Nickle/dime 5 card draw and stud with my grandparents/family, etc. Played some dealer choice games in college in early 90's and ran a really good dealer's choice game at the beach during the summers with the waiters, busboys, cooks, etc. Everyone made good cash every day at work, so we played $1 to $20 spread dealers choice twice a week with real cash, no chips. Started a weekly dealers choice game after college in mid 90's. Moved away from that in 98 and had no local game anymore. Came across Knight's Poker and Paradise Poker in 99 when looking for local poker games. That is where I started online and started playing mainly Holdem. Then I met someone online that hosted a live Holdem game literally 10 minutes from my home and was invited. Played 5/10 limit holdem there. Met poker friends there (some are still close friends today) and we started traveling to AC to cut our teeth playing 10/20 LHE and sometimes 20/40 LHE at The Taj (played some with 'No home Jerome' too, lol). Started experimenting with PL and NL holdem at the home game when there were a few of us left late night. Heard about the only NON-limit holdem game around and went to AC to play in this $5/$5 PL Holdem ($500 min buyin) game at the Trop in 2000 or so. I was only 27 then and everyone there was 50+, kind of funny with the looks I got. A few of those guys still play on East Coast for a living. Started playing more online as Holdem got more popular. Then came Party Poker, UB, Full Tilt, Stars, etc.
15 years, a marriage, 3 kids, and a good business opportunity later, now I only play once or so a week. I have even come full circle, back to Limit holdem, lol. 40/80+, but pretty much only limit holdem again, just like we grinded our teeth at the Taj back in the late 90's
. Ahhhh, poker........