Chapter 1: How I Became A Poker Fanaddict!

Way back then in the "old days"; we did not have many toys. Nor, were the TV programs very exciting. I am giving away a lot when I tell you that the most popular show during that time were the wrestling matches that usually featured "Gorgeous George" and "Farmer Jones" as the star wrestlers'. I was very little; but, I still remember watching the big time wrestlers of the day on our tiny, round, television set surrounded by my family and friends. So, without giving away more about my age; you will have to "Google" Gorgeous George and Farmer Jones. Keep in mind that "age" is just a number and not very important; especially if you are a "Poker Fanaddict" and can still count.

I was introduced to poker at a very young age. After the wrestling matches we would all gather together at the dining room table to play cards. Poker was the game. All kinds of poker. You name it; we played it and made up some crazy games, too. We did not have poker chips; so, we played with wooden match sticks. The matches always had a terrible odor of sulphur and I was always worried that a match would explode if we pushed it around on the table too much. That never happened; but, I was little and imaginative back then. My Dad would always take one of my match sticks to light up his cigarette. He smoked a lot and he thought that I would not notice my match sticks disappearing a lot faster than my brothers' pile of matches. Well, guess what? That is how I learned how to count and to pay attention to everything that was going on at that table. I guess you could say that I instinctively watched for "tells". One day I asked my Dad why he only took matches from my pile of sticks and not my brothers'? His answer was simple, " you're a girl!"

As I stated earlier, I was pretty young and did not understand what was meant by that comment; but, you can believe that I pondered it very often as I grew and grew and grew. That one comment "you're a girl" is what spurred me on to being the person that I am today... a "Poker Fanaddict" and I am proud of it. Obviously, poker is a strategic game and I learned a great deal about people and life by playing poker when I was young and even up to and through to this very day. I believe that I survived many ordeals in my lifetime because I learned early how to compete. I will confess that poker was not my only achievment. My Dad was also an incredible athlete. He taught us how to play cards and gave us his "genes" and athletic ability, also. My Brothers' and I were let out on the Tennis Court, Basketball Court, Baseball field as equal competitors. I played football, too. Touch football - not tackle! Too rough for a girl.

Winning was not all that important to my Dad; but, he had a favorite saying, "show me a good loser and I will show you a loser". Can you imagine growing up with that kind of pressure? Even though I was raised to be very competitive at the poker table on the tennis court and in business; I was also taught moderation and values. You may ask how does someone who loves to play games as much as I do can understand moderation and values? In my mind, it is an easy answer..."show me a good loser and I will show you a loser". I never wanted to be that person that had to walk out of a game or off of a court with a phoney smile or eating my gut out because I lost and could not smile a truthful smile. So, early on I realized that it is not possible to win all of the time; but, if you take things in moderation you can be a winner because you can afford it if you do lose.

This is the end of Chapter 1- How I became a Poker Fanaddict. Coming soon - Chapter 2.