In late 2003 and early 2004, when poker started getting really popular, I can remember some misunderstood members of the media (especially the sports media) bashing the game and its star players. 

Their main criticism seemed to be the typical stereotype at the time of a bunch of unhealthy, fat guys sitting around a table smoking cigars and throwing their money away.  Being a participant and fan of the game, I was somewhat appalled by their description of poker and thought that it was a very unjust view from people who had no idea what they were talking about.

Now that I think about it though, they may not be way out of line with regards to questioning the health of poker players as a whole.  Just think of how many players can be seen at tournaments eating hotdogs, hamburgers, drinking pop, and generally digesting everything that any dietician would advise against.  I mean when is the last time you saw someone drinking V8 while snacking on an apple?

Yes, the tournaments can be long and eating healthy isn’t always an option but what about other aspects of the game that are disastrous to one’s health.  Some players are constantly traveling which again leads to some poor food choices and others drink alcohol quite often at the tables.

A lot of players choose the no exercise route as well which is probably a direct result of the long hours put in at the table whether it be live or online.  The adrenaline rush that comes from big hands isn’t good for the body either as one’s heart rate can skyrocket and this is way worse for a person than just sitting on the couch watching TV.

Now granted, not every poker player travels or puts in long hours at the table but the majority of those who play significant hours each day are definitely at risk.  And as long as there’s plenty of money to be made in poker, I don’t see too many players cashing in their chips for time spent improving their health anytime soon.

It’s easy to forget about some of the more cheerful aspects of poker with the way the game is sometimes today.  Things such as [[Online_poker|online poker]] room scandals, players being busted for housing home [[Gambling|gambling]] circuits, and some stars of the game having heads that have become too big for their shoulders taint poker and make people forget about why it was started in the first place – To have fun and develop camaraderie with friends.

But one story that’s been circulating around lately reinforced what good can come from [[Poker|poker]] if people truly enjoy the game.  Some people may have already heard about the Seattle area poker club that had been playing for 46 years straight.  And unfortunately, they may have also heard that this poker club started by Grant Erwin recently ended its run. 

Called the Puget Probability and Chowder Society, the group that participated in this poker club played at various homes throughout the Seattle area during the four and a half decades.  The interesting thing about these people is that they engaged in low stakes poker games but money wasn’t exchanged between the players.  Instead, it was given to Erwin and the money won was kept track of by tokens placed into a baby food jar.

Now Erwin didn’t just keep the money as he instead invested it in different stocks.  The way the shares were kept track of was through the tokens in the jar.  Eventually, those $10 and $20 winnings turned into $100,000 of collective profit amongst the group. 

The stock portfolio was recently cashed in by the group that included plenty of men in their 70’s and 80’s but the memories from the games will always live on with them.  The club often had members rotate in and out of the circle due to people moving away or passing away but those that remain still keep close ties.

To me, it’s great to hear a story like this because it reminds me that poker isn’t all about what goes in the major tournaments or how much money one can win online. 

I’ve heard of the states that are extremely strict on people who participate in home poker games.  Oklahoma is one that comes to mind right away as this state declares that anyone caught playing at a home-based poker game where money is exchanged is subject to a misdemeanor.  It’s even worse for the host as they could be charged with a felony and could wind up in jail or even prison depending on the case.

However, I wasn’t aware there were states that declared online poker a felony.  That is until I came across a recent story about how the state of Washington has this type of law in effect and refuses to overturn it despite pressure from many different sources.

In Washington, the state’s law says that online poker is illegal and anyone caught playing is subject to a $10,000 fine and up to 5 years in prison.  This has been in effect since 2006 and has caused plenty of outcry.

And justifiably so too as it’s a little hard to reason that putting an online poker player in the same cell with a rapist or murderer makes sense.  Luckily, most other people in the state see how stupid Washington’s government is in allowing this kind of legislature.

Former Washington governor candidate and current lawyer Lee Rousso has sprearheaded the charge to rid the state of their outrageous online poker law.  Rousso has been arguing that it is unconstitutional to have such a law and it is only in place to protect the state’s lotteries and live card rooms.  Member of the [[Poker_Players_Alliance|Poker Players Alliance (PPA)]] such as [[Barry_Greenstein|Barry Greenstein]] have also made efforts to get the state to overturn its law but Washington refuses. 

It’s difficult for me to imagine living in a place like Washington where I could go to prison for playing poker for money over the Internet.  It would be like living in a different country from a law stand point and what kind of poker player would want to live in such a place?  Hopefully the Washington government will ask themselves the same thing and overturn this ridiculous law.