|
|
It's been quite a journey, though my skills aren't top-notch. The year Moneymaker won the championship, I had just started working, living alone, spending my evenings watching sports on ESPN. One day, I stumbled upon the WSOP and found it fascinating. I started watching it every night. However, I never played, thinking that tournament champions were all top-notch players like Raymer.
Later, when I went back to school, I joined a poker club. Every Thursday, we'd gather at a bar, $20 buy-in, with about twenty to thirty American classmates. I was a complete novice back then and lost money on several occasions. Eventually, I decided to buckle down and study. I remember buying Harrington on Poker because I saw the old man from the TV making it to the WSOP main event final table two years in a row. It's funny; one time, a few classmates saw me buried in books at the library, highlighting passages. I never went to the library, so they were surprised and asked what I was reading. When they found out it was a poker book, they burst out laughing. Later on, I convinced a group of Chinese classmates to join me. We played 3 or 4 times a week, about ten of us, $10 tournaments. The winner would treat everyone to late-night snacks, and we had a great time. I heard that this tradition was passed down by younger students over the years, which was very fulfilling.
After graduation, I moved to Boston and gradually made friends. I introduced them to poker, and we formed a new group. We played cash games almost every weekend, and my house was jokingly called "the casino." Around 2007, I played a cash game at a colleague's house and found it much more exciting than tournaments. I also became a fan of high stakes cash poker (becoming a complete durrrr fan), and I gave up on tournaments altogether. We played together for a few years, and we got to know each other very well. I enjoyed trash-talking more than anything. The thrill of a hero call or a successful bluff outweighed winning money by far.
In 2009, I had a stroke of bad luck and was transferred to London, where I didn't know anyone or find any groups. However, I discovered that there were casinos everywhere in London, so I started playing there. I played 1/1 pound cash games, went about 20 times, and only lost once because I always won against nits. One time, when I went out to dinner with colleagues, I had a stack of 100-pound bills in my wallet, which amazed them because I rarely used 100-pound notes, and they were all from the casino. However, I soon found it boring because I didn't play as many hands as I did in home games.
Perhaps you're wondering why I didn't move up? Honestly, I'm puzzled too. I work in finance, where I'm used to taking risks every day, and the stakes are high. But when it comes to poker, I can't seem to let go when the stakes are higher. Maybe it's because I'm already taking big risks at work, and poker is just a way to unwind. On the other hand, I don't like winning or losing too much at home games because we're all good friends, and I don't want to strain our relationships.
Earlier this year, I was pardoned and transferred back to the company headquarters in Boston. I reunited with my old friends and joined a new group, continuing our weekly gatherings. Playing with skilled players like Uncle Li and dch was very satisfying and helped me improve a lot. If there are any like-minded poker enthusiasts in Boston, feel free to join us.
Lastly, a little anecdote: I met my wife at the poker table. The first time we met, she was brought to my house by a friend (an enthusiastic female poker player). It was her first time playing poker, and I thoroughly crushed her. She wanted revenge, but I ended up outplaying her again. Later, when I proposed to her, it was also at the poker table, with the same group of friends present. I recreated the scene of our first meeting as best as I could. I found an opportunity to go heads-up with her, pretending to suggest playing for higher stakes. When she asked how much, I dramatically pulled out the ring box, slammed it on the table, and yelled "all in." The whole table was stunned, but thankfully, she called my bluff in the end. |
|
Post time 3-5-2024 08:42:37