My name is Peter, I am now 66 years old and live in the city of Dresden, which is also called Elbflorenz. About 8 to 10 years ago I became interested in the poker game Texas Holdem. I already knew the rules of the game from my youth. However, in the GDR at that time it was rather Skat, Doppelkopf or chess played. Poker tournaments, which were broadcast on television, caught my attention. I was particularly impressed by the legend Doyle Brunson, who could fall back on a great wealth of experience. In one tournament Doyle had two kings on his hand. At one bid he immediately threw the cards away, because there was a suspicion that his opponent could have two aces on his hand. In fact, his opponent had the two aces and would have won. I was impressed by so much flair, because I would have played on with two kings as starting hands.

Later I wanted to gain my own experience and signed up for Party-Poker. My opinion was, it must be played for real money, even if only few Euros come to the employment. There are also tournaments where you can play for free. At such events the participants bet on the most impossible card combinations, because there is nothing to lose. In such a way it is impossible to improve one’s own playing skills.

I preferred to take part in tournaments. Here the stake was fixed before the start of the games and no more money could be lost. With success were according to the placement fixed profits possible. In the first games I could win some tournaments. Looking back, it was just a bit of beginner’s luck. In the long run, this way of playing, which I showed, is not successful and that’s exactly how it happened. My series came to an end and the dollars changed hands. So it could not go on and a solution had to be found.

In a bookstore I bought two books which dealt with the game of poker. The first important advice was that a poker player must be patient. Many rounds pass until the pro holds the right hand and makes his bets. I used to think that bluffing was a great way to get your opponent over the table. Today I know that real pros rarely bluff. If this manoeuvre doesn’t work, you’re standing there with empty hands and may have lost a lot of chips. Outs are a complicated matter for newcomers. By outs, poker players understand the improvement of a moderate hand. By continuing to play, the variants are increased and it is possible to win against a hand that is stronger at the beginning. However, online players only have a few seconds to make the right decision. Professional players have fewer problems in this area.

My participation in a live poker tournament

A poker tournament was advertised on a poster in Dresden. Until now I had only played on the internet and wanted to see the poker face of my opponents. With 25 Euro the buy in was very moderate. However there was no money to win, the prices were different material assets. On the respective day I was punctually in the restaurant concerned, in order not to miss anything. It still took quite a while, until all participants had paid their fee and the seat distribution was drawn. In the very first preliminary round I unexpectedly took first place at my table. Now I had to wait, until the 20 participants were found, who were allowed to play in the final round. Those who were eliminated in the preliminary round could buy in another 25 Euro and hope to take first place at the single table. This second way secured the possibility for some players to reach the final round.

Only after midnight were the 20 finalists determined. The final game started at two tables with 10 players each. A player who had already drunk a lot of alcohol and was annoying other participants with his behaviour was especially remembered. He played the most impossible cards and the fatal was, this person won the game. The participant bawled out and described himself as a particularly good player. The losers were called losers and incompetents, which was considered very hurtful for the eliminated players. Also the spectators were shocked how unpleasant this poker player behaved. The referee always made sure that there were about the same number of players at both tables. It came, as it had to come, the drunkard was placed at my table.

Some players at the neighbouring table had to clear the field, the Chaot had won again by All In. I decided to be particularly attentive and only play good starting cards. Two other players at my table had less luck and were eliminated. One of the participants lost against the drunk. At some point I had two kings on my hand. The drunkard had to bet in front of me and I called. In the flop came another king and no ace was to be seen. Then a 3 and 7 came on the table. With slurred words my opponent went all in again. Now I saw the possibility to bowl this puke out of play, because my stack of chips was a little bigger. I bet my share and the cards were revealed. In fact, I looked at two aces, but my triplet was better. When I left, I didn’t want to add oil to the fire and so I grinned smugly.

Now I only had four opponents left at the table. Two of the other participants shot each other out due to a wrong way of playing. Now I was facing a very dangerous player, who also made it very far. After some insignificant games I had ace and king on my hand. The flop showed only low cards, I saw my chance. My opponent bet everything. My head was full of thoughts. Now I came the moment to finish the tournament. Besides, I was a bit tired and didn’t feel like overtime. My words. “All In”. The last two cards to be dealt were Red Jack and a 2nd. My opponent had Ace and Queen in his hand. So I was the winner of the tournament. The first prize was a television set, which I was allowed to take home with me. So I could exchange my old tube device against a flat screen.

Unfortunately this was the only bigger success. On the internet later my luck was not so good and so I gave up poker temporarily. By zapping over the television channels I came across a poker tournament with prominent German participants. My enthusiasm was awakened and I tried my luck again over the Internet. Besides the classic Texas Holdem tournaments, I also tried to play cash games. This kind of poker became a fiasco for me. So I quickly turned back to tournaments. The games went best for me when there were only 6 players at the table at the start. In the course of time, I specialized in this variant, but achieved only moderate success. I see poker as a nice change in my spare time and not as a source of money.

I think most players indulge in poker as a hobby. Few people have what it takes to make a living out of this game. In big tournaments the buy-in can be several thousand Euros. If a participant doesn’t get into the money, all the mice are gone. Not many people can afford to gamble away such large sums. That’s why we should see poker, what it is, it’s a game.

Experience report written by Peter, 66 years, from Dresden