Burton Kent

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When I was 16 I read an article in the Chicago Tribune about a poker club in Oakbrook.  This was before the riverboats and all the gambling - at the time, the only place to play poker was in Vegas.  For some reason, I wanted to check it out.  So I drove out to the next meeting.

And promptly got busted out. I think it took me only 4-5 hands. Bummer!

They played pot limit poker, which is only a little bit “safer” than no-limit.  Just like no-limit, you can lose all your chips on one hand. You just can’t go all-in as soon as the cards are dealt.  On the way out, I talked to the president of the club, Andy Stebnicki.  Andy told me if I came back the next month, he’d lend me a poker book.

It turned out to be Doyle Brunson’s Super System - awesome book. One of the thickest books I had ever read.  And yes, I did get busted out again.  The other players were intimidating, 2/3rds were about 60 or older. They all had poker faces, and the next youngest guy was 22! Andy told me that some of the players went to Vegas and paid for their trips out of their winnings. Sounds good to me.

After reading the book, I came back for the third month. And I won 22 and 1/2 times my buy-in. I was hooked, but there wasn’t really anyplace for me to play. I didn’t have the money to hit Vegas.

Fast forward a few years, and you have Internet poker. I used to play on Party Poker and other sites, usually in one-table tournaments, called Sit-n-Gos. You’d put up 30, 30, 50 or $100 buy in, usually with a 10% entry fee. The winner would get 5x their buy-in back, 2nd would get 3x, and 3rd would double their money.

I accidentally stumbled on a winning very aggressive approach. Most people are too loose near the beginning of the tournament, and play too tight towards the end. I played limit, because if I made a mistake, I still wouldn’t go broke in just one hand. It’s too easy to get trapped in no-limit.

I didn’t play all the time, but I had months where I cashed out thousands of dollars after starting with just $50. I’d normally play for a month or two, then bust out (I had cashed out many times my buy-in in the meantime. I just wouldn’t bother putting in more cash for awhile.

I could have made a living at it, but I just like it as a hobby. It’s a meaningless way to make a living.

Then poker was made illegal. I can still play online, but the limit tournaments are very small. No more than $20-$30 when before I’d play in $30 - $100 tournaments. It’s barely worth it. I’ll have to learn no-limit instead. Have been winning, just not as consistently.

By the way, I looked up Andy, the poker club organizer. Great guy. Turns out he has macular degeneration, which gives him central blindness. It’s too bad - now that he’s retired and can play all the time, he has trouble doing it.