Female Poker Players: an Analysis of Women’S Responses to Minority Situations

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Female Poker Players: an Analysis of Women’S Responses to Minority Situations Female Poker Players: An Analysis of Women’s Responses to Minority Situations A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Sociology at The Colorado College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Arts Christina R. Ford May 2012 On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment. Christina Ford May 2012 ABSTRACT The data for this thesis was collected from eight interviews and participant observation. Participant observation took place in league poker games in bars and restaurants and cash poker games and tournaments in casinos. Interviews were conducted with both players of the poker league and casino poker. Poker is a male dominated game and it is a leisure time activity, outside of the workforce and the private home. Individuals who participated in these poker games reproduced gender binaries by performing gender. Male poker players respond to and treat women different than men, and women who participate in the poker games are expected to perform specific, stereotypical female roles. The research has addressed how gender is performed not only in the workplace or in private homes, but also in leisure activities in the public sphere. The implications of this include the reproduction of poker as a male dominated game in a male dominated arena and the reproduction of female stereotypes. Though women have been accepted into this male dominated game in great numbers, the men still treat women as though they do not belong. The females who participate in these poker games have extended the intentions of the feminist movement by seeking for equality of women in public arenas. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ….…………………………………………………………………………...1 HISTORY OF POKER …………………………………………………………………….........2 Women and Poker ……………………………………………………………………….3 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY AND GENDER ...…………………………………………….....4 Feminism ………………………………………………………………………………..4 Gender Performance ……………………………………………………………………5 Tokenism ………………………………………………………………………………...8 Visibility. ………………………………………………………………………...8 Contrast. ………………………………………………………………………..10 Assimilation. ……………………………………………………………………11 METHODS ……………………………………………………………………………………..13 Participants ……………………………………………………………………………..14 Procedures ……………………………………………………………………………...15 FINDINGS ……………………………………………………………………………………..15 League Poker …………………………………………………………………………..16 Casino Poker …………………………………………………………………………...23 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………...27 FURTHER RESEARCH ……………………………………………………………………….30 APPENDIX ……………………………………………………………………………………..32 REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………………………34 The binary of gender has been studied extensively throughout the history of sociology as an academic discipline. Gender inequality, gender performance, identity and sexuality have been defined and redefined by several influential social scholars for the past 200 years. As society changes, the knowledge and opinions of gender and sexuality have developed along with it. As women entered the workforce, gender was studied in an arena outside the private home. Gender performance, sexuality and identity have not been extensively studied in the arenas of leisure activities in American lives in a public sphere other than the workforce. One leisure activity in which sexuality and gender is prevalent is through games. Sports and games are gendered in our society, and gender roles are reinforced and reproduced though the behaviors of the players. The separation of boys and girls teams, boys and girls sports and the exclusion and stigma of individuals based on their gender allows the binary to continue. This thesis focuses on the game of poker, and the gendered behaviors and performances displayed within it. In my family, poker was a game that was played during the holiday seasons or for other celebrations where everyone came together for a good time. When I was 19, I joined a poker league in the city in which I lived. Several family members were already in the league and through this league I was able to improve my poker playing and knowledge of the game. Upon entering the league, I immediately became aware of my gender as a female and noticed the sexualized arena in which these games took place, in bars and restaurants. As a sociology student, I began to wonder how the gender performances and identity that I observed during the poker games related to the larger body of research on gender and society. This thesis aims to understand gender performance and gender binaries in the leisure activities of our society. The theories of feminism and gender performance are utilized in my research along with the theory of tokenism. The theory of tokenism has been applied to the data I 1 have collected. Tokenism is outlined in detail in the book “Men and Women of the Corporation” by Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Previous research on tokenism, such as Kanter’s, has been applied to understand the trends and patterns formed from the methods of my research. The methods include interviews with poker players and observations from league poker games and casino games. HISTORY OF POKER