I want to talk a little about why I play this game and how my reasons have changed over the years; but in order to do that I need to tell you all a little bit about myself. I began playing poker about three years ago, when my husband was very ill and too tired to finish a tournament. He asked me to play it out for him....and I’ll be damned if I didn’t win it! So I asked him to open up a UB account for me so I could try and see how I do.

I played play chips for about a year until it became so boring engaging in the constant all-in fests. So I graduated to real money tables. At first, I would get the biggest rush from beating out nine people at the $5 sit-n-go tables. I started to build a bankroll and decided to move up to the $10 sng’s and WOW! The rush of beating out 9 more people for more money! I loved the rush and wanted more. <READMORE>

But again it became....dare I say, "too easy?" Maybe like a drug addict, it took more of it to get the rush back. Rather than go up to $20 or $30 sngs, I decided to try my hand at the tournaments, where I proceeded to finish out of the money in every one I entered. So, I wasn’t getting the "winning" rush, but a funny thing happened on the way to learning how to play online tournaments. I began to meet people on UB. Old people, young people, short, tall, fat, thin....that’s one of the great things about online, you just don’t know! But the memorable ones were very entertaining, personable and amiable. And that became my new Rush! Meeting new people (ignoring the games we were playing while socializing) was at times more fun than winning. This allowed me the opportunity to get a little release from the hectic thing I called life, 95% of which was taking care of a very ill husband. It became my release to play poker and chat with so many people and get my mind off the sad notion that very soon my husband was going to no longer be with me.

Last year I began playing the tournaments again, and to my surprise I did well in them. And after my husband won his trip and buy in to Aruba, I figured what the hell, if he can do it....I can too! So, after about a month of effort in the satellite tourneys, many close calls, and a hard fought final table, I won my buy in with only weeks to go until the event. Now THAT was a rush. I had never felt anything like it in my life. I had just won something BIG and thought to myself, "this is better than Ed McMahon showing up at my door!" I’m going to play poker in Aruba.

Aruba was a whole new type of rush. In addition to playing my first multi-table, large buy in event, I had the rush of meeting pros! Me? Meeting people who are among the best at the game....I am playing with them? Wow, I love this game! I was fortunate enough to outlast so many very good poker players and to end up in 85th place (yep, in the money). That was it. If I hadn’t been before, I was now hooked on this game. Along the way, I was able to meet some wonderful people, like P0ker H0 and bbkings, who have now become wonderful friends.

My husband always told me I was a better player than he was, because I have the patience of a saint. So when he passed away this January, I decided to study my own game and see what I need to work on to do better in the tourneys. One thing I noticed is I was playing scared. Playing scared was costing me pots, costing me chips, and most importantly, costing me the rush. And for me it is all the rush! Don’t get me wrong, the money is nice, but I need the rush. The rush of the chat! The rush of the race! The rush of the Final Table! That’s what keeps me playing and trying to get better. So, after looking at my game, I adopted a new attitude. I don’t care if I lose, I love to race, and I love this game! I stopped playing as if I wouldn’t eat the next day if I lost five bucks. I have started playing fearlessly, and the reward of winning has arrived....which has finally brought back the rush.

I have made adjustments to my game to improve upon my weak spots, and with any luck (and good teachers), I will continue to get better. I currently host a tournament on UltimateBet, which features what I (and pocketfives.com) consider to be some of the best players UB has to offer. I plan to attend WSOP and Aruba again this year, playing fearless poker. Hopefully my husband will be looking down saying "atta girl!"

I am having the time of my life playing poker. Traveling around, meeting all the UB players I chat with everyday....if you get anything out of this article at all, I hope it is the understanding that this game is supposed to be fun. If it isn’t (and you aren’t a professional), why do it? Enjoy the game, enjoy the people, and enjoy the rush! Even the hands you lose or the suckouts you suffer are only temporary, and your friends will still be there to commiserate with you. Remember the rush you had as the river came! Yeah, seeing the case queen come to beat you ain’t fun, but yours is one of a million bad beat and lucky river stories....the wins and losses will never stop coming, and the game goes on.
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