Poker-

Now that I am supremely wella...I have been spending some time (some is an understatement!) learning poker. As I continue with this new found interest, I can now understand the obsession with the game. Many of my wife's friends play/gamble this game/sport and defend ardently that it is "play" not "gamble" and it is a "sport" and not a "game".

I used to never participate in those discussions due to many reasons - for one I never used to play that much, two I think it is just stupid to really care about those definitions and three in HK we actually argue about much more "happening" topics like going to Bombay dreams vs pizza express OR are we having another beer vs vodka this Saturday afternoon OR which you tube video to watch again!

But now that I play more, may be slightly understand it better - I think it is neither a game nor a sport. It is neither to be played nor to be gambled. It is essentially a "hope" trade. Yes I know that sounds like a typical labored effort of bringing insight into something so simple or something which has nothing to do with hope / trading etc. But how else would you explain the repeated feelings every time you get these hands:

2 high cards A, K - you HOPE for the flop to be that magical 10, J, Q
pair of 8 - you HOPE for flop to be 2, 3, 8....top set!
2, 5 different suit - you HOPE everyone is playing on high cards and the hand flops 3,4 8 to give you 2 sided straights
A, 2 of hearts - you HOPE for a nut flush
A, K same suit - you damn HOPE for 10, J, Q same suit to make a royal flush

I always have these same feelings, i always hope and these have rarely if at all ever happened to me. Pot equity, continuity bets, polarized hand selections (i.e. you either play with just top pairs and very high cards or plain rags) and 3-betting / 4-betting are essentially according to me all hope trades. Players (may be the extremely good ones - i doubt though) claim it is about reading opposite hands...play the opposite player and not your hand...read the signs...blah blah blah...dude how? cannot...i really want to ask how? These days everyone wears dark glasses, scarves, hoodies...you can barely see them..it is like Kevin Bacon from Hollow Man! ...leave alone any body language signs. 

Anyway - I still like playing poker...it saved my life recently...and as i have always maintained that i love to Hope!
I just won my 1st tournament...small one but hopefully many more to come...it was rather unexpected ( i am more of a cash game player like Phil Ivey hahhaha than a Phil Hellmuth!) but now i know why people love this game...1 chip = 1 seat...it is the quintessential anything can happen at anytime...life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get kinda game!

And last but not the least - for all those pokers and hopers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRvmJoQkb8M

MA