Geeks and Poker?

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by Cliff on Wednesday May 26, 2004 @08:54AM from the do-you-play? dept.

Best ID Ever! asks: "Poker, a fascinating intersection of math, game theory, and observation of human behavior, is currently exploding in popularity due to televised high-stakes tournaments such as the World Poker Tour and Binion's 2003 World Series of Poker. Many of today's top professional players have nerdly roots such as Mathematicians, chess prodigies, or backgammon champions. A few pros, including 2000 champion Chris Ferguson, even used to play poker in the IRC poker community. This year's World Series final event, which began Saturday and lasts through the week, drew 2600 participants, more than three times the number of participants in 2003. How many Slashdot readers play poker, and what do you think of Poker's upswing?"

14 of 657 comments (clear)

Underlying elements by DaLiNKz · 2004-05-26 08:55 · Score: 5, Funny

..."drew 2600"...
So much geek urberness in poker, there is an underlying hacker element to the event..

--
I've left to find myself. If you happen to see me, please, keep me there until I return.
1. Re:Underlying elements by BigglesZX · 2004-05-26 09:05 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Curses, as soon as I read the article I thought about 2600 readers playing poker. Sod's law would have it that the first comment steals my potential "funny" modding up. :-P
  
  --
  
  $ mv *.sig >/dev/null
2. Re:Underlying elements by devaudio · 2004-05-26 09:50 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  but then geeks can also do things like make a database of all poker winnings, and use php to graph performance!!! Here is our little club, running off of mysql+php+libgd
3. Re:Underlying elements by JPriest · 2004-05-26 11:17 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I am pretty sure the mention was intentional. I am also pretty sure that about 90% of the people that read this site also caught it.
  In other news 420 people march to save the rain forest. Mary Jane on scene with more coverage.
  
  --
  Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
"How many Slashdot readers play poker"?? by Roland+Piquepaille · 2004-05-26 08:56 · Score: 5, Funny

How many Slashdot readers play poker

All those who aren't posting anymore, because they're too skint to pay the ISP bill now...
Data from Startrek TNG played poker by decarelbitter · 2004-05-26 08:57 · Score: 4, Funny

The android Data, one of the most popular characters in TNG amongst geeks, is a fanatic poker player. Coincidence? I don't think so.
1. Re:Data from Startrek TNG played poker by RobertB-DC · 2004-05-26 09:22 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Coincidence? I don't think so.
  
  My favorite poker-related episode was the one (one of the ones) in which the Enterprise gets caught in a temporal loop. Data, more than the others, experiences deja vu, to the extent that they realize (after several dozen iterations) that they're about to have a destructive, time-ripping encounter with a ship from the past piloted by a late 20th century sitcom star.
  
  They eventually find a way for Data (big D) to transmit a small amount of data (little D) to his past self. The data Data sends to Data is the number "3" (IIRC), which shows up in every poker hand Data deals. He realizes that the odd coincidence corresponds to the last thing his previous self saw before being destroyed -- Riker's command pips. He follows Rikers instructions (which had been countermanded by Picard) and the crews of both ships finally emerge from (yet another) temporal distortion.
  
  All off the top of my head. I am such a geek.
  
  --
  Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
A lot of /.ers play poker by millahtime · 2004-05-26 08:59 · Score: 5, Funny

I'm sure there are a lot of /.ers who play poker. They all downloaded that free strip poker and played for hours to win.

Or, was that just me

--
Evolution or ID?
Re:Personally... by FatRatBastard · 2004-05-26 09:02 · Score: 5, Funny

I play the change machine personally. Play a dollar, hit four quarters every time.
Re:Personally... by cataBob · 2004-05-26 09:26 · Score: 5, Funny

If you want to leave Vegas with a small fortune, start with a large fortune.
Re:Personally... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-26 09:29 · Score: 4, Funny

and the Casino is willing to loose 3% on you

It's lose you idiot! LOSE

Every day i see some idiot saying loose instead of lose, and i'm sick of it! Your mom is LOOSE. You LOSE your money in Vegas. Get it?!
Re:Personally... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-26 09:37 · Score: 5, Funny

Your right. But your point is mute.
Re:Poker advise by skifreak87 · 2004-05-26 09:46 · Score: 4, Funny

From Dutch Boyd (an internet entrepreneur, IIRC) at last year's WSOP: "Poker is a lot like sex. Everybody thinks they're the best. But for the most part, most of them dont know what the hell they're doing"
geeks play strip uno all the time! by V_drive · 2004-05-26 10:57 · Score: 5, Funny

most geeks play strip uno all the time. it's strip duo that's a little more rare for them.

--
char *mySig;