The chance to learn with small amounts of real money.
Then working out if I could beat my games and how.

I was single and depressed at the time and thought that happiness would come from winning a lot of money, and the "easiest" way to do this was poker/gambling.

I now know all of that is bull****.

Now I have a gf, have focused on my job and writing for extra cash, and only play poker for fun with friends. And am much happier now, obviously.

I was bored for a whole Summer, between high school years. So I went to the library four days a week, sat there, and read books in the aisles.

I found my way to the game aisle (originally for chess), then the comedy books (stand-up), and later clowns (which started with magic trick books, then juggling, at which point balloon animals and thespian acts weren't far).

So... Made money out of 2 of those 3. Won't say which.

I like this thread some cool stories!

I started playing with friends at home games, I sucked so bad and I really wanted to beat them. Saw the game as a challenge and started to read and practice. Discovered the poker world, instantly hooked. Loved watching the pro game and aspiring to play like they do, never as a profession but to be a winning player at this great game. After a 3 year sabbatical I am now back playing, and man do I have the poker buzz back!

Thank you all, guys, for your answers! I really appreciate that

I had been casually watching poker on TV and I saw a hand between Dr. Chris Ferguson (computer science and artificial intelligence) and Dr. Michael Binger (theoretical physics.) That light bulb above my head went on:

These guys are nerds! I'm a nerd and a member of MENSA. I could probably be good at this!

I had almost no money to start with, so I put $50 a poker site and got poker books from the library to study and I played $1 SNGs. I worked my way up from there. Now I play full-time.

As a kid I was bought up playing cards, and in the military I played a ton of crew room games, including poker and brag, but mostly competition bridge.

Online poker was a natural progression (for purely recreational purposes) but i kinda messed up big. I could of got into it in 2003 and indeed intended to, but got sidetracked doing other stuff. So I missed the fkn boom

I ended up starting FLHE just before Black Friday.

I play for cash for fun and mental stimulation, but trust me, I'm gonna make a five figure tourney bink b4 I hang up my Holdem Manager....inshallah.

I'm with you on that one. I play poker tournaments full-time. I do not play the lottery, buy Super Bowl Squares, or do anything else that can remotely be considered gambling. If I worked in an corporate office I would not participate in any of the pools.

I don't consider a poker tournament gambling any more than I consider a chess tournament gambling. I play both and to me they are the same. I buy-in and if I go deep in the tournament I win money.

Poker has a lot more variance, but if you're a good player you'll make money over a decent sample size (a year or more of regular playing) just as the baseball team with the best pitchers will usually make it to the playoffs after a 162-game season.

I started gambling with nothing but pari-mutuals (jai-alai, dogs and horses) from age 18 til my early 30's. Then I was invited to go on a trip to Atlantic City and later to Vegas where I was introduced to blackjack and a few other table games. For about ten years I'd go to Vegas once a year just for table games, video poker and sports betting.

I remember one time I decided to try poker (5 card stud for some unknown reason). The table was full of blue-hairs and it was like 1-5 limit. I didn't know much about what I was doing and was bored very quickly. I burned through my $50 buyin quickly so I could go back to action games. Then with the WSOP and poker boom live and online I decided to give poker another try. By then I had realized that it really wasn't possible to beat the table games long term. Poker is the only game in the casino where you're playing against other people, and that became an attraction. Nowadays, that is the biggest lure for me. It's almost like a sport, but with money involved.

Never been into gambling or games, never set foot in a casino, and almost 40
A customer of mine told me he was playing, to be polite, I asked him about it, so he explained the rules and made me watch a video series about pro players where they were explaining their hands and plays.

I was instantly hooked by the depth of the game and the parallels with my own real life experience and lessons. I knew I could become a good player, there is that little something that just clicked. So I decided to get to learn all the ins and outs of pokers and right now, that's that. it happened a few weeks ago so I'm still learning, playing online for free. Next week I'll register to a website and start playing micro stakes games and keep learning.

I realize it will take time before I get anywhere close to being a good player, but this isn't the fist thing I learn, I'm used to the grind, I'm used to being bad and learning, I just got that itch, that poker is something special and I feel I connect well with it on some deep level.

Started out watching my dad and his buddies playing high/low declare nickel-dime-quarter home games when I was seven. Started playing draw for pennies with my friends from school shortly thereafter. Play mostly NLH cash and tourneys nowadays. Been at it over 45 years, still learning!

AW

I was born into a gambling family. My dad-horse racing
Mom-bingo
Brothers craps/blackjack
I learned poker and I love it. If I could I would make it my career but I have a daughter so I wouldn't have it as my primary source of income.
Out of my family I come 2nd in making a profit. My dad has won over 120k in horse racing and I have over 6k in winnings


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I saw people making money in poker and I wanted to. Years later it's still the only reason I play.

That's interesting. Most people I know and I talked to started playing very early.
I'm sure you'll become a good player

Thank you all guys for your answers. Your stories are so different, but all of them are extremely interesting