Just because I made it doesn’t mean I don’t have an obligation to fight for those who will hopefully follow me. The game must be given the chance to flourish in as many new markets as possible. That’s one of the reasons I’m such an uncompromising political activist for all forms of legalized poker. One presumes the same thing still happens wherever and whenever poker continues to expand. The fact is, when poker began spreading across the country two decades ago, that gave lots of people like me new opportunities. So, it’s fair to say poker’s legalization in Atlantic City changed many lives, including mine. Many of my friend’s lives changed as well, as they became professional poker players, or eventually found jobs working within the industry.

One could say that poker’s move into New Jersey eventually triggered what for me ended up being a career change. Poker’s expansion gave me the opportunity to write for Card Player magazine (my first poker writing gig) in 1993. So, I experienced poker’s formative period firsthand when it was first introduced in Atlantic City casinos, then later at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun (in Connecticut). I lived in Washington, DC for two periods, in the mid-80s, and also the years 1992 yo 2001. In fact, contrary to widespread reporting that the poker boom has faded, the live version of the game has actually never been as popular with as many people as right now in the Northeast. Meanwhile, other states are considering the prospect. Online poker is now even legal in two states - New Jersey and Delaware. On many nights and most weekends, waiting lists are common. Most new casinos have constructed huge poker rooms which are often packed to full capacity. Poker will also expand significantly throughout New York State, as seven new casinos have been approved. Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia will have poker within a year (at nearby MGM National Harbor, actually in Maryland). Poker will be coming soon to Massachusetts. Today, casinos spread poker games just about everywhere - including Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. It wasn’t so long ago that every Hold’em player on the East Coast knew each other.ĭifficult as it may be to imagine now, 25 years ago there wasn’t a casino in the American Northeast that had poker games, nor were there any legal full-time poker rooms. Poker’s legalization in Atlantic City changed many lives, including mine. The Early Years of the Atlantic City Poker Scene

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