The term “poker” refers to a group of games involving playing cards and betting. Some of the most well-known poker games include Hold’em, Three Card or Five Card Stud, Chicago High and so on. Poker can be dated back to as early as the fifteenth century and has expanded throughout the world ever since (McManus 2009:42). Though hundreds of poker games are played throughout the United States alone, the research for this project focused on the poker game of No-Limit Texas Hold’em. Texas Hold’em, developed in Texas from the previously existing poker games, is currently the most popular variant of poker played in the United States. “Five-card stud was played as early as 1860, with the seven-card version developing toward the end of the nineteenth century. Hold’em wasn’t played until early in the twentieth and didn’t overtake draw and seven-stud as the most popular game until the late 1980s” (McManus 2009:244). No-Limit Texas Hold’em is the focus of the research for this thesis because the betting style allows for more aggressive poker playing. The idea of no limit betting was first applied to Texas Hold’em in 1970, after the first World Series of Poker was held at the Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas (Brunson 2005). In the years following the first World Series of Poker, the popularity of Texas Hold’em grew throughout the country and the world. Poker became accepted 2 in popular culture as it was featured in several movies such as The Cincinnati Kid (1965), California Split (1974), and Maverick (1994). The most popular movie to feature Texas Hold’em is Rounders (1998), starring Matt Damon. Along with movies, poker books began emerged detailing the history of the game and tournaments as well as game theory and strategy. With coverage of the World Series of Poker by ESPN, popularity and knowledge of the game became available to men and women alike across the country. Women and Poker Though women were never explicitly excluded from Texas Hold’em or other poker games, the games remained male dominant. The general attitude during the early years of Texas Hold’em popularity was accurately expressed by David Spanier, a poker player and writer, in 1977. Spanier (1977) wrote: No girl I have ever seen at a poker table has ever managed to win consistently. There are plenty who try, in gorgeous palaces of Las Vegas and in Gardena, and in the workaday casinos of London, too. Women players, typically, are tense, beady-eyed, chain-smoking ladies. (P. 142) Due to the general attitudes of male poker players toward female poker players, the game has remained male dominant throughout its popularity and women generally have kept their distance. Since 1977, the number of women participants in the World Series of Poker, and other poker games and tournaments throughout the country, has increased dramatically. Though more and more women enter the tournaments and games, the majority of women poker players are playing online. The general attitudes, such as these displayed by Spanier, toward women poker players are eliminated during online play, due to the anonymity, allowing for a possible advantage to the female online poker player. More than one third of online poker players are women, whereas only about 5% of face-to-face poker players in high stakes tournaments are 3 women (Zupko 2010, McManus 2009:353). It is hard to say whether the number of female online poker players would be larger without gambling laws such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. However, the anonymity of online poker players may provide women with a playing advantage, or at least a level playing field. The amount of resources targeted at female poker players has increased as well, including publications such as the Woman Poker Player Magazine and books including the Badass Girl’s Guide to Poker. Whether women are playing on the internet or in face-to-face games in casinos or leagues, the number has certainly increased. One reason for the increase of female poker players may be the shifting attitudes of the males in this male dominant game. Though to this day, no woman has won the World Series of Poker, even Spanier has declared “Women are no longer considered as accessories to be brought to the poker table, but as equals at the game” (McManus 2009: 353). SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY AND GENDER Feminism, gender performance and tokenism make up the theories that frame my research in order to analyze and discuss the experiences of women poker players
Recommended publications
  • Playing Online Texas Hold ‘Em
    www.pokerprofit.com PLAYING ONLINE TEXAS HOLD ‘EM THE BEST TIPS FOR PLAYING AND WINNING! Table of Contents 3 Introduction 5 History of Poker 7 History of Online Poker 9 Poker 101 18 Playing Texas Hold ‘Em 20 Position 23 Pot Odds & Outs 26 Playing the Flop 31 Playing the River 32 Betting 35 Strategies 38 Tells 42 Bluffing 45 Multi-Table Tournaments 49 Sit and Go’s 53 Limit Poker 57 Some Things To Keep In Mind 60 When Things Get Out of Hand 62 Conclusion INTRODUCTION It’s becoming almost as big as baseball, football, hockey, and other sporting events. Television has increased its popularity. With the Internet, it’s coming into our homes at a lightning fast rate. The rage that’s sweeping the nation – poker! Although the game has been around for years played in family recreation rooms, smoky bars, casinos, and even retirement homes, these days, poker has become the game of choice for hundreds of thousands of people. Family game night used to mean getting out the Monopoly board and battling over Park Place and Broadway. Now, family game night is more likely to be characterized by breaking out the poker chips and battling each other for the best hands. More and more people are talking about their bad beats, their great hands, and their prowess for play. Popular on college campuses, fraternal clubs, and even retirement homes, poker has become our new game of chance, and our new game of choice. What has led to the rise of this game? Most likely, it has been television and the media.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Alberta Library Release
