You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I’m a bit of a poker demon. It was an old boyfriend who got me into it. He used to play at online poker sites – sometimes into the early hours of the morning (When I discovered this I was just relieved he wasn’t doing something else on his laptop into the early hours of the morning!). I was initially worried as neither of us had exactly the most well-paid job in the world and our mortgage payments seemed eternally destined to crash upwards through our roof, but he explained he only ever played for play money, or occasionally on the one cent/two cent tables, where sometimes he could have as much as twenty pence riding on a hand.
I used to play card games such as Newmarket and Pontoon with my granddad when I was but a wee lass, so have always had a thing for a tiny bit of mundane gambling. My boyfriend taught me the basics and I was soon hooked! It wasn’t the winning that meant much for me – it was the taking part. Poker’s quite a social game, even if you’re playing over a laptop. I play at Full Tilt, and it’s nice to see the familiar usernames and avatars crop up repeatedly. It certainly helps you sort the sharks from the fishes!
I’m not one to brag about my poker playing, but I would sometimes like the world to acknowledge that poker is not simply just a game for the guys. This is why this little number caught my eye. It’s a cool, casual t-shirt made from 100% Cotton Jersey Knit with a V-neck collar. Across the chest you get all the playing card suits, plus the poker motto “I’m all in!”
If you’re not familiar with poker terminology (you’re in the same boat as I was two years ago) “I’m all in!” means you’ve shoved your entire stack of chips into play – which you only usually do when you think you’ve got a really great hand, or you think your opponent is bluffing, or you’re attempting a monster-sized bluff yourself. If you watch poker on TV this gamble is usually accompanied by a lot of nervous pacing about as the dealer dishes out the remaining cards.
When you go all in you often get to see your opponent’s cards as well (as once you’re all in you can’t change your mind or make any other bet), so instantly you can see how deep the hole you’ve dug for yourself is.
I got this tee about three months ago and so far through half a dozen or so washes the motif hasn’t faded one iota. I like to wear it when I’m playing online – as sad as that sounds – in the hope my appropriate attire will bring those all-important Aces and Kings winging my way. So far, I’ve been doing pretty well – although I suspect that’s more to do with my continuing poker education than my attire.
I’m actually thinking of branching out and trying my hand at real, live Texas Hold ’em – there’s a pub three miles from me that holds friendly poker nights every other Monday. I bet you can guess what I’m going to wear should I choose to attend
