Since this column's inception, nearly all of my columns could be categorized into one of the following five categories: Sports, Random Thoughts, Drunken Tales, Entertainment, or Self-Catharsis. Now, two and a half years in, I think it is about time to broaden my repertoire. Today, I introduce the first in (hopefully) a series of columns that will attempt to explain to my female reader's how guys' minds really work. Some columns will delve into how guys think, while others will just focus on why we obsess about thing like poker, fantasy football, and the question of the year, LC or Kristin? Believe me, arguments in my house over that last one are heated. Now, in honor of my recent string of good fortune, let me introduce:
BEHIND THE CURTAIN: POKER
Two nights ago, Alex and I were hanging out at my house until after 4:00 A.M. Rain was falling gently on the windows as we
11-17-04 - November Thoughts
11-11-04 - Lingerie Ball Recap
10-31-04 - NBA West Preview
10-27-04 - NBA East Preview
10-5-04 - The Fantabulous Houston Astros
10-4-04 - Catching Up
7-6-04 - Some Thoughts
Archives
1) It's Good to Be in Love- Frou Frou
2) Everything in it's Right Place- Radiohead
3) I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges
4) Your Birthday Present - The Good Life
5) It's A Hit - Rilo Kiley
6) Banquet - Bloc Party
7) Take On Me - Ah Ha
8) If Your Mother Only Knew - Rahzel
9) What Became of the Likely Lads - The Libertines
10) Twilight - Elliot Smith
So what is it about poker that draws Alex and I (and most of the other guys I know) so strongly to the game? From what I can tell, there are four main reasons:
1) The Bandwagon Effect - Within the last two years, Texas Hold'em has gone from a niche game to one known in nearly every household in the country. Poker used to get a couple of television hours a night...now it is televised a few hours daily, not just on ESPN, but on Fox Sports, The Travel Channel, and Bravo as well. For a while, it seemed like poker was all anyone was talking about. It is no wonder that everyone became interested at once...the media wouldn't let you avoid it! Now ESPN is producing a fictional series on the lives of professional poker players that will debut in January...who knows if that will give poker another boost or if it will just weigh down an already saturated market.
2) The Camaraderie - When do five or six guys my age get together and hang out for a few hours
without alcohol or women involved? Poker fills an interesting gap. Sometimes the conversations around the poker table are the only times guys get to talk without one of them being drunk or worried about who he is going to fail to go home with. Poker also brings out sides of your friends that you might never otherwise see. Who makes the same bad jokes, week after week. Who becomes easily frustrated? Who is a good winner and who rubs his victory in your face? Who is a good loser and who whines and complains about bad beats, bad luck, bad play?
3) The Competition - Growing up, all of the boys in my neighborhood got together everyday after school and played sports. If it was fall, we played football and basketball. If it was spring, we played baseball and soccer. In high school, most of us played at least one or two sports. When you grow up competing everyday, you seek other outlets when you get older. Since tackle football is no longer a realistic option, we instead choose to redirect that aggression to the poker table. Winning a big pot is almost as good as scoring a touchdown...trapping another player is like sacking a quarterback...bluffing an opponent off of a big hand is as fun as running a successful reverse. It is not that fun to take your friends' money, but is sure a hell of a lot of fun to beat them.
4) The Money - In The Color of Money, Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) said "A dollar won is twice as sweet as a dollar earned." Truer words have never been spoken. If winning money wasn't so much fun, Las Vegas would still just be a small desert town with legalized prostitution. And if that was the case, how would generations of guys have been able to convince to their significant others to allow them travel there? Ok, that is a little off subject. But the money and possibilities of poker are definitely appealing. For example, my recent poker winnings made it possible for me to pay my December rent. I can think of at least four people who are happy about that.
I don't know how long this poker craze will last...maybe we will all be playing backgammon or bridge in a few years. But girls, I suggest embracing it while it lasts. I know some of you already have...Michelle has played with us before and Kevin plays in a coed game every Thursday. If you haven't yet, ask one of your guy friends for lessons...I'm sure that he'd be happy to teach you. And if the game still holds no interest to you, at least allow your boyfriends or husbands to continue to play. If he wins, he'll have the money to buy you something nice. And if he loses...at least he'll feel guilty about it so you probably can control him for awhile...
