 1st game being when i was 5 but never even heard of hold'em till the 2000's. Still didn't hold much interest to me and I worked a lot as a superintendent for our family home building business.

after the economy collapsed i found myself without work and bored, staying up late and started watching the TV crap which led me to pokerstars.

Never played hold'em before september 2010 and built my own strategy loosely based on how i play chess. built my BR from $0 to over $60 in 8 months before black friday and made lots of friends along the way.

after black friday well..... this copy of an intro post i made shortly after says it best.

Hi

My name is Jason and I'm a pokaholic.

I started playing hold 'em in September 2010 and started with only one site until Black Friday came
Then I realized that i had a problem and needed help with my addiction to cash poker

So i registered my self up to another six more sites and you can find me out there with any variation of Joker/41673

Since then I have been able to maintain a healthy existence with poker by quitting my job, selling my kids, and conning old people out of their savings with spam e-mails depicting a Saudi Prince who needs help sending his vast fortune to America

Have fun and good luck at the tables

:evil:

 

[Makwa]

Didn't pay a lot of attention to poker till I was 19 or 20. College was a profitable time for me. I was a jock, so I played a lot of testosterone filled children for their monthly checks. Jocks style of play is to try to convince you that their junk is bigger than yours.

You seen that commercial? (I love boys night out) That's how I felt around them. They would try, and try. Every time they gat some cash, it was time to beat me and get their duckets back.

Too bad the world caught up. Had a nice run though.

I got my biggest lesson from him one evening when he took me outside and scolded me for playing too many hands. But it's soooooo boring dad. He looked me straight in the eye and says. "If you're not bored, you're not playing right." Thanx dad.

-

Great story txs guy, I also felted the local college kids rather than go to class... more fun and money... till I ran into some older college kids... :tee:

Dad quote is just about right

 

[OzExorcist]

Like many things in life, it's all my brother's fault.

He somehow got roped into dealing at a bar league. I went along one night to see what all the fuss was about, got hooked pretty well instantly. I started dealing for the company that ran the games a few months later, which got me my current job and I've been playing ever since too.

 

[midgetfactory]

Started playing at college with friends, at first i had no interest playing as i thought man this is too complicated plus i was terrificaly terrible. But somehow i got hooked, and now luv it

 

[ayrton]

My brother was bought a poker set when he was 14 or 15. Learnt how to play from that and tried a couple of games with my family, which quickely ended because nobody else could play... I then went onto playing poker on a game called Puzzle Pirates. That really got me started, but people treated the money on there like its worth nothing.

 

[crocops]

Just the regular ubernerd story, playing starcraft, magic... liked cardgames, strategic games... 888 advertisement lured me in actually... Life changed after that....

 

[always2away]

I too began watching poker on TV was surprised to find that far too often the cards in font of you are not the most important thing guiding your play.

I use my wits to win? I'm in.

 

[hawkcarter]

Poker Start

I got started one night just fooling around on the computer and came across a site called Pokerstars . I've been hooked ever since.

 

[jazzaxe]

Started with a group in high school, we played three card guts, stud and draw. This was in the early sixties. I played a lot of pool at the pool hall and got involved with some bigger games after that. I like playing online now, they have a lot less cheating than the home games I was playing. I like holdem as well, most holdem players online don't seem to come from a mixed game background and play way too tight.

 

[4thandinches]

I used to play a lot of 7-Card Stud at the local casino before they even offered Hold Em. But I started palying a lot of Hold em when it was available online. And party poker was the first site that I used. What was odd is I did very well when I first started, then my results got worse the more I learned about the game. Go figure.

 

[Machidon7]

I started playing five card draw poker in school with some of my friends mostly for lunch money :rofl:...same story in highschool (just now for beer money )...after i graduated i started playing on Carbon Poker, at beginning for fun and then for a living

 

[ddeely1]

started playing penny poker with friends in middle school, then we would play "dollar hands" where if you wanted to play you paid $1 and dealth out all 5 cards. got hooked after the money maker effect in 2003 and started playing online.

 

[deeshark420]

I also played at home penny poker to dollar poker with the family and friends.Ive been playing online poker since 2009.Everything changes.I had money on pokerstars and won alot there, now no US players allowed,such a shame.I would say Im a real gambler down on luck but I'll contiue to play.

 

[Bowman]

Zen Poker

Was wondering what a "chop" meant and that you said you made the right decision even though everyone else went the other way. Good for you. Were the others upset about you not joining in with everyone else to chop or not chop?
I started as a kid, played poker with the family late nights or on weekends. My two half sisters would come into town and so we kids were up 'til 4am playing poker with our parents asleep. They could'nt ever last as long as we kids could. I sure miss those days, wish I could bring to the table what I know now. lol
Our games consisted of a variety of poker games with lowball being popular for a moment. Learned every style of game during these times.
My grandfather also has a huge gambler's journey in his time. He is more in the racetrack now and since I can remember and very good at it too. He also has a book out called "A Gamblers Journey." He goes on to talk a little about poker but is mainly focused on horse racing and growing up during the War.