Poker is...

Poker is Chris Moneymaker stone cold bluffing Sammy Farha, Worm bottom dealing, drunken home games with pizza and out of turn bets. Poker is missing your alarm clock and dreaming of flops, turns and rivers.  Poker is replaying World Series Clips on youtube and sliding the all in button on your laptop. Poker is Phil Ivey staring into the soul of Paul Jackson and ripping his heart out. Poker is staying up late and listening to Jesse May cackle, giggle and whisper into the mic on Channel 4. Poker is strategic warfare, cold decks, insane heaters and 2 outers falling like rain on your day off.  Poker is also a lesson in the value of concentration, keeping notes, watching your stats and doing loads of homework on opponents, odds, outs and strategy. Sometimes I feel like I am more of a fan of poker than an actual poker player and it is impossible to reconcile these two spheres.