Look in on any given poker online tournament and you’re bound to see a lot of different people. Not different as in quantity, but different as in kind. If there is one universal thing poker online does incredibly well it is binding people together through one common interest. There are people from all walks of life, rich and poor, of every ethnicity and religion and strata of society, and come game time they all get together.
I remember this growing up, when we had family gatherings. After the festivities, the meal or the ceremony, it was ubiquitous; the cards came out shortly thereafter. And it was during this time that my family bonded. We competed, but we were together. On a much grander scale, online poker does this to the people it attracts.
Regardless of if the people who are playing together would never get along outside the felt, while they’re playing they’re all sharing one common goal. To play cards and to win.
You hear stories all the time of people who meet some of their best friends on the felt. Business relationships are formed. Social networking is going on, and we hardly even notice. We put aside our differences and laugh about what we have in common. Sometimes I think poker isn’t so much about poker as it is about life.
And sometimes, when I’m playing, I can’t help but think, maybe these other people are seeing this, too. And maybe, just maybe they’re enjoying it as much as I am.