The Holdem Bandwagon
 
Poker is poker.  I was raised on the outskirts of Atlantic City, my parents were Casino employees, my friends' parents were casino employees.  My mom used to bring me home decks of cards and craps dice.  I grew up learning how to gamble (and drinking too--they go hand and hand, but that's another story).

Now it's 2004 and for the past year, all of a sudden there's these people out there who praise Texas Hold'em like it's the greatest form of poker ever.  Not to bash it or anything, because I think it's a pretty complete way of poker, but I do question the integrity of all these people who talk about Texas Hold'em like they played it since they were seven.  Seriously, jump on the bandwagon much?

Today I was walking out of class, and this kid was trying to tell this girl that poker was THE game to play (which I wouldn't argue) and that Texas Hold'em was the best.  The girl had no clue what the game was, and the guy made himself sound like the Texas Hold'em champion of the world.  Sorry buddy, you probably don't even know what 10,000 dollars looks like, let alone have the funds to join the World Series of Poker.  And even if you did, you'd shit your pants so fast after someone raised by 2,000 bones.  Stick with your nickel and dime chips.  Hope you don't spend your lunch money on those hard to afford 20 dollar buy-ins.

Personally, I haven't jumped on the bandwagon.  Hell, I even admit I didn't know what Texas Hold'em was until a year or so before the craze hit.  Even then, i wasn't interested.  I am a diehard 5 card draw (deuces wild) poker player.  I don't like to gamble with friends though, bet too little and the game gets boring, bet too much and there's resentment.  And even if there's no resentment, there's an expectation that you'll play again the following week so that the losers can try to win their money back.

And seriously, how is Texas Hold'em the best way to play poker?  It's like playing the fuckin lottery.  You sit there holding your crotch with the two cards that you're dealt and you just pray that the pool will have the cards you need.  It's more like bingo then poker.  At least with five card draw you have to have a little luck, a little instinct, and a little bit of card counting skills.

So you keep playing hold'em, i'll play real poker.  And don't even give me the argument that Texas Hold'em is the best because of how popular it is on TV.  You put a 10k buy-in on Yahtzee, put it on ESPN and yea, all those retards and their mom's would still watch it.