when and why did you start playng poker

[cuyber]

When did you first start playing poker and why, and how long before you started playing for real money(if you didnt from the start).

I came across a well know poker site (cant remember how) and downloaded it , played limit holdem fun money (what was the point everyone always calls) for around 6-9 months. While playng one day a freeroll tournament advert came up in the chat box and i joined(Never realised till the next days tournament it was omaha hi/lo ).Well to cut long story short i came 134th or something out of 1500 and placed for $1.50.The very next day i started playing $10 buyin nl tables and the rest they say is money well spent

Currently i still take poker as a bit of fun , but hoping to alter that in the new year and take it a lot more seriously.

[John Holmes' Stunt C**K]

My mates always played it, but for some reason I thought it was too complicated

Loaded up my first poker software 8 months ago (betfair), changed to pacific for a bit, and now on poker.co.uk, which in my opinion is the best around (apart from rubbish customer service)

[trustme]

my dad taught me how to play blackjack, draw poker and 7card stud when i was about 12-13. First started to play holdem after the first series of late night poker, just with friends, back then it was hard to find people interested in the game. I had a pub for a few years and got back into playing then, mainly 7cardstud cash games. Around once a week we would have a lock in and a game.
Took time out to write a book and got distracted and hooked on Ladbrokes poker, started of with cash before changing to stts and mtts

[Chipfire]

When studying statistics & porbability lots of examples were to calculate probabilities of poker hands - then my brother in law held a stag night and told me I needed to know how to play - then got hooked.

[kidgloves]

Hmm, well I started playing after getting barred from the local arcade. I tried travelling around for a while but just couldn't be arsed with it so had to shift my gambling habits somewhere else.
Really, I have to thank the arcade owner who barred me as I have made more steady money on poker than on the fruits in the last couple of years.

[jglenny]

I started after talking to mates and reading up a bit on it. I liked the idea of it being a game of skill not just luck. I moved off the roullette tables and on to poker

[mav_boy9001]

My mates always played it, but for some reason I thought it was too complicated

Loaded up my first poker software 8 months ago (betfair), changed to pacific for a bit, and now on poker.co.uk, which in my opinion is the best around (apart from rubbish customer service)

Damn right about the customer service - it's god awful!

I used my girlfriend's card to deposit $20 and they locked me out of my account so I couldn't even get to the live support thing. I had to e-mail then and after about a fortnight of phone calls I finally found out the problem and how to solve it (had to prove i knew here ie copy of ID and card).

The main problem was that they didn't even understand what I was saying! I mean fair enough equal oppertunities but for a telephonist they speak VERY little english.

Enough of the rant.


I started playing for chips with my mates (live) and I decided to get some practise as I kept losing. I went straight to low stake real money tables and improved so quickly that I got hooked on it. Downloaded all the software I could find to make use of all the deposit bonuses and other promotions and now the main ones I use are poker.co.uk and coral poker.

Now I've almost completely given up fruities (except for the few unchipped m/cs near me) because I profit so much more from poker than i ever did fruits.

[Terminator]

I was a big fan of the late night poker shows, after watching them for about 6 months, I signed up to an on line room where I played low stake tourneys, I then started playing live with some guys I met on line through a poker forum I had joined. I now only play live games (as a general rule), and I play about 4 or 5 times a week, sometimes more.

[s4ooter]

some body had a game at uni so we all went round and were awful!!! But got hooked and i am the sort of guy that will only play things if he is the best or at least a very high standard so i started reading books, watching the tele shows etc. Then we set up a poker group at my uni house and play 2-3 nights a week (the aptly named Mumrah Poker Group) ans we brought in freshers and taught them etc, and one of the girls that only first played in Oct won our xmas special (32 players) Steph "The Lady" and she won with her hand Pocket Q's!!!
good fun though and i taught her everythin i know!!!
ps she knocked me out in 5th when her Q Q stood up to A K

!!!

[Oinkment]

Started playing when I was 14 - we played Ohama High with red 2's wild for ciggys! Didnt play for a couple of years then me and a few chefs started playing on our break - 5 card draw for 5/10p stakes. had the game going for about 2 years in a hotel staffroom in cardiff everyone played even the GM from time to time.

The about 4 years ago after watching late night poker me and a few freinds started playing texas holdem on a pool table. We even splashed out on chips and stuff and we played for £5 rebuys every friday and staurday - up to 14 players around the table sometimes which made it really fun!

Then about 2 years ago I started playing the odd casino game ohama hi/lo mainly but was always losing to lo hands so i started playing on the internet to practice. That led to tourney poker and I have been playing that ever since. I play about 60% on the net now - the rest at live games i either organise or my pals do.

14 years in total but only semi- seriously the last 2.