Jon Shaffer moves quietly through his apartment, turning off the lights as he prepares to go to work. The slapping sound of his flip flops against the linoleum in the kitchen echoes down the hall as he makes his way to the living room.

Gradually, he comes out of the darkness wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, a Metallica T-shirt and a black robe. Cradled in his left arm is an orange mixing bowl filled with Fruit Loops.

Recklessly, he flings himself into an olive green recliner and places the cereal on wooden television service tray by the chair. Shaffer sits alone in the dark and sparsely furnished room and lifts a glowing MacBook from the floor. Before lifting the screen, he takes two deep breaths and crosses himself.

“I usually play from midnight to about 4 a.m.” Shaffer said and grins like a boy caught sneaking a cookie before dinner. “I know it’s unconventional, but I make pretty good money playing poker.”

A second year senior at Washington State University, Shaffer has been using online poker as his main source of income since he was a sophomore. He said he treats his playing as a part-time job where he is the boss. On average, he works between 15 and 20 hours a week. His job allows him to take both sick leave and vacation days — he averages an income of $1,500 a month.

“I have good nights and bad ones, that’s why I live with my friends in Moscow,“ Shaffer said. “There have been times I couldn’t make the rent, so they spot me, and I pay them back later.”

Mark Collins, a University of Idaho graduate, said he enjoys having Shaffer as a roommate, and although his income isn’t always reliable, “he more than makes up for it.”

“He always pays (me and my roommate) back when he’s short, and when he has a good night, he’ll sometimes just cover the electric bill or the cable,” Collins said.

Shaffer said he tries to do whatever he can to avoid the stigma of online poker players, which includes unreliability and isolation.

Born and raised in Meridian, Wash., Shaffer’s father taught him how to play when he was 12 years old. He loved the game and taught his friends in middle school. Within a few months he found himself regularly relieved of his lunch money — everyone had surpassed him as a player.

“I have no poker face … sometimes it’s like I’m giving money away,” he said.

While Shaffer plays in the dark, he grins broadly at the small screen at some moments and gnaws his bottom lip at others. He flinches, taps his foot and clears his throat. It seems at times that Shaffer displays every possible tell while playing cards.

By the time he was 16, Shaffer had retired from playing cards. When his father, asks for a game, Shaffer usually said he would express a lack of interest or feign boredom.

“I’m not sure if he even knows I like poker to this day,” he said. “It’s not like it matters I guess — we bond over football now.”

When he began his freshman year at WSU, Shaffer delivered pizzas as a way to make money. He said the only skill he had for an résume was the ability to drive a car and “had to settle for whatever he could get.

“I hated that job,” Shaffer said. “Do you know how many douche bags you meet delivering pizzas? People would forget that I just drive the car, it was god-awful … I’m not customer service.”

One night while aimlessly surfing the Internet, he stumbled across an online gaming Web site. It was “love at first hand.” Although he said he was terrible the first few times he played, he gradually became better as he adjusted to the format. On his best night, he won $750, at his worst he lost $200.

“I never bet over my limit or play after 4:30 a.m.,” Shaffer said. “I’ve heard of a lot of people developing a problem because they lost the ability to set up boundaries, I never want to get to the point where I lose control.”

Collins said he sometimes worries about Shaffer’s lifestyle. Although he said he doesn’t believe Shaffer has a problem, the bizarre way in which he makes money makes him question his friend’s future.

“He’s a nice guy but it’s not exactly legal, it’s not like he can put it on an resume,” Collins said.

In Idaho, online gaming isn’t addressed in state law, but unauthorized gaming is nevertheless prohibited. Therefore, Shaffer’s gambling is a misdemeanor. Even though gaming laws in Idaho are far from strictly enforced, he said he still worries about getting into trouble with the law.

“But the way I look at it, I’m graduating in May and then I won’t have to do it anymore,” he said. “I’ll just get a real job.”

For now, he said he sees himself as a young man capable of taking risks that will be unacceptable once he’s “a real adult.”

Written by Lianna Shepherd – Argonaut

Get really little ones used to cards by starting a riotous game of snap. Try and avoid crushing their tiny digits in the mayhem.

Start your budding card sharks (aged five and upwards) off with some classic family games such as old maid and pig to familiarise them with card etiquette – sorting by number or suit and holding a number of cards. Keep the suspense up by giving a running commentary, asking players what they are thinking and hoping.

Improve pocket poker players’ concentration by playing memory, where they will learn to make pairs and remember positioning.

All ages enjoy madcap games such as spoons or cheat, but balance these with strategic games like hearts, sevens and whist as they get older. Introduce “betting-lite” on special occasions in games such as newmarket or pontoon.

