SAN FRANCISCO, Ca., February 12 — You are so sick of hearing your buddies brag about bluffing their way to five hundred bucks with a pair of threes in the bi-monthly office game. You, on the other hand, could do a lot better than some of the motley fools in that tournament ESPN aired last week. Better start checking airfares (yikes) and trying to align schedules for a trip to Vegas, right? Wrong.
How did riverboats, militia, and cable TV put casino thrills in your den? In the Beginning. Theories abound as to poker’s true origins (France? Germany? Satan’s parlor?). The likeliest point of U.S. entry was the harbor of New Orleans, where French settlers might have picked up a variant of the game from Persian sailors dropping off cargo. From there, riverboat gambling spread the bug up the Mississippi, and risk-loving, frontier-oriented sorts brought it west for the Gold Rush. The game grew and evolved over the years, and U.S. soldiers abroad for World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War spread the modern-day joy/pain as they went.
Innovations
The World Series of Poker brought big-tournament play to American casinos in 1970. The movement took another three-plus decades to really catch the public eye when a pair of internet-trained gamblers beat the pros and took home millions by winning the ESPN-aired WSOP in 2003 and 2004. Suddenly everyone, it seemed, could get on the road to the big time with a little savvy, a straight face, and a stout run of good cards. And since not everyone can afford monthly practice trips to Vegas, the home poker table market grew like a chip stack after a lucky flush draw.
What’s In It For You?
Capacity. You can find tables for three or four of your best friends, or you can make your game night a virtual block party (in other words, invite all the suckers you know).
Construction. Choose from metal, wood, oval, round, octagonal, foldable, non-folding, etc. Not that you’re checking these out to make a style statement, but, well, you could.
Competitive edge. We’re talking home-court advantage here. Your space, your setting, your favorite snacks and drinks on hand — and if someone’s on a hot streak, you could always call "bathroom break" and crank up the air conditioning on your way through.
Meet your match:
Could be you can’t decide between a fold-and-go model, a legit piece of furniture, or a simple table-top board, and you’re not sure whether you need to add chairs, and the leather or vinyl armrest issue has your head spinning, and you’re not sure whether or not to base your decision on free shipping... there, there. Let’s just start with our favorites:
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Take 5% off any poker table over $500. Enter coupon code PKR3J at check out. Coupon valid through 2/22/2007 at | | |
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