“Oh, will you leave off for 5 minutes!? I’m in the middle of a game.”
If you’re cringing at these words, don’t feel too bad, all the other online poker players reading them are too.
Frankly, as I write them, even I am. They’re the dreaded words which the spouses, partners, family and friends of online poker players are subjected to far more often than they probably should be.
They Rarely Grasp
Yet for people not “in” on the world of poker, they rarely grasp how deeply entrenched we become while hunched over our laptops (or phones, these days) trying to decide what that raise on the turn means. Or as we suffer a bad beat and unleash a torrent of profanity into the uncaring monitors of our technology.
The partner may be the arm that lovingly restrains us as we attempt to hurl said technology out the nearest window, but they just don’t get it. Not the thrill of the win, the frustration of the loss or the satisfaction of improving your game. In my experience, those not in the know usually equate online poker to playing a pausable video game; it’s “entertainment”; it’s something a little frivolous to do in the evenings.
To the serious set out there, of course, it’s anything but.
So, what’s the solution?
Well you can let the annoyance and misunderstanding fester until you come home from work one evening and find all your things on the lawn, or you can introduce your beloved partner to poker. Make poker something you can do together, rather than being the elephant in the room of your relationship.
How, you ask?
Don’t worry, here at PartyPoker.com, we’ve got you covered.
Sit your loving partner down and go through our series of articles and videos for new poker players. Don’t get egotistical – no-one becomes an expert in an evening, but get them excited about the game and its intricacies. When I’ve introduced people to poker, I’ve found one of the biggest initial hurdles awakening them to the fact that it is primarily a game of skill, mathematics and psychology rather than merely “gambling”. Change that and they’ll see it a whole new light. Also be sure to emphasise that with dedication and practise, you can get better at it. Like relationships really.
Or if all else fails show them Kara Scott – our very own queen of poker chic.
Either way…
Once you’ve piqued their interest, show them the wonders of playing the game online at PartyPoker.com; they’ll soon see why the game reduces regular human speech to a series of grunts, murmurs and monotone syllables.
Naturally unless you’re a 30+ year married couple I’d encourage you not to let your partner use your bank details when you play for real money – nothing kills true love faster than an emptied bank account. But do remember you can both currently cash in using the refer a friend bonus.
Living In Harmonious Poker Bliss
Give it some time and before long you’ll be living in harmonious poker bliss. You can celebrate each other’s wins, comfort each other through the bad beats, watch tutorial videos together and jet off to live events like a poker power couple.
What’s that? Your partner is hogging the laptop now?
C’est l’amour…
About the Author
Mark Bonington is a writer from Scotland, but now lives in London. You can keep up with his updates by following him on Twitter.
So What Do You Think?
Would you consider introducing your partner to poker? Let us know in the comments below and remember to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook now!