    University of Alberta Library Release Form Name of Author: Morgan Hugh Kan Title of Thesis: Postgame Analysis of Poker Decisions Degree: Master of Science Year this Degree Granted: 2007 Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Library to reproduce sin- gle copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis, and except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatever without the author's prior written permission. Morgan Hugh Kan Date: University of Alberta POSTGAME ANALYSIS OF POKER DECISIONS by Morgan Hugh Kan A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial ful- fillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Department of Computing Science Edmonton, Alberta Spring 2007 University of Alberta Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research The undersigned certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Grad- uate Studies and Research for acceptance, a thesis entitled Postgame Analysis of Poker Decisions submitted by Morgan Hugh Kan in partial fulfillment of the re- quirements for the degree of Master of Science. Jonathan Schaeffer Supervisor Michael Bowling Michael Carbonaro External Examiner Date: To my parents, Janet and Chay Kan, and my sister, Megan Kan, I would never have made it this far without them. Abstract In Artificial Intelligence research, evaluation is a recurring theme. A newly crafted game-playing program is interesting if it can be shown to be better by some mea- sure.
    [Show full text]
  • Learn How to Make Money Freelance Writing for the Casino/Gaming Industry!
    Learn how to make money freelance writing for the casino/gaming industry! FREELANCE POKER WRITING: How to Make Money Writing for the Gaming Industry Buy The Complete Version of This Book at Booklocker.com: http://www.booklocker.com/p/books/2570.html?s=pdf Freelance Poker Writing by Brian Konradt 14 PREFACE This book is slightly ahead of its time. Freelance Poker Writing is the first book showing freelance writers how to make money writing for the gaming industry. Why now? Both poker and casino-style games have been growing in popularity — and so has the writing opportunities. If you search for “poker writing” or “legalized game writing” on Google, you won’t come up with much information on how to break into this industry as a freelance writer. This does not mean writing opportunities don’t exist or freelance writers aren’t making money writing about poker and gaming. If you dig long enough, interview the pros in the industry, and research everything about poker and gaming, you will come up with what I came up. And I crammed everything I found into this guide for you. WHAT IS FREELANCE POKER WRITING? There are many popular casino-style games, but nothing matches the growth and popularity of poker and how poker influences society. In writing this book I have focused more on the games and influences of poker than on any other casino-style games. I use the term “poker writing” in this book to mean writing about the games of poker, as well as writing about the influences of poker.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Texas Holdem Poker
    GAMBLING History of Texas Holdem Poker ever in the history of poker has it been as popular as nowadays. The most played poker game is definitely exasT Hold em. All Nover the world people are playing Texas Hold em games and there seems to be no end to the popularity of the game. Espe- cially playing Texas Hold em for free on the Internet has became extremely popular in the last years. Who actually invented this great poker game? This was a game, played in the 15th century, that was played with the card deck as we know it Where did it originally come from? And how today. It was a card game that included bluffing and betting. did free Texas Hold em games end up on the internet? To answer these questions it is The French colonials brought this game to Canada and then to the United States in the early important to trace back the history of poker, to 17th century, but the game didn’t became a hit until the beginning of the 18th century in New find out where it all began. Orleans. HISTORY OF POKER THEORIES During the American Civil War, soldiers played the game Pogue often to pass the time, all over the country. Different versions evolved from this firstPogue game and they were called ‘‘Stud’’ There are many different theories about how and ‘‘Draw’’. The official name for the game turned into ‘‘Poker’’ in 1834 by a gambler named poker came into this world and there seems to Jonathan H. Green. be no real proof of a forerunner of the game.
