Well, I think I'll start off with a little introduction. This is a blog about my development as a poker player. I'm the type of person that likes to try lots of different things but once I land upon something I really like I tend to get a little, ahhhh... obsessive about it. As I develop competence in an activity I have found that it really helps to reflect on elements of it. Writing is especially helpful in this process; helping crystalize my learning and experience.
About the name of the blog... "Paint" is a term for face cards in poker. I picked it because of the special feeling I get when I look down and see the sweet faces of Jacks, Queens or Kings staring back at me.
About my history. I've played cards almost as long as I can remember. I first learned hand ranking by playing Yahtzee with my grandmother when I was 8 or 9. My dad taught me poker later and I played for play chips as a teenager with my best friend and his family. I played goofy nickel-dime games with friends in college and after (night baseball, screw your buddy, etc).
My first venture into serious poker was as a college freshman. I attended a state school in a small rural town. There was a diner that catered to locals that had a card room in back. This was in the early 80's before Texas Hold'em began to dominate the poker landscape so we played dealer's choice. The establishment ran a promotion in the school paper, $5 in free chips to the first five players each morning. The morning game was mostly older retirees who played all day, most every day. Needless to say, I donated my $5 pretty much every day.
I gave up on playing in card rooms after my experience. I ventured in a few times after but always quickly lost. My assessment was that consistent winning was an illusion and anyone who thought it was possible was probably heading down the path of addiction. I resolved to keep poker strictly in the goofy party game category of activities. I snidely ignored the magazines, TV shows and newspaper columns that exploded during the poker boom in the late 90's.
About three years ago a friend persuaded me to try playing poker in a casino. A brand new tribal casino had just opened close to my home that was really big and nice. We headed over one night and I bought into a 2-5 No Limit game. I blew through my $200 buyin within an hour but I was intrigued. The game was nothing like I remembered it. It was elegant and smart. I decided to try playing online with play chips to see what I could learn.
More later...
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