The last time I played poker I took 9th in a tournament of about 100 players.  I went in with the best of it and as usual some medium stacked guy called me because I didn’t look scary and he hit one of his two outs when I laid 1.2 to 1.  No hard feelings as I’m accustomed to players thinking I must be bluffing after playing like a tight ass for ten hours.  Anyway, I haven’t played poker since last August.  Not because I was angry but simply because I was busy. I have to tell you it’s been kind of nice.  No bozos sucking out with poor odds, no miserable feelings about making a bad play and more importantly no bad beat stories because I NEVER tell bad beat stories.

You can read the infamous sentences on almost any poker blog.  You know, they read something like this…I hate poker, I’m quitting poker, poker frickin’ sucks, I hate this game! I’m never playing again.  Then like clock work they return a few days later with…so I was playing 2 – 5 last night and this guy with….

I miss the game.  I really do.  I miss slowly peeling back the edge of the cards to find out if I have an ace in the hole.  I miss hearing new players tell everyone at the table that Q 3 is the gay waiter’s hand like they’re telling something new.  Most players have this love/hate relationship with the game ( I’m referring to those of us who aren’t paid to love the game).  That would be me.  I’m not sponsored, I’m not backed (except in a few WSOP events) and I don’t wear labels for money (because I haven’t been asked).  Well, except when I paid Gucci to wear their logo.  Nonetheless, just when you thought you we’re out of the game…it pulls you back in.  A few reasons why I get sucked back into the game of poque are money, intellectual stimulation, friends,  freedom to make my own decisions, the challenge.

You can get some of the above in group therapy which would probably be more rewarding in the long run but I’m talking more along the lines of business and or hobbies.

For me the biggest asset of poker (besides winning money) is the friendships I’ve developed.  Believe it or not, I’ve made more close women friends in poker than men.  Yep, be jealous because I’m talking about the sexy women in poker.  Seriously, where else can you get a person to listen to you talk for hours?  Kidding.  In fact, most of the time I don’t talk while I’m playing tournaments unless I need….can’t share that strategy secret.

So get back in the game and make some new friends (that don’t ask to borrow money).