How did you start playing poker?

[USCTrojans]

I am curious guys, how did you all get hooked up on poker?

[NeverWinHere]

My family got me into it.
I have 7 brothers and sisters, and we ALL play including my parents, so that's how I got into poker!

[USCTrojans]

I remember my grandma inviting her 7 friends home to play some weird poker variant LOL

We can say she got me into it, she loved it too

[liljp000]

alot of my friends play ever thursday and i started learning how to play..

[USCTrojans]

alot of my friends play ever thursday and i started learning how to play..

Cool, I was also a part of a long friday game every week for a year it was cool and learned a lot from good players

[ferrengi]

I am curious guys, how did you all get hooked up on poker?

I had been playing various forms of poker on and off for many years. Mainly with family.
Then it about 2001 or 2002 I started playing for play money on pokerroom.com
I was killing the play money tables but I didn't want to deposit my own money.

Then in 2005 I started looking for freerolls and no deposit bonuses. That's when I found out about this site. I won money in a few freerolls and I got an awesome $75 no deposit bonus on party poker (from this site, thanks NDN!) and that's how I started playing for real money online.

It still amazes me how much time I've spent on online poker since 2005. Sometimes, I get depressed thinking how many useful things I could've spent that time on instead of poker.

I'm taking a little break right now because I think I've been playing too much since my big win at HORSE on pokerstars.

Who could've imagined that I'd be playing (let alone coming in 2nd) in a big $215 HORSE tournament when I had never even heard of most of Omaha, Razz and Stud H/L in 2005?
It's a little mind boggling when I think about it!
(See big poker wins thread for details).

I believe it causes me to get a bit too overconfident when my luck is running well and I'm playing well.

I used to think that a $20 buyin was a lot of money for an online player and I didn't understand why anyone who was not a professional would be willing to play $50, $100 and $200 buyins when they can play the same games for $1 to $5 and risk a lot less money.

Now I get it. For most people, once you get your first big score, you think you're the greatest and you're not willing to play a low buyin where you can win say a couple of hundred dollars for first place if you already hit your first 4 figure score. It seems that the excitement just isn't there unless you can win at least as much as you did the last time you placed in the top 3 of an MTT.

Oh well...
I'm sure I have a lot to learn about balancing my hobbies and particularly poker with the rest of my life.

[USCTrojans]

Hey very nice story about how you got hooked up on this amzing bhut cruel game LOL

Thanks mate,

USC

[twenty47]

I always played poker.... in my younger years it was usually for drinks lol at a party.... but my other half introduced me to online poker and texas holdem a few years ago..... I used to always just play 5 card

[USCTrojans]

I always played poker.... in my younger years it was usually for drinks lol at a party.... but my other half introduced me to online poker and texas holdem a few years ago..... I used to always just play 5 card

5 card was indeed one of the most popular home game variants

[67christine]

A really good friend of mine got me started on poker. I never really played the game before except for strip poker with an ex and I do not have to tell you he always won. LOL