In the UK I played many Card Games for money, from Cribbage to Don,
blackjack and 3 card Brag among many many more, I get lost just thinking about them, but Poker was limited to 5 card Draw and Stud Poker, so I had an understanding of what constituted a Poker hand.
Texas took off for me back in the late 90s early 2,000 as a new Variant I had never heard of, and the one thing that excited me was, in 3 Card Brag if you could not match your opponents bet you had to fold, so the player with the biggest bankroll had an advantage over the other players, Rules did change in that you could cover the pot with your cards meaning basically you were all-in, but if you lost it was game over and you could not re-enter the game.
In Texas however you could have a rebuy in some Tournaments if you wanted so it became more popular and attractive.
Television promoted Texas Hold-em on late night Poker shows and I was bitten by the Poker bug! But being careful and wary of anything on the Internet I did not trust anything that promised Free Money (freerolls) and took very tentative steps into
poker sites, If I couldn't play for free I just wasn't interested.
Do I make a living from Poker? No! But I possibly could if I put my mind to it, But in all my years of Gambling I have never wanted to make a living from Gambling of any kind. Even playing the Stock markets is a gamble, and I have made a few investments over the Years, but Gambling with your income is a very serious business, and for me I prefer to play purely for Fun!
When the Fun Stops, STOP!