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Maybe it was the sunglasses. Or maybe it was skill. Or luck. Or some
combination of the three.
Whatever the
case, Adam had a hot streak going.
The piles of chips next to him kept getting higher and higher as he
won hand after hand in the early stages of his steady poker game.
His fortune changed, though, and by the end of the night he didn't
end up as well off.
But there's always next week.
"What I've learned is that it's better to start placing intimidating
bets early, " Adam said. "People think you know what you're doing,
or have good hands, or (you're) stupid."
Spurred by the popularity of high-stakes poker on TV cable channels,
Adam and his friends, who are all in high school, have been meeting
to play cards in Annapolis for about a year. Their game is decidedly
low stakes ($5 gets you in), but there are hosts of other games
around Annapolis and Anne Arundel County with higher buy-ins.
Poker has always had an underground following, but the television
exposure has spawned new interest. It's not hard to find a game, but
it is hard to get people to talk openly about it. After all, it's
illegal to play for money.
"It's probably one of the most frequently broken laws in the state,
but it's on the books," said Deputy State's Attorney William
Roessler.
Adam and his friends and other local players only agreed to discuss
poker if we didn't use their full names or divulge the exact
location of their games.
Some of these regulars play with friends as often as four times a
week as well as online. They have very different backgrounds, but
share a genuine affection for the game. Interestingly, they all said
it isn't the allure of money that attracts them, though it's
certainly nice to win. Instead, they all like the camaraderie of
their "guy's night out."
Many also said they like the mental challenge of trying to figure
out what cards the other players are holding and what moves they're
going to make. A couple compared the challenges of poker to chess.
"It's more about the interaction between the players that I enjoy,"
said Steve, an adult who got his start playing poker years ago in
high school and college. "You start dealing with the elemental
character in a person when you're gambling. I tend to get
philosophical. When you're dealing with money and people, you truly
find out about their character."
Holdem and foldem
Adam and his friends think clothing is an important part of their
poker games, as much for fun as for strategy. Sunglasses shielded
Adam's eyes from the others, so they couldn't read his expressions
for hints about his hand. Nathan wore a mismatched ensemble of a
plaid blazer, bright yellow shirt and checked pants, hoping to
distract the others with its bad taste. Billy usually wears a cowboy
hat, but on this night donned a simple baseball cap.
Another regular, who missed this game, usually wears a dapper suit,
mirroring some of the professional players on television, his
friends said.
"Any props are good," Billy said. "My cowboy hat helps me win."
With Counting Crows playing on the stereo, the friends all plunked
down $5 for the pot, got stacks of chips in exchange, and began a
little Texas HoldEm.
The banter was almost as constant as the cards being dealt.
"You're obnoxious!" Nathan told Adam with a big smile midway through
the latter's winning streak.
"Who's winning?" Adam shot back.
After about an hour of Texas HoldEm, the group switched to another
game, called Omaha, and then to another.
It's obvious they were having fun. In fact, in their list of
favorite things, poker ranks just behind girls and movies.
"I'm one of the less serious ones," Nathan said. "I don't see it as
life or death if I win big. So, if I lose big (it's no big deal).
"It's something to do. Around here, there's the mall, the Harbour
Center, and that's about it. It's something different."
Billy's mom, Anne, who stopped by to watch, doesn't mind her son and
the others gambling. It's only a little bit of money, and it's a lot
more social than video games, she said. Anne has even joined in a
couple of times, as have other parents.
"What I love is that they think it's 'out there,"' Anne said. "If it
gives them a sense of wild and crazy for $5, that's OK."
Anne said she's watched poker on cable, but doesn't really
understand the allure of the televised games.
Poker regulars said they like to watch because of the personalities
of the professionals - and to pick up tips.
TV viewers are most often seeing Texas HoldEm, which is popular
because it's fairly easy to learn.
"It's the hottest game out now," said Harold, a 25-year veteran of
poker. "People play in these games who you wouldn't believe -
doctors and lawyers."
It's in the cards
Mike doesn't really have a classic "poker face" when he plays.
Like Adam and his friends, he's always chatty, regardless of his
hand.
Mike, from Annapolis, has been a poker aficionado for about three
years and gets together with about 15 to 30 other men once a month
to play.
"I like the excitement," he said. "(Texas HoldEm) is a game where
you can risk all or win all in 30 seconds."
To become truly accomplished, he said, you have to "know when to
holdem and know when to foldem," to borrow a phrase from country
singer Kenny Rogers. "It takes a lot of practice."
And patience, and knowing how to bluff.
Steve said premium players read the cards as well as the other
players.
"A great player will analyze his opponents and draw information from
them about how they play and what makes them make certain
decisions," he said. "It's like a good chess game."
Jim, who began playing poker years ago, now hones his skills at live
games once a week. The poker nights usually last six or seven hours
at a stretch.
"It's just enjoyable," he said.
Despite his experience, he said he's sometimes not aggressive enough
at the table, and his play suffers because of it.
Regardless, he remains hooked.
"It's always fun to win," he said. "But you can also get a lot of
satisfaction out of playing a good hand." |
