Form a Poker Club

The world of poker and poker players is fascinating without end. While I realize there are many card games around the globe, few can match poker because of one thing.

You play other card games for skill. You play poker for money.

Poker is not an easy game to master. There are many different varieties to poker. I played a game at the American Legion in Phoenix, AZ. where the deal would pass from player to player. Each player who dealt would make the game dealer's choice.

We had regulars in the game who would deal high-low split. Some would deal draw poker, jacks or better, while some would deal Texas Hold'em or Omaha High-Low.

Some of them would deal baseball, with low spade in the hole for half the pot. That was a wild game that would leave you talking to yourself.

All poker players essentially belong to an exclusive club. Sometimes casino management does not understand this. I have known poker room managers who try to force the players to play their games of choice, not the games the poker players want. This is wrong and it won't work. Players will eventually drift away from that casino and the poker room will die.

If you have an inclination toward cards, why not learn to play poker? In fact, why not form a poker club in your area? You could do it through your apartment association or through a fraternal club or organization.

Poker isn't just a game. It's a way of life. People who learn to play poker at a young age generally stay with it as they grow older. And some -- just a few -- make it to the top.

As long as casinos flourish, there will be poker in its various forms. I learn more about the game every day. The only other card game that i play is blackjack, and I only do that on occasion. If Las Vegas and the other gambling communities would go back to one and two-deck blackjack, i would play it a lot more often.

No, poker is the one game where a person can be the master of his or her own fate. You can be sailing through rough waters and prevail because of poker. You cannot do it with slots, dice, horses or any other form of gambling known on earth.

'I dream of winning the World Series of Poker," a friend of mine said. I like his dream. Sometimes i dream the same thing. But money is simply pieces of paper with images of dead people superimposed on them. Life is more than just seeking money. Life is living the dream on a daily basis.

I am planning another trip in the fairly near future. This one will take me to Phoenix, Las Vegas and Reno. I'll share the results of my journey with the members of this website. Good luck and let the games begin. Before I sign off, a word of condolence to my brother, Legs. He lost again at slots. Sigh! Happened the same day I hit my bad beat jackpot. I told him to switch to poker, but he's stubborn and just wouldn't listen.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).