    [Show full text]
  • Aria Casino Poker Gentleman's Guide
    TABLE OF CONTENTS Etiquette Understanding DO’S & DON’TS TELLS Page 4 Page 5 Poker VARIANTS Terminology PLAYER TERMS Page 9 HAND TERMS ADVANCED TERMS Page 13 Facts AND INFO Page 19 Playing CERTAIN CARDS Page 21 Etiquette DO’S & DON’TS Do’s Don’ts Always accurately represent your Stall or Delay the game - pay attention action and never slow roll when it’s your turn Know verbal declarations are binding Don’t ask another player to see their cards after they muck Play at your comfort level - don’t play at a Don’t reveal your cards to other player higher limit if you are not comfortable at the table Be polite and always keep your cool – Don’t String Bet or Splash the pot win or loss about the hand in action, Always state your bet clearly Don’t talk speculate about another player’s hand, provide a play-by-play or talk strategy Allow every player to play their own game Don’t assume anyone will help you - as long as it is within the house rules at the tables, it’s one person per hand 4 What is a TELL ? A tell is an unconscious action that is thought to betray an attempted deception 5 Some of THE MOST COMMON TELLS* Leaning forward or backward. Aggression or forceful betting is a Suddenly bolting upright can usually classic case of weak-means-strong, indicate a strong hand. strong-means-weak. Impatiently wanting to bet Holding breath or staying very still can can indicate a strong hand and those who often indicate a weak hand as the player is are bluffing usually tend to take extra time.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Round Bluffing in Poker Author(S): California Jack Cassidy Source: the American Mathematical Monthly, Vol
    Early Round Bluffing in Poker Author(s): California Jack Cassidy Source: The American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 122, No. 8 (October 2015), pp. 726-744 Published by: Mathematical Association of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.122.8.726 Accessed: 23-12-2015 19:20 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Mathematical Association of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The American Mathematical Monthly. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.32.135.128 on Wed, 23 Dec 2015 19:20:53 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Early Round Bluffing in Poker California Jack Cassidy Abstract. Using a simplified form of the Von Neumann and Morgenstern poker calculations, the author explores the effect of hand volatility on bluffing strategy, and shows that one should never bluff in the first round of Texas Hold’Em. 1. INTRODUCTION. The phrase “the mathematics of bluffing” often brings a puzzled response from nonmathematicians. “Isn’t that an oxymoron? Bluffing is psy- chological,” they might say, or, “Bluffing doesn’t work in online poker.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mobile Phone That Lets You Cheat at ANY Card Game: Handset Has
    2/18/2018 The mobile phone that lets you cheat at ANY card game | Daily Mail Online Feedback Monday, Feb 19th 2018 3AM 47°F 6AM 45°F 5­Day Forecast Home U.K. News Sports U.S. Showbiz Australia Femail Health Science Money Video Travel Columnists DailyMailTV Latest Headlines Science Pictures Coupons Login Ad Hiring a Property Manager? - Now is the Perfect Time Save Yourself A Headache. Find A Local Certied Property Manager Today! VISIT SITE The mobile phone that lets you cheat Site Web Enter your search at ANY card game: Handset has secret sensors to read cards Researcher shares a cheating device that is almost impossible to detect Eli Bursztein purchased what looks like a Samsung smartphone for $1,300 Has a hidden camera and IR LEDs on the side to read each card in the deck Sequences of black spots created by the IR shows the suit and value Everything is then displayed in an app on the device for players to read By STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM PUBLISHED: 17:09 EST, 24 October 2016 | UPDATED: 18:14 EST, 24 October 2016 10 3 shares View comments Counting cards, hand mucking and bottom dealing are all common ways to cheat while playing card games, but are also easily detected. Now, a Google researcher has revealed a gadget that looks and functions like a smartphone - but with software and hardware designed for cheating at cards. An app reads markings on each card with a hidden camera, and can analyse the patterns to determine the card’s suit and value to help the player decide their next move.
