Do you think that professional lifeguards go to the beach on their vacation? I'm guessing they might be sick of staring at sand. I wonder if residents of Hawaii like to holiday in Canada and Alaska just to get away from the perfect weather and warm temperatures for a while. All of us seem to long to break the monotony of our daily lives once in a while to get away, even if the monotony is pretty darn good to us. A weekend jaunt, or a long hiatus, is often just what the doctor prescribes to reset our minds and soul. With that in mind, we might expect that poker players would desire to avoid the card room while on vacation. I know many players who log more than 40 hours per week in casinos and playing online. They devote nearly every waking hour to poker in some way: playing it, reading about it, watching it, talking about it, etc. Yet, when looking to take a vacation these poker players invariably look for the nearest legal (or illegal) card room at the vacation destination of their choice.
Most of us can't imagine a relaxing vacation that does not include some sort of poker. At the very least we must find somewhere that has a strong and fast internet connection so that we can carry our laptops along to play. But we can play online anywhere, so what we really want is to play at an entirely new venue. We want to play against "the world."
I've been lucky enough to test my skills in casinos across the globe, including Aruba, Bahamas, Monte Carlo, aboard cruise ships, and on small Indian reservations to posh properties in the USA. Every one of my playing experiences at these exotic and unique venues has a special place in my heart. Even in places that I've lost money (whew did I ever catch a cold run of cards in warm Aruba), a certain sense of satisfaction is etched in my memory and consciousness in regards to each place.
It seems that poker grows to become a part of the fabric that composes us. Thus, we feel compelled to integrate poker into our trips as well as our daily lives. It is not that we are led to gamble during our vacations due to some sort of addictions. Instead, it simply heightens our experience to integrate our poker identities into a vacation.
Also involved in the desire to include poker into our trips involves the psychological motivations that push us to play. In all reality, very few poker players play exclusively for the money. That type of play would be terribly robotic and boring. Instead, our emotions are indeed involved.
We play to beat our opponents. We play to experience the thrill and energy associated with outplaying those around us. Facing off against faceless opponents on the internet does not suck us in like a live game. Likewise, the thrill of butting heads with the same old compatriots in your regular live casino wears off pretty quickly. Our minds and emotions are involved. It is a competitive fire that brings us to the table. Essentially, we want to best as many people as we can to establish a strong sense of power. Doing this in locales that are exotic and fresh heightens the experience. It is like we are conquering the world on our own tiny little scale.
Don't feel bad if the planning for your next vacation involves a night or two in a casino. A trip to a new casino somewhere across the globe might help to refresh your soul and satisfy your personal psychological mindset. Perhaps lifeguards just might enjoy vacationing at a nice beach, because it does seem that poker players love to holiday at a poker table.
