We have all seen them on TV, the poker couples who seemingly disprove the old adage "lucky in cards, unlucky in love." Jen Harman and Marco Traniello, Jennifer Tilly and Phil Laak, Erica Schoenberg and David Benyamine, Vanessa Rousso and Chad Brown, the Jetts, and the Mizrachis are but a few of the couples who have shown that poker has come a long way from the days of Oscar and Felix.
While some of these couples met across the table, others began with just one player who brought their significant other into the game. Maybe you too would like to do that. If so, there are some simple ways to introduce your partner to poker and get them to love it-and occasionally hate it-as much as you do.
The first thing you have to do, of course, is to teach them the basics of the game. Unlike the old days, you are no longer relegated to simply spreading out a deck at the kitchen table and explaining "what beats what"-although that is not a bad place to start. There is now poker software for playing on your PC or game console and, of course, hundreds of free poker websites where you can practice playing while discussing the moves and strategies as you play. Also, most live poker rooms will let your partner sit behind you and watch while you are playing for real-just make sure they know not to react to what they see!
Once the basic training stage is over, a little reading may be in order. For the new player, diving into the weighty favorites like Doyle Brunson's mammoth "Super System" may be too overwhelming, so a more streamlined, easy-to-handle strategy guide might be better. A good starting book-so long as your partner does not take the title too literally-would be Lou Krieger's "Poker for Dummies." Also easy to digest and full of good, solid information is David Sklansky's "Theory of Poker."
Another great way to teach advanced poker strategies and make a new fan of the game and its top players is to watch poker shows such as Poker After Dark or High Stakes Poker, where the new player will see that there is much more to poker than who has the best hand. You should, of course, mention that the shows are edited for entertainment value and that the odds of pocket aces are 220-to-1, not once every other hand.
If you live close to a casino, call the card room manager and see if they have any classes for beginners. Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, for one, has a weekly beginner's class taught by "Poker Comedian" Roger Rudd who will help introduce the newcomer to the game without making them feel nervous or intimidated. Once they feel ready, there are small buy-in tournaments which limit your significant other's exposure while giving them a real life opportunity to put their new knowledge to the test. Starting your significant other off in a no-limit cash game is probably a bad idea, however.
So, if you would like to share your love of poker with your partner, take trips to casino resorts together, visit local clubs for a night out, or maybe just curl up with your laptops playing poker at night, consider doing what Men Nguyen did. He taught his wife how to play and she went on to win the 2008 WPT Invitational. While there is no guarantee your significant other will become the next million dollar poker champ, you will both enjoy the game even more by having someone who can share in your triumphs and, sadly, commiserate over your bad beats.
Shari Geller is an attorney, journalist, reporter, blogger, poker player, and observer of the poker scene. You can write her at BurnThis2@aol.com, and read her blog at www.burnthistoo.blogspot.com.
