How I Express Myself Through the Art of Playing Cards

Playing poker allows me to express myself like nothing else. I love to play, but not in the degenerate-lose-all-your-money kind of way. I just play with my buddies once a weekend. Most people associate card-playing with getting lucky and either winning or losing a lot of money. But, there is so much more to it. Through poker, I must act like a cunning detective to try to figure out people’s cards.

I need to be a deceptive thief to bluff people out of their chips and rack my brain to figure out my odds to win. I feel like I’m exercising my whole range of intellectual ability. And, the freedom of the rules allows me to play my own style that best represents me.

I feel like I’m one with the cards. There’s very little that gives me the same kind of joy as when I play my cards right and take home a big pot. But the best part is I just get to be me.

At the table, I’m constantly switching between joking around and fiercely analyzing my opponents, a duality that builds off my aloof, yet passionate personality. I also get to take out whatever is going on during my daily life out on the poker table.

If I’m feeling frustrated with the week, I’ll play tough; gloomy, I’ll play slow; happy, I’ll play loose. It’s fun to see how my playing mixes up based on my mood, and my friends get a kick out of it, too. Card-playing is an art and a means of expression that takes countless hours of repetition to master.

Through poker, I see my progression as both a player and a person. Talking about it now is already getting me excited for this weekend, where hopefully I have another big win waiting for me.