[jamby]

ESPN is rebroadcasting the 2007 WSOP ME today. I recall a Thanksgiving day four years ago when ESPN was doing the same with the 2003 ME that is often credited with the current popularity of poker and NLHE in particular.

I knew nothing about cards, chips or poker at the time. Literally didn't even know what hand beat what. I love competition though and I was intrigued by the game of hold 'em and pretty much watched it non-stop that day and only broke for Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn't Moneymaker in particular either although he was on one heckuva run. I liked all the early round action more than the final table. The shenanigans between Hellmuth and Sam Grizzle come to mind as well as being really impressed by Harrington and Ivey.

Just think it's kind of cool that a mere four years ago feels like a lifetime. It took another year before I tried my hand at playing poker and another year after that approximately before I discovered ChipTalk and all things chips. That was the momentous day for me though - Thanksgiving 2003.

Happy chipping and Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for the memories.

-jamby

[MetalSlug3]

Very cool post!! Thanks for sharing it.

[abby99]

Happy anniversary, jamby! I suspect that many of today's players were introduced to hold'em on TV and/or the movie Rounders. How interesting to read about a fellow Nut got her start. Thanks for sharing.

[RadixLecti]

Oh, how I wish there was more poker on Swedish television...

[hod]

That was a cool post!

On terrestrial tv we don't have that much poker on in the UK.

Late night poker on channel 4 intrigued me quite a few years ago but I could never be bothered learning it, despite it being quite simple. I regret it now, only because I know that at 18/19 I would have loved poker, as I do now.

I ended up buying a poker book with left over book vouchers in 2002, and it sat on my bookshelf till summer 2005 when I read it on holiday. Joined chiptlk in November 2005 and have since spent a growing amount of my disposable income on chips... 400 suited plastic chips have transformed into over 2000 paulsons...

[the3rd]

When your like something you really jump into the deep end don't you.

I got introduced to hold'em in a similar fashion. I was really into poker in middle and high school, stud and draw mainly, but got away from it for several years. Then I saw Varkoni win and Sunnydale get his head shaved. Hold'em seemed like an interesting game and it was easier to find players thanks to Rounders, which I still have not seen. I can't stand Matt Damon. I could barely stand to watch The Departed and that was an awesome movie. Needless to say I loved the ending.