I love poker.

I've been playing since my teenage years in the garage of one of my buddies where we''d split a gallon of vodka between 6 or 8 of us and play every game you've heard of and some you haven't. Believe it or not, I did pretty well. In my drunken haze, my competive nature still ruled me and helped me to learn to beat each game and all my friends. I'd almost always came out ahead.

Fast forward to years later..

I didn't start seriously playing poker till I moved to California. Another garage and another group of friends and playing a regular game. I still had it, but the concept of playing in a cardroom didn't even enter into my head.

Then I started getting some poker books.

Everything in the books I read was interesting and seemed intuitive to me. If you live near a large chain of bookstores like Borders, you've probably seen them with a coffee bar inside. (another addiction of mine) I'd order a drink and sit down with a stack of poker books and read for hours. Now that I'd read everything I could find in the bookstore that was a legitimate book on poker strategy, the idea that I could play in a cardroom and actually win started to creep into my head.