My Dad had been desperate to get rid of me for years. I could tell. I kept telling him that it’s not unusual for 25 year olds to still be living at home but he didn’t agree. He would do things like make dinner before I got in, watch old movies on the TV and would hide one of my socks. So when I finally told him I was moving out he practically jumped for joy!

Once I moved out it became clear why he wanted me gone in the first place. Within a week my room had been turned into a gameroom! Talk about jumping into someone’s grave. But me being the bigger man didn’t complain about it when I went round for Sunday dinner, I even humored him by spending hours on the pinball machine.

When his birthday came round it was pretty obvious what I was going to get him. It had to be something for his new gameroom. I thought about a clock but then I saw this wicked Four Aces Mirror and knew I had to get it for him. It looked so cool in his new room and he said he didn’t want a clock in there anyway. Something about being a free spirit without time boundaries, I don’t know I stopped listening. Though I did try to tell him that he can set up his own poker game with just a few poker supplies. Now he can enjoy his gameroom (and mid life crisis) a little bit more. I only wish he’d done it while I was still living there!

When one of my colleagues came to retire I took it upon myself to collect the money from all the other workers and buy him a present.

Bob had worked with us for as long as I can remember. He was like part of the furniture. He had such a nice personality and was friendly with everyone. You would always find him in the break room chatting away or listening to someone’s problems. He was great at listening and got a lot of colleagues through some bad times. So when it came to his retirement it was a real shame to see him leave. I organized a party and everyone contributed to the present fund. We thought it would be best to buy him two gifts. Something traditional like a watch and then something fun too (like a poker chip set). I decided to go for a Poker Chip Gift Set. The perfect present for a retired gent!

When the time came for his party we were all emotional. He was very grateful for his gifts and said he would pop back in to see us soon. Well only a month or two went by before he was back in to see us and to tell us all he was off on holiday! He had been practicing his poker technique and had won a whole wad of cash! I hope he enjoys it because he is a really nice guy and deserves all the luck in the world. Who knows his next trip might be to Las Vegas!

My Dad didn’t cope too well when my Mom died. He used to forget to take his pills and had trouble getting up and down the stairs. I felt awful and didn’t want him to go into a home so he moved in with us. He didn’t want to lose his independence at first but he eventually came round to the idea.

When I say he moved in with us we actually converted the garage into a room for him so he had his own space and even his own bathroom. He soon made friends with some guys round my neighborhood and took up poker. Now I know nothing about poker apart from it leaves my kitchen table in a real mess! One morning I came downstairs to find cards strewn all over my table, nuts on the floor and several empty cans of beer. I had enough. We created his own little space for him so he should use it! I went out and bought him a Mahogany Finish Octagonal poker table and put it in his room. The minute he saw it he was like a child with a new toy and rang all his buddies to come and have a game. Now I no longer have to clean up after an additional 4 grown men and my Dad can still have his poker nights. The only drawback is that because he has his new poker table, no one else wants to hold the poker nights at their houses so they come to ours every other day!

I didn’t know much about my uncle. He didn’t have any kids and as a consequence he didn’t come to visit us that often. But when we were invited to his birthday party I really wanted to go. It was a big family event and I wanted my kids to see the whole of my family under one roof!

I thought about a present for him but I couldn’t remember anything about what he liked or had as a hobby. I knew he wasn’t very keen on kids and that was about it. So I rang my Mom for inspiration. She told me he was mad about poker. He played three sometimes four times a week with all his friends so maybe I should try getting him something to do with that. I searched on line and found a great gift. The one I settled for is a poker t-shirt, specifically the Black Camouflaged Spade T-shirt. It was the perfect present for him to receive from my kids who he had never met before. It was appropriate for his poker and stylish too!

We went to his party and took our present. The whole hall was decked out with poker tables, you know, all casino style. When he opened his present at his party he roared with laughter and said he would wear it to every game he played for the next month. I was so glad it went down well and glad he didn’t ask me to play poker with him, he would have thrashed me!

My uncle is a jolly sort but he also owns a big motorbike and loves to hang out with his family, either drinking beer or playing poker. The thing is, he is a lawyer by profession and works in one of the country’s biggest corporations. Essentially, I think he’s simply a person who likes to let loose and relax when he’s found time off from work. Poker is a favored pastime. He usually plays with my older cousins and my dad at his posh flat downtown. Overall, he’s a really cool guy. That’s why I thought of giving him poker t-shirts for his birthday. What else can you give a guy who can afford everything? My Uncle is a really tall person so when I found this White Card Player World Series Poker T-Shirt – XL size, I just knew I had to buy it for him. I guess, as part of his de-stressing techniques, he fantasizes about taking time off from being a lawyer to join the world poker tour. I thought he could at least have a cool shirt while he was waiting for that opportunity. I am pretty sure he won’t be going on that tour anytime soon. His work for that big company is extremely demanding. He probably works overnight at least three times a week and then two weekends out of every month. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for fun, really. Maybe if he’s got this poker shirt to wear to sleep, he could at least have happy dreams!

