Texas Hold’em, the now-wildly popular Poker variant doesn’t seem to be losing any momentum anytime soon. While many people play at home, many play at casinos for expensive stakes and for someone who is trying to learn and become better at the game, you are stuck with playing at home with everyone stuck at essentially the same skill level (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, mind you,) or you can go to your local Casino where the regulars can’t wait to see an ATM stroll in who has never played with strangers in their life.
Enter the Poker League; chances are, there’s one at a restuarant or bar&grill you already go to pretty regularly. The league I belong to, All-In Entertainment holds games at various establishments all over my home city of Phoenix, and they also have venues in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
It’s “Free” poker, which means that there is no fee specifically to play, but you are implicitly expected to eat a little bit or at least have a beverage of some kind to support the venue who is paying the organizers to be there. The Winners each night get gift cards to the venue in which you played, or on some special nights cash, or other exciting prizes.
It’s a great way to learn how to play better, the environment is friendly, and it’s a really unique feeling to have a place where “everybody knows your name” every week to play cards in an inexpensive learning environment.
All-in Entertainment, like many other leagues, award points to the top finishers in each game as well, and at the end of every season the top finishers will play for a league-paid seat at the World Series of Poker, which is one heck of a way to break into pro-level play. All of this for a couple sodas and a burger every tuesday night isn’t such a bad idea if you’re looking for something to do, is it?
I’ve been giving All-In a lot of plug time because I currently play with them every week and I think they are a particularly great organization, but not to worry because there are others too! Check to see which ones are playing in your area and go learn how to play like a shark.
The World Poker Tour has an Amateur League as well, you can search for venues in your area HERE
February 9th, 2009 - 9:02 pm
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTexas Hold’em, the now-wildly popular Poker variant doesn’t seem to be losing any momentum anytime soon. While many people play at home, many play at casinos for expensive stakes and for someone who is trying to learn and become better … [...]
February 9th, 2009 - 10:49 pm
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