Poker Motives: The 'F' Words

When starting something new it's always worth being aware of your motives. Otherwise you won't know whether you're succeeding or whether you're off course. It's difficult to steer without knowing where you're going.

So I sat down to think about why I play poker. It struck me that there are four main motives that are probably common to most people. I call these the "Four 'F's".

• Fame
  Poker may not yet be the next rock 'n' roll but it's getting that way. As the popularity of the game increases and TV coverage expands this trend is likely to grow. Being a TV poker player is a route to fame for those who would like to be a celebrity but are disadvantaged by possessing talent.
  
  
• Fortune
  Poker's about winning money, make no mistake. With no real money at stake there's no real game. So, is the money your primary motivation? Are you playing poker to get rich?
  
  
• Friends
  Poker is a great social game, whether it be a regular beer-fuelled session with friends or meeting new people at a poker club. This is something that online poker currently lacks to a large degree, however it's getting there as sites such as PKR add human features to the online game.
  
  
• Fun
  Fun comes in a lot of shapes and forms, many people would say that becoming rich and famous is fun! Here I'm talking about the fun of the game itself rather than the benefits of winning.

So where do I stand on this list of motives? Very definitely on the "fun" and "friendship" end - which is probably why I play on PKR rather than some of the more well-known sites.

Yes, I'd like to get rich playing the game - but I'm realistic enough to realise that's not likely to happen. At least not for a while. If I just wanted money the best strategy would be to grind away at the limit tables using poker assistant software to tell me when to bet. That would be no fun.

As to fame... no thank you. I come from the generation before the urge to be "on television" became society's number one driving force. If I were to appear on a televised poker show I'd probably want to do a Kendo Nagasaki!

Labels: general, poker