My husband’s poker buddies come to the house twice a month to play. Unlike most other groups, the guys sure don’t mind having their wives around during the game. Perhaps it’s because we love to play poker, too! It is, perhaps, one of the most exciting card games in popular culture. The usual high stakes usually deserve an elegant venue and equally well-dressed players. At my house, we like to play as if we’re in the casino. I provide the wine and hors d’ oeuvres, Michael and wife bring the table and Lance brings the poker chips. Even Lance appreciates the ambience we try to maintain and even bought a poker chips case, he bought a 300 Wooden Chip Case with Clear Top without Chips in which to put the custom-made chips that he bought separately. We play with style, therefore, our equipment needed to be stylish as well. In American television, we often come across primetime soap opera characters playing poker in their most comfortable clothing. They wear regular caps, jeans, jean jackets and plain cotton undershirts. Some players could even be wearing cut-offs or regular short pants. To us here, that is sacrilege! We prefer to infuse glamour in every activity. In fact, we wives always dress up for the game. We look forward to wearing sleek and stunning long gowns or cocktail dresses during the first poker session of every month. We sort of have a theme night, too, every now and then. I guess we’re a lucky bunch to have found each other. I dread to think about how different life could be if my husband had hooked up with different poker buddies!

Every now and then, my poker fanatic officemate Pallo manages to execute a brilliant win. I often ask him if it’s just pure luck or whether he’s been counting or something. He tells me he just happened to read the book, 52 Tips for Texas Holdem Poker by Barry Shulman and Mark Gregorich.

These guys are well-known to people who play professionally. Barry Shulman publishes the Card Player Magazine and is a gold bracelet winner. Mark Gregorich, on the other hand, placed 21st in the World Poker Finals. A couple of experienced players are sharing their best secrets through this manual; no wonder Pallo wins big whenever he does win! I would never have pegged Pallo as a reader, let alone a reader of poker books. I guess, though, if you’re playing to win in a gamble, you may as well try to reduce every risk you can. Increasing your knowledge of the game is a good strategy all around. Pallo always says that if you play, you must always play to win. He may be right; after all, money is a big motivator. Pallo often uses the terms “turn”, “flop” and ‘river” even as his co-players tease him about being a hustler at poker. Despite all the ribbing, though, winning is what ultimately matters. All teasing is replaced with respect and Pallo gets the final laugh once the chips are all in and he trumps his opponent with a full flush! Once, I have observed the shift in mood and perception after a big win. I saw envy, pride and awe – all natural emotions toward someone who has played fairly and played well.

My officemates are very much into Poker. Practically every other night, they gather in the pantry to play. Pallo, the person who started the craze, even brings his own custom poker chips! There are about five hundred pieces or so in this leather case he lugs to work almost everyday. He even keeps a single 11.5g MonacoT Six Stripe Poker Chip. He says he won it from a friend who owns a full set in a high-stakes game. In the office itself, the gambling isn’t really that serious. In fact, I do not even play. I think everyone who is there regularly plays poker simply as a stress-reliever. You must admit, most people just really want to take their minds off work every now and then. Drinking and playing cards with friends is just plain fun. Sometimes one wins, sometimes one loses. It’s literally a gamble – even the best poker players lose sometimes. My friend talks about some people being able to count the cards and know who gets what. Even they can get it wrong, too. Nevertheless, considering the regularity and frequency with which my officemates play poker, no one really comes out as a big winner or a big loser. More often than not, the winners do not even bother to withdraw or retrieve their money from the controller, opting, instead, to come back and play using that money the next time. The loud laughter and ribbing amongst the players as well as with mere spectators like myself is enough motivation to come to poker nights four times a week!

A lot of people say that gambling is bad and that you can’t get anything good out of it but it did wonders to my family. Twenty years ago my father brought me to my first poker casino games. It turned out to be a great night after all my dad won a few bucks until one day he just got addicted to it. It was like caffeine or a heroine to him and oftentimes I can tell he feel so stressed out and my mom is so frustrated with my dad’s new addiction. One night mom comes home from work bringing with her a set of ceramic coconut tree casino poker chips and asks dad to show her how to play it. Since then mom and dad spent more time with each other playing with the casino poker chip set and dad never went to casinos to gamble again.

Since my mother passed away my dad’s casino poker days were over too. He decided to stop playing it but he continues to collect sets of casino poker chips and whenever he is away on a business trip he takes some of them with him and uses them as giveaways to some of his clients.

Never has my dad set foot on a casino again, not because he abhors it, but because he is so fond of my mom that he would really rather reminisce the days they shared playing with those poker chips. I know that my dad misses my mom terribly but at least he has some things to remind him of the good old days.

Let’s face it, one of the nightmares a poker enthusiast faces, is finding the right poker supplies and accessories, especially if you are a beginner. If you don’t know where to look, it can be tiresome and even frustrating sometimes. I’m sure it would have been easy if one can find an easy guide on where and what kind of accessories are needed to set up a poker room or at least a poker station.

There are many websites that offer guides and “how to” help on how, where and which poker supplies you need to have your very own poker station. Some of the usual items necessary are poker table, poker chairs, poker timers, toke- drop boxes, and poker chip trays, to name a few.

A poker timer helps you get the feeling of playing at real casinos. See all those poker tournaments on television? They all have those poker timers which limits the time for their turn. Of course they cannot take forever so that is why a poker timer is necessary in professional tournaments. Now, having one at home just increases the feeling of playing pro, and it also prevents people from having to wait for a long time for a player to decide on which hand to play. There have been a few known incidents when players barked at each other because of this issue, so better prevent it now. Friendships may be broken and you don’t want that, right? An ESPN tournament director timer will make you feel as if you are being televised on ESPN and will prevent conflicts from happening.