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Television has helped renew
interest in popular game
By 10 p.m. every
Thursday, the 10 or so people who play poker in Casey Martin's State
Street apartment have gathered around the kitchen table --
conveniently moved into the living room and set under a bright spot
lamp the group has hung from the ceiling.
Three people sit
on the red velvet couch and the rest pull up chairs from around the
apartment. Each person searches for loose change or pulls out the
canisters of winnings they save from week to week.
"Okay, we're
gonna play HoldEm," announces Angela Melodia.
She deals out
the first hand of cards, and change slowly piles up in the center of
the table as each player takes a gamble on whose hand is the best.
"Even though
we're going to be playing with what looks like pocket change, you
can take liberties and say we're real high rollers," jokes Matt
Rybnick.
The group of 20-
and 30-somethings has been meeting regularly since August 2002,
playing games like HoldEm, Seven-card Stud and Omaha. They're in it
for the fun - winners rarely walk away with more than a couple of
dollars.
"You see this?"
asks Eli Rough, shaking a coffee can full of change. "I didn't have
this last week."
The weekly
ritual is a chance for the friends to catch up on life, not to
mention hands at other recent poker games. They make it a fun night,
joking and referring to each other with "poker names." Martin is "Kevbeau,"
Melodia is "Appolonia Jones," Rybnick is "Max Power" and Rough is
"Reno Briggs."
"The name
strikes fear in the heart of my opponents," says Rough -- making the
others laugh hysterically.
What's poker's
draw?
"It's the money.
The fame. The glory. ... I'm all talk," says Martin, admitting he
doesn't win that often.
Rybnick says the
group likes Texas HoldEm in particular because it's quick and
usually exciting.
Most of the
players were self-taught at a young age. Rough learned the ropes
from his grandfather, a casino dealer. Martin learned from his
family.
"We'd play to
see who does dishes," he says.
Renewed interest
The popularity
of poker has grown as groups like Martin's started following some of
the high-stakes poker games on TV that have been drawing millions of
viewers, especially the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel. Last
season, the ratings show about 5 million people a week tuned in to
the tournaments.
That show and
its imitators, including Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, have
sparked a resurgence of interest in the game that once conjured up
images of middle-aged men in dark, smoky basements or garages.
More people are
playing poker regularly in home games like the one at Martin's
house, in tournaments and casinos and online: The World Poker Tour
estimates 40 to 50 million total players. And more TV shows are in
the works, including a reality show called Casino on Fox from
Survivor creator Mark Burnett.
"It's just the
biggest explosion of interest I have ever seen," says North
Avondale, Ohio, resident Rick Steiner, who has won six national
poker championships and who now spends most of his time producing
Broadway shows.
Steiner gives
the TV shows the credit -- in particular the cameras that let
viewers see the two cards players hold in the high-skill,
fast-moving poker game the TV shows have popularized, No Limit Texas
HoldEm.
In Texas HoldEm,
players are dealt two cards face down and then place their bets. The
dealer lays down three "community cards" face up in the middle of
the table that each player can combine with their own two cards.
The excitement
escalates in No-Limit Texas HoldEm, when players can bet everything
at any time.
"Watching it
whets people's appetites," Steiner says. "It's fascinating. It's
like, 'Let's play financial chicken.'"
Another big draw
has been the World Series of Poker, considered to be one of the most
prestigious poker tournaments and held each year at Binion's
Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. The tournament has been held annually
since 1970 and has grown in popularity as people from around the
world compete for the World Champion of Poker title.
Games played run
the gambit, including Seven-card Stud, Seven Card Stud High Low,
Omaha, Omaha High Low and Texas HoldEm. This year's final tournament
game, on May 22, is No-Limit Texas HoldEm with a $10,000 entry fee.
With all the
excitement of high-stakes games, people are grabbing up poker
strategy books to -- they hope -- improve their game. Scott Blish, a
department manager for Barnes & Noble in Ithaca, says every store
has put up a display of poker books, including tips, strategies and
instructions.
"Everybody's
playing it now," says Blish, a poker player himself.
Beginners tend
to pick up Poker for Dummies, he says, while more advanced players
come in for "The Bible: Super System," by former World Champion of
Poker Doyle Brunson.
Game can be
addictive
For many of the
players in Martin's group, their Thursday night get-togethers are
only one of their games each week. Most of the time it's a quick
decision to play a hand that turns into a lengthy night, says
Melodia.
"Sometimes
they're spontaneous games," she says.
Rough, nicknamed
"Reno" for his Nevada hometown and penchant for poker, runs another
game at his house with a different crowd, where "the dealer calls
the game, there's more alcohol and everyone buys in for chips." He's
also helped people new to the game learn the basics.
"At my house,
it's more like a training camp," he says.
Rybnick plays in
several games each week. He's always finding out about new games and
new players.
"We keep
learning about other people, other high-stakes games," he says.
"Poker's ubiquitous but it's hidden."
He and Martin
have even tried their luck at area casinos -- with luck, somehow
coming out even. |
