We all have many things to be thankful for. In my life, I have been blessed with a long list of things to be very appreciative of and very little to complain about. As I was making my way through a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving with my family, my phone started to buzz with players interested in trying to get a game together for later on in the night. Talking to my poker friends in the context of Thanksgiving made me realize how thankful I am to have poker in my life and how much of a positive impact it has had, and continues to have, on me.

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Somewhere around 2005, poker became a significant part of my life. In that time, I have made many close friends and business acquaintances through poker that I would not have made otherwise. Good friends are always something to be thankful for and are harder to come by than we realize. While I would like to think I could make friends in almost any environment, I doubt I could have made the business connections that I have been able to anywhere else.

Those connections and the general knowledge about business that I have been able to gain at the poker table and around the poker community have beeninvaluable to my growth as an entrepreneur. I have been given the knowledge and confidence to pursue interests that would have otherwise been delayed years, decades, or put off altogether.

Poker has introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise and given me a vehicle to spend enough time with those people to form relationships and bonds that transcend the poker table. I feel like I know someone who does almost everything now, and almost all of the business I do these days is either directly with someone I know from poker or who I have been connected to through a poker friend.

Air conditioner goes out? You never know what you will get with a random company from the yellow pages or an internet search, but when a friend puts you in touch with the owner of a company, you are very likely to get great service and a fair deal.

Like anything else, poker can be frustrating. Sometimes, the people you interact with at the table can be jerks. Bad runs can damper your excitement for the game and putting in the hours and effort it takes to do well can become a grind like any other job. But all in all, poker provides great benefits to almost everyone who plays the game. As long as you are playing within your means and being financially responsible and realistic with yourself, then poker can be a great experience while you are at the tables and an amazing vehicle for personal growth in many important areas away from the table.

I am very thankful for the experiences and opportunities poker has afforded me. I am thankful for the people I have met and the friendships I have established. I am thankful for the knowledge and years of expertise that have been openly and freely shared with me across the table.

I am thankful for the flexibility and options that poker has given me. I am thankful for a game that is simple enough that almost anyone can pick it up, yet complex enough that a group of highly intelligent and successful people can play for decades and still be learning, improving, and challenged by it. I am thankful that poker has come into my life.

While poker has been great for me, I would also challenge everyone out there who doesn’t feel this way about the game to take a long, hard look at what they are trying to get out of the game and why they play. If you aren’t truly thankful to have poker in your life, then it may be time for a change.

For most of us, though, poker is a blessing. And among many other things I have to be extremely thankful for, I’m glad I spent a few minutes thinking about how grateful I am for poker.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.