Me and My Poker History (2 Viewers)

Joined
Feb 13, 2016
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Location
Safety Harbor, FL
Hello Y'all. No - I'm not Southern born. I'm originally a New Yorker - born and raised in Syracuse, New York. Now I'm a transplant to Florida, since 2002. Retired and a player of both poker and shuffleboard.

I first found out about this forum from @Anthony Martino. Sorry but I'm not a chip enthusiast. But I certainly appreciate the collector mentality - my profession for many years was a dealer of vintage (mostly 1890-1920 era) postcards for collectors. I am an avid poker enthusiast, especially games OTHER THAN Texas Hold'em.

I played the occasional poker game as a teenager (in the 1960s-1970s) - just nickel-dime-quarter mixed games. Loved it! But the games were few and far between, and my path hardly ever crossed with poker games until I moved to Florida. (If I had known what I know now, I probably would have traveled the pro poker circuit!) After I moved to Clearwater, my uncle invited me to join a weekly nickel-dime-quarter home game - old men (his age) playing games like criss-cross, acey-deucey and the like.

In late 2004, I started watching poker on TV. In early 2005, I had an auto accident (other driver's fault), which resulted in my being officially 18% permanently disabled due to small fractures in my spine and neck. The main effect was that I could no longer withstand the stresses of travel for my postcard business, which meant that I could not do what I normally did - travel to shows and buy for my clientele (15,000 customers in 59 countries). I still had a large inventory from which I continued to sell (mostly on my website and eBay) until I retired last year, but it wasn't really enough income by itself without new stock coming in. I actually already had retirement funds in place, and just needed to fill in some additional income above my postcard sales to cover the costs of living for the 15 years or so until retirement.

In the months after my auto accident, over the summer of 2005, I started playing poker online to fill the time. I was playing freerolls for points that were convertible to cash at the rate of a penny a point, which I eventually used for .01/.02 cash games. In six months, I had turned it into a monster bankroll of ... $300. At the same time, I became a student of poker through the TV shows. Celebrity Poker Showdown was the best - the worst players with the best commentary by Phil Gordon. Through what I had learned about tells, I started "crushing" the weekly nickel-dime-quarter home game - for $10 to $40 a week! I had a streak of winning every week for six months!

In late 2005, I won a freeroll satellite online for a seat into a tournament to take place in the spring of 2006 with a prize of package to play the WSOP ME in 2006. With visions of playing the ME, I decided I needed to learn to play live for real. I cashed out my $300 online bankroll and started my own weekly home games - $25 buy-in tournaments (no rake). Through internet advertising, I developed a list of over 500 players in the area, and had lots of tournaments - eventually twice a week, usually two tables. For me, it was a laboratory of learning. Once the Florida poker room limits got lifted (first $100 max buy-in No Limit games, and then uncapped No Limit), I started dipping my toes into b&m poker room play.

I didn't win the seat into the WSOP, but by the end of 2007 had settled on poker as my secondary source of income. I was officially, in my mind, a part-time pro player. My advancement was slow but steady, and I always had a winning year from my first Florida 5-10-25-cent home games forward, with just one exception - a year I was experimenting with different stakes of cash games - moving over from tournament to cash games. Most of my play has been in the local Tampa Bay area poker rooms, but I've also played many other Florida rooms as well as Vegas, L.A., CT and Puerto Rico. My biggest cash to date was third place at a WPT Circuit Event at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg, FL for $29K. I don't expect to beat that, as I now I play cash games for the most part. I just no longer have the stamina or physical health for the multi-day tournaments.

In addition to being a player, I have also been a self-proclaimed advocate for poker player rights. I joined the 2+2 Forums in 2006 (am now a Moderator of the Poker Legislation forum), the time of the passage of the UIGEA law outlawing money transfers to and from online gambling sites. I have advocated for passage of US federal laws to license and regulate online poker. Eventually, I wrote my own federal bill for this, as the ones that kept being introduced by the Congresscritters were deficient in many respects. I also wrote a Guideline for Poker Regulations, which I distributed to lawmakers and regulators across the states; and an Internet Poker Site Code of Conduct, requested from me by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). I have contributed in various ways to the existing regulations for online poker in Nevada, New Jersey and the UK; as well as to various other initiatives and efforts for player rights or regulations. In 2015, I wrote a legislative bill for licensing and regulation of online poker in Florida, and created the iPokerFlorida campaign to get the bill introduced. Unfortunately, it didn't garner enough support or a sponsor in the legislature.

At this point, I have sold my postcard business (last year) and moved to a 55+ retirement community in Safety Harbor, Florida. I am still an avid poker player, but not really in a pro capacity anymore. I much prefer poker games other than Texas Hold'em, even though I play it very well. I took part in the Suicide-Queen Melee this year - my first PCF event. It was great! I was only able to play about 9 hours over two days, due to other appointments and family obligations. Thanks very much to Mark for hosting and for letting me participate.

I love the mixed games played at the Melee, and I'd very much like to start a monthly game at my home. If interested, please send me a message with your contact info - I'll add you to my list and let you know when I'll start - hopefully mid-March, if enough players show an interest.

-Martin
 
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Martin,

Great story! It was a pleasure meeting you this weekend - good luck getting your home game together and thank you for advocating for poker rights!
 
Yet. :D Funny thing about this place - it tends to bleed folks' wallets dry after a while.

Regardless, welcome!
I'm tempted - believe me. But I just downsized my home last year, and had to get rid of most of my collections - oil paintings, gift cards and hand-made pottery. Simply no room for storage at the new place! It's both a blessing and a burden. I still have my collection of original Hawaiian shirts from the 50's, 60's and 70s, though. Snuck that one by. (And I do have a few advertising chips stuck away in a drawer, which I picked up in Vegas one summer at the WSOP vendors hall.)
 
I'm tempted - believe me. But I just downsized my home last year, and had to get rid of most of my collections - oil paintings, gift cards and hand-made pottery. Simply no room for storage at the new place! It's both a blessing and a burden. I still have my collection of original Hawaiian shirts from the 50's, 60's and 70s, though. Snuck that one by. (And I do have a few advertising chips stuck away in a drawer, which I picked up in Vegas one summer at the WSOP vendors hall.)
A 1000 chip birdcage doesn't take up that much space... (y) :thumbsup:

Welcome!
 
Welcome Martin! Was great meeting and playing with you in FL last weekend. Look forward to seeing you again, either down there or if you ever decide to make a trip up to Atlanta.

I may have a few questions on that hot-stamp equipment I picked up from Jake, too. :)
 
Welcome! I recognized that avatar immediately from the 2+2 legislation boards. Thanks for all the great contributions you've made towards poker legalization!
 

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