Grandparents will adore passing on the intricacies of older games such as cribbage to inquiring young minds. The complex scoring will help their mental arithmetic, too.

Use playing cards that are interesting or informative. Who knows, they might learn the names of all the kings and queens of England as they struggle to outwit their siblings.

Encourage children to make up their own house rules so they can be imaginative and hone games they love to play. This will help nurture their interest.

Janet Cross-The Guardian

But the portrait of the online gamer as a young incipient sociopath is inaccurate, game industry experts say. Although fans of violent first-person shooter games like Doom and Quake helped establish the culture of online gaming, there now is an entirely new ruling class. These days, Internet gamers are not some clan of elusive teenage demons. More likely, they are Mom and Dad.

Across the Net, card sites like Pogo and Yahoo are scoring big with casual adult gamers. Card and board games, most of which can be played free, have become a sensation among middle-aged adults and retirees.

According to Media Metrix, a company that measures Internet and digital media use, nearly 50 percent of Web site gamers are over 30 and prefer killing time with classics like hearts, bridge, checkers, backgammon and bingo. Nearly half of all online gamers are women, the company says.

Bruce Ryon, senior vice president and general manager of the new-media group at Media Metrix, said that much of the appeal of these games was their simplicity. ”People want games that don’t require a great learning curve,” he said. ”People don’t want to think that much. They just want to have some fun.”

With these kinds of games, fun does not require the latest technology. Online board or card games, cobbled together as quick and easy Java programs, do not require complicated installations, computers equipped with the latest multimedia technology or even the hijacking of a company’s lightning-fast T-1 Internet connection. Within minutes of visiting a site like Pogo.com or Yahoo, gamers can be tossing the dice, going head-to-head in a game of backgammon.

For the sites offering these games, low-end programs mean low start-up costs. A typical high-end PC game, like those that can be played online, costs about $4 million to produce, according to an estimate by the Interactive Digital Software Association. By contrast, a tiny Java-based parlor game like hearts or spades can be made for less than $100,000.

The social atmosphere often seems to be the biggest draw. Casual games not only offer free and fast competition but also inspire small talk. Instead of going to the water cooler, people can shoot the breeze online while they shoot the dice.

”These games combine all the great elements of the Web: community and entertainment,” said Michael Latham, senior director of production for Yahoo’s entertainment and media group. ”We see this community as something that’s as important as having e-mail or a calendar.”

The Poker Hall of Fame is a group of poker players who have played poker well against top competition for high stakes over a long period of time. Originally established by the Horseshoe Casino, membership is now awarded by Harrah’s World Series of Poker. Over the last 10 years, most recent entrants are:

• Roger Moore, 1997
• Stu Ungar, 2001
• Lyle Berman, 2002
• Johnny Chan, 2002
• Bobby Baldwin, 2003
• Berry Johnston, 2004
• Jack Binion, 2005
• Crandell Addington, 2005
• T. J. Cloutier, 2006
• Billy Baxter, 2006
• Barbara Enright, 2007
• Phil Hellmuth, 2007
• Dewey Tomko, 2008
• Henry Orenstein, 2008

Watch the legendary Doyle Brunson host his original talk show with Poker Hall of Fame inductees Jack Binion and Crandell Addington who tell their incredible stories about high stakes poker Poker Hall of Fame Inductees

One of these days, Jack Kirscher says, he might join them. But not today.

In a darkened room next to the lounge, the 65-year-old retiree hunches forward into a computer screen, his right hand moving the mouse with quick, tight motions. He’s playing cards, too – but the other people at his table on Yahoo.com are from Ohio, New York and Ukraine.

Kirscher’s online handle: “Real Dirty Player.”

Watch out, kids – your elders are logging on and playing to win.

No, you probably won’t see them lopping the heads off goblins in “Battle for Middle-Earth” or finding lost continents in “Dragon Quest VII.” Checkers and canasta are more their speed.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, Internet users 60 and older are playing online games as much as those in their 40s and 50s, and almost as much as the thirtysomethings.

Not only are these older gamers having fun, but also they’re giving their brains a workout that can help hold off dementia.

“It keeps me sharp. It’s a learning experience,” said John Zeck, 72, of Minneapolis, a retired drug wholesaler who plays every day on Games4TV, a service that connects him to online games through his television.

Research has shown that older adults who stimulate their brains by reading or doing crossword puzzles are less likely to become senile, said Dr. Anne Murray, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School who studies aging.

And although there has been little research into online gaming, Murray called it “a great idea” for seniors. In Japan, she said, a new Nintendo game called “Brain Age” has been a big hit, selling more than 3 million copies.