    [Show full text]
  • Abiding Chance: Online Poker and the Software of Self-Discipline
    ESSAYS Abiding Chance: Online Poker and the Software of Self- Discipline Natasha Dow Schüll A man sits before a large desktop monitor station, the double screen divided into twenty- four rectangles of equal size, each containing the green oval of a poker table with positions for nine players. The man is virtu- ally “seated” at all twenty- four tables, along with other players from around the world. He quickly navigates his mouse across the screen, settling for moments at a time on flashing windows where his input is needed to advance play at a given table. His rapid- fire esponsesr are enabled by boxed panels of colored numbers and letters that float above opponents’ names; the letters are acronyms for behavioral tendencies relevant to poker play, and the numbers are statistical scores identifying where each player falls in a range for those tendencies. Taken together, the letters and numbers supply the man with enough information to act strategically at a rate of hundreds of hands per hour. Postsession, the man opens his play- tracking database to make sure the software has successfully imported the few thousand hands he has just played. After quickly scrolling through to ensure that they are all there, he recalls some particularly challenging hands he would like to review and checks a number Thanks to Paul Rabinow and Limor Samimian- Darash, for prompting me to gather this material for a different article, and to Richard Fadok, Paul Gardner, Lauren Kapsalakis, and the students in my 2013 Self as Data graduate seminar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for helping me to think through that material.
    [Show full text]
  • Alright, Let's Talk About Some Postflop Play
    MIT 15.S50 LECTURE 2 Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 OUTLINE: POSTFLOP PLAY 1st Half: Continuation Betting, Fundamental Theorem of Poker, Flop Analysis 2nd Half: Implied Odds, Set Mining, Bluffing (with draws), Bluffing Epiphany 1, Bluffing Epiphany 2 A REMINDER ABOUT ATTENDANCE... YOU are responsible for ensuring your attendance is marked down each class! Find the Attendance Person with your name either before class, during the break, or after class. I won’t set aside class time for attendance. REMINDER: LIVE TOURNAMENT TOMORROW 1PM, will end around 5PM if you make it until the very end. Baker House Dining. Baker House is an Undergrad dorm. Google Maps it. The front door is locked, but if you tell the secretary you’re here for the poker tournament, they’ll let you in.) ALRIGHT, LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME POSTFLOP PLAY. NOTE POSITION NAMES. THE RAISE SIZE IS A BIT BIGGER THAN 2.25BB, BUT THAT’S FINE SINCE WE HAVE A COMFORTABLE 40BB BOTH BLINDS CALL. SB CHECKS BB CHECKS CHECKING TO THE PREFLOP RAISER This is conventional. The SB and BB, regardless of what cards they have, will usually check to the preflop raiser. Why is this? The SB and BB cannot really threaten to ever have a big pair on this flop, because if they had AA, they would’ve re-raised preflop. On the other hand, HJ-1 could potentially have AA in this situation. So if the SB and BB bet, they leave themselves susceptible to get raised by HJ-1, and they’ll usually have to fold, since HJ-1 could have/threaten AA while they can’t.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tao of Poker / by Larry W
    Get $150 Dollars Bankroll For Free ! EXCLUSIVE OFFER CLICK HERE! THE TAO OF POKER 285 rules to transform your game and your life Larry W. Phillips Adams Media Corporation Avon, Massachusetts 2 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD POKEROFFICE FOR FREE Copyright ©2003, Larry W. Phillips. All rights reserved. This book, or pans thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. Published by Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company 57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A. www.adamsmedia.com ISBN: 1-58062-837-0 Primed in Canada. J I H G F E Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication-Data Phillips, Larry W. The Tao of Poker / by Larry W. Phillips. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-58062-837-0 I. Poker-Psychological aspects. I. Title. GV1255.P78P53 2003 795.41’2’019-dc21 2002011339 This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. – From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.
