In the past couple years, poker has gotten enough exposure to rival Paris Hilton. However, unlike Paris, poker is awesome. It’s on TV throughout the entire day on sports channels like ESPN and FSN. BRAVO and The Travel Channel even have their own hit poker shows. There’s no doubt poker is becoming a widespread epidemic, and I couldn’t be happier.
I’ve been playing poker since I can’t even remember when, and I love it. All this exposure brings all sorts of new money to the table, not to mention creating house games that are popping up all over the place.
Personally, I love a good house game. I’ll take that over the casino any day. You get to play within the confines and comfort of your own home (or a friends home). You also get to keep your money amongst friends. There’s no rake for the house, actually, I guess that depends on what kind of friends you’ve got. Typically, a house game is just a bunch of buddies hanging out having a good time.
You can play no limit tournaments, if you choose, or you can play limit, and just play all night. The point is, the choice is yours. There’s nobody telling you what games to play, what your bets can be, how to behave, and taking a percentage of your winnings.
On the other hand, a little structure never hurt. During house games, sometimes people don’t like to follow the rules, mainly, because there really aren’t any. Calling out of turn, “String Betting,” showing other players their cards. When there is no one governing these emotionally charged games, house players get out of control.
Sometimes it can get a little hectic with conflicting personalities playing at the same table. With all these new heads getting involved in poker, players ask friends of friends to play, creating a hostile and uncharted ground for differing personalities. Inexperienced players and rule breaking may be a pain in the neck, but so is playing with the motley stew of characters that you’ll find at any casino. Lowlife’s, drunks, gambling fiends, and dirty old men all crowd to the casino’s day in and day out.
What do you prefer, losing your money to a total stranger or losing it to your friend? Would you prefer to get kicked in the nuts by your friend or by a stranger? Either way, you just got kicked in the nuts.
But if you look at the other side of it, when you win, would you rather take money from a total stranger who you’ll never have to see again, or your best friend? I know it’s tempting to want to take all your friends’ money, but do you really want deal with their whining night after night about how broke they are because of you?
In conclusion, both house games and casinos are still poker, so does it really matter? Not really. So the solutions that I’ve come up with are both helpful, and profitable. They are both hybrids of each other.
The first one is to get a bunch of friends together, at least five, go to the casino, and just chill. Before you know it, you’ll be running that table, and you get to keep the money amongst your friends, minus the rake, of course. The one small problem with that is, it might take you all night just to get you and all your friends on the same table.
The other solution is much more profitable, but a lot riskier. Riskier in the sense that you’ll go to jail, not lose your money. Just make a casino in your house.
You can take a percentage out of each pot, like a real casino. So you get to play amongst friends, win their money, and make money as the house on top of all that. The only problem is, it’s illegal just like any house game. So don’t get busted.
House games, casinos, it doesn’t matter, as long as your playing poker. If you ask me, playing poker is the most fun you can have while sitting down. You’re up, you’re down, you love it, you hate it, but either way it’s a rush.
