AMNUTZ Poker Begins!

I've met more and more people who have suggested that I start my own poker related blog so I thought I'd give it a go and try it!

My home casino is the infamous GoldStrike Casino in Robinsonville, MS, aka "Tunica" for the county in north Mississippi that is home to 9 casinos. I played my first poker game at the ripe old age of 47 in the GoldStrike Casino on Friday, Nov. 13, 2003 and have been playing ever since. Once in a while I venture back to my first gambling love, craps, but it is poker that has captivated my mind and heart. It is poker that is my passion.

I now travel about the country, playing poker at various casinos, both live games and tournaments. I miss the Gulf Coast casinos and look forward to their reopening once they have rebuilt. Although I've never cared for the Grand poker room in Tunica, I loved playing at the Grand Casino's poker room in Biloxi. The poker room was comparable to the bar of "Cheers"; full of colorful characters and personalities and a place where you soon made friends and felt a sense of belonging; a very unusual feel for a poker room. The games were fast, loose and fun which also pretty much describes a lot of the personalities there. There was big Doc, little Doc, and Mr. Kennedy, regulars you could always count on seeing and could count on remembering your name; sagely older men who had years of poker experience and hundreds upon hundreds of interesting poker yarns to tell. I will be disappointed if upon their reopening I don't see the Docs and Mr. Kennedy. I often wonder how they faired thru Katrina and have kept them in my prayers.

My daughter, Natalie is soon to be the wife of poker pro and champion, Hoyt Corkins which also helps feed the passion for poker. I enjoy watching Hoyt and sweating him in tournaments. In fact, if I didn't have a job, I'd travel with them and follow them around from tourney to tourney. Other people enjoy watching various size balls being kicked, hit, bounced, dunked and sunk into various size holes, but me, I enjoy the drama and suspense of a poker game, not so much of the playing of cards, but the playing and manipulation of people. It's addictive. I don't even care that I can't see the hole cards, for the cards is not what I'm watching. I'm watching the expressions, the body language, body posture, positioning, power plays, trapping, and the general manipulation of the situation. What drama! What suspense! Hoyt is one of my favorite players, not just because he's soon to be my son in law (gosh that makes me sound as old as I am!) but I love his style of play, aggressive, emotionless; put the screws to them kind of play. I also admire the fact he keeps his composure and I've never seen him act a fool or make a spectacle of himself like so many of the popular players. Hoyt brings respectability and sportsmanship to the game which is known to be a gentleman's game and that above all for me makes him one of the greatest players, right up there with Doyle Brunson who is simply a legend in his own time.

So I hope you have enjoyed my blog and that you will visit again. Your comments are welcome.

Oh, before I forget in case some of you ask why AMNUTZ poker............very simple, my name is Amy M. Nutzell........and thus AMNUTZ poker. amnutz has been my computer sign on since 1978. You know what I say........you may be crazy about poker.......but I amnutz!

May the flop be with you...............