A Nintendo spokesman said the success of the game, which contains word and number puzzles meant to stimulate the brain, has been largely fueled by older adults – many of whom had never played video games before.

When he retired five years ago, Kirscher finally found time to do what he wanted: play spades. None of his friends are card players, he said, and his wife won’t play with him “because I’m too cutthroat. So I got on the Internet and got involved.”

Kirscher breaks spades and makes tricks a couple of times a week at Yahoo.com. His Yahoo log is evidence of his competitive nature: With a cumulative record of 408-255, he’s won about 62 percent of the time. But he also enjoys the virtual banter.

“You’re playing with people all over the world,” Kirscher said. “It’s quite a bit of fun. People can watch (online), and everybody can talk to each other, the players as well as the watchers.

“I’ve played with people from Egypt, Russia, Afghanistan – a lot from England and France. There are some players I can’t even figure out what country they’re from because they don’t speak English at all.”

While younger gamers tend to gravitate toward multiplayer action and fantasy games, older players are more interested in cards, puzzles and familiar games such as backgammon, checkers and chess, said Laura Buddine, founder of Iacta, a Los Angeles-based company that has about 3,000 subscribers to its Games4TV service.

Games4TV decided to focus on older players because “we knew there was not a lot out there for them,” Buddine said. “We have no fighting games, no dark themes or violence.” Buddine said she has ”lots and lots“ of members in their 70s and 80s, with the oldest being 93.

Although seniors who use the Internet are playing games as much as younger age groups, there are still far fewer seniors online overall. More than 80 percent of Americans between the ages of 12 and 60 go online regularly, according to the Pew Internet Project. That drops off to 54 percent for those in their 60s and 21 percent for those over 70.

Online games can provide a starting point for older people who are intimidated by computers, said Tobey Dichter, chief executive officer of Generations Online, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that helps set up computer training programs at senior centers nationwide.

“We call them ‘the paper generation,’” Dichter said. “This is a generation that doesn’t use ATMs, that doesn’t use VCRs. They can find the computer experience intimidating and humiliating.

“Games are a wonderful way for people to begin to learn basic computer techniques.”

For Kirscher, the competition brings back memories of his childhood on a North Dakota farm, where everyone played cards because there was nothing else. His grandma delighted in taking his money at pinochle.
“For an old person, the computer is a great device,” he said. “You can spend a whole day socializing, playing cards – just get lost in space.”

By John Reinan
Minneapolis Star Tribune

One area of the card game industry that’s exploded in the last 15 years is the collectible card game (CCG) market. Comprised of brightly colored cards usually with gorgeous illustrations or photos and a semi-random distribution mechanism like old Baseball card packs, players build entire decks of cards to battle with other like-minded players in casual play and at tournaments for cash prizes.

While the concept of a CCG dates as far back as the turn of the 20th century, the modern CCG really came to prominence with the advent of Magic: The Gathering. Magic: The Gathering originally was designed as a short, quick card game for gamers at traditional tabletop conventions to play in between matches or tournaments. Richard Garfield and his team at Wizards of the Coast developed the core system concepts that are used in most commercial CCG’s today and marketed Magic to the gamer crowd with great success.

Other digital card games have come and gone in the last few years. Konami published an electronic version of the Marvel Super Heroes cardgame for a number of platforms. Sony Online Entertainment is currently hosting a digital conversion of the Stargate Online Trading Card Game as well as Legends of Norrath, the Everquest centered online card game which grants players of the MMO’s a chance to gain exclusive items by playing cards.

Those looking to go the other route will likely find a few interesting video game to card game translations. In fact, one of the largest video game properties in the world – World of Warcraft – has its own collectible card game produced by Upperdeck.

WoW has been out a very short time and has three expansions already. Players build decks around a central character and then combat other players for loot and quest tokens. Warcraft the card game also features something new to the CCG realm, a special deck of cards built around a classic Raid Dungeon from the video game. These “raid” sets feature the core boss of the raid and special cards that are earned by completing the deck. Also players who buy cards can earn points toward interesting (but mostly useless) in-game items like pets for the MMO.

Card games and video games have a tight relationship. Whether it is taking the mechanics of a popular game and translating them to an electronic, mobile and globally multiplayer format or taking the beloved settings of games like Warcraft and converting them to a new offline game its easy to find a game to your likings

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Recently, there has been encouraging research reported by Harvard Medical School that suggests that the brain continues to develop new cells and makes new connections between them. This capacity for rejuvenation introduces the potential for future medical treatment to reverse memory loss. In the meantime there are many options to help brain function and improve memory as we age. Remember the adage: “use it or lose it” … this certainly applies to memory.

Often we learn best when we aren’t aware that we are learning! An example of this is when