Know When To Hold 'Em, Know When To Fold 'Em

To the gambling uninitiated I am most assuredly NOT talking about laundry (as if there was any doubt). Of course I am referencing the sage advice given by Mr.Kenny Rogers in the timeless song "The Gambler".

Recently I have made gambling a new hobby of sorts. Yeah I've been playing online with play money, but once-a-month I play at a friend's house with real stakes. The twenty dollar buy in is not extravagant, but it'll do just fine for now. In the meantime I want to hone my playing (and bluffing) skills.

Fantasies of becoming a professional gambler aside, this is a way for me to possibly make some money. Working for peanuts at my postdoc, getting inconseuquential payments for online article submissions, and selling (or buying/re-selling) crap on ebay is just not doing the trick right now. I need to increase my earning potential somehow. Gambling is one means by which to do that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping head-first into the deep, frigid waters of this hobby without a plan--I've done a little research. I've been reading this book (The Gambler's Bible), watching professional players gambling in tournaments, and playing online at partypoker.com. I feel like a young Padawan slowly learning the ways of the Force. Soon a Jedi Master will I be.

The following shameless plug is an example of a sort of gamble. I have a 1 in 5 chance of receiving $50 for inserting the following link onto my blog:



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Anyway, wish me luck in my gambling endeavors--the odds are against me, but I'll more than break even. Okay, that was cheesy--just wish me luck, alright?