A Political Poker Star?

Well maybe not a star but Senator Barack Obama is no first timer to the poker room. As the Associated Press reports, starting in 1997 Obama and other senator and associates began playing in poker nights they often referred to as ‘Committee Meetings’. Although it is illegal to play poker for money outside a deemed casino in the United States, low stake poker games like the ones Obama and friends organized are often overlooked and viewed as harmless fun. And in fact it was fun, on a typical night players joked and bantered about legislative leaders and never lost or own more than about $100. A self proclaimed ‘pretty good’ player, Obama became known to fellow competitors as a cautious player with a good poker face.

Low stakes poker nights are a small change now for Barack who is now in the most difficult competition of his life, the presidential race. But his poker tactics are very similar to his analytical approach to his campaign. Like Larry Walsh, a former Senator, said, “When Barack stayed in, you pretty much figured he's got a good hand”. Hopefully this proves true in his race to the White House. His poker buddies are looking forward to maybe one day having a ‘committee meeting’ in perhaps the oval office.