    [Show full text]
  • Name of Game Date of Approval Comments Nevada Gaming Commission Approved Gambling Games Effective August 1, 2021
    NEVADA GAMING COMMISSION APPROVED GAMBLING GAMES EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2021 NAME OF GAME DATE OF APPROVAL COMMENTS 1 – 2 PAI GOW POKER 11/27/2007 (V OF PAI GOW POKER) 1 BET THREAT TEXAS HOLD'EM 9/25/2014 NEW GAME 1 OFF TIE BACCARAT 10/9/2018 2 – 5 – 7 POKER 4/7/2009 (V OF 3 – 5 – 7 POKER) 2 CARD POKER 11/19/2015 NEW GAME 2 CARD POKER - VERSION 2 2/2/2016 2 FACE BLACKJACK 10/18/2012 NEW GAME 2 FISTED POKER 21 5/1/2009 (V OF BLACKJACK) 2 TIGERS SUPER BONUS TIE BET 4/10/2012 (V OF BACCARAT) 2 WAY WINNER 1/27/2011 NEW GAME 2 WAY WINNER - COMMUNITY BONUS 6/6/2011 21 + 3 CLASSIC 9/27/2000 21 + 3 CLASSIC - VERSION 2 8/1/2014 21 + 3 CLASSIC - VERSION 3 8/5/2014 21 + 3 CLASSIC - VERSION 4 1/15/2019 21 + 3 PROGRESSIVE 1/24/2018 21 + 3 PROGRESSIVE - VERSION 2 11/13/2020 21 + 3 XTREME 1/19/1999 (V OF BLACKJACK) 21 + 3 XTREME - (PAYTABLE C) 2/23/2001 21 + 3 XTREME - (PAYTABLES D, E) 4/14/2004 21 + 3 XTREME - VERSION 3 1/13/2012 21 + 3 XTREME - VERSION 4 2/9/2012 21 + 3 XTREME - VERSION 5 3/6/2012 21 MADNESS 9/19/1996 21 MADNESS SIDE BET 4/1/1998 (V OF 21 MADNESS) 21 MAGIC 9/12/2011 (V OF BLACKJACK) 21 PAYS MORE 7/3/2012 (V OF BLACKJACK) 21 STUD 8/21/1997 NEW GAME 21 SUPERBUCKS 9/20/1994 (V OF 21) 211 POKER 7/3/2008 (V OF POKER) 24-7 BLACKJACK 4/15/2004 2G'$ 12/11/2019 2ND CHANCE BLACKJACK 6/19/2008 NEW GAME 2ND CHANCE BLACKJACK – VERSION 2 9/24/2008 2ND CHANCE BLACKJACK – VERSION 3 4/8/2010 3 CARD 6/24/2021 NEW GAME NAME OF GAME DATE OF APPROVAL COMMENTS 3 CARD BLITZ 8/22/2019 NEW GAME 3 CARD HOLD’EM 11/21/2008 NEW GAME 3 CARD HOLD’EM - VERSION 2 1/9/2009
    [Show full text]
  • Poker Phases: Draw, Stud and Hold’Em As Play-Forms of Capitalism
    the author(s) 2011 ephemera articles ISSN 1473-2866 www.ephemeraweb.org theory & politics in organization volume 11(4): 450-465 Poker phases: Draw, Stud and Hold’Em as play-forms of capitalism Ole Bjerg abstract The subject of the article is the history of poker. It explores how different structural variations of the game have evolved and how different types of poker have been dominant at different periods in history. There are three main forms of poker: Draw, Stud and Hold’Em. In the article, it is demonstrated how the three forms emerge and become the most popular form of poker at three different periods in history. It identifies structural homologies between the historical development of poker and key elements in the manifestation of capitalism at different times in history. Introduction Poker is the laboratory of capitalism. (McDonald, 1950: 23) When we look at a piece of art, read a piece of literature, watch a film, or listen to a piece of music, it is commonplace to think of these as cultural expressions of the social and historical context in which they are created. Art, literature, film and music are readily recognized as mediums of the Zeitgeist. Poker and other gambling games are rarely thought of in the same fashion. At best, they are considered to be meaningless entertainment, at worst self-destructive vices. I would, however, argue that poker is a cultural expression in line with art, literature, film, etc. The sudden popularity of poker in recent years demonstrates the rich cultural resonance of the game. Poker is a game of money.
    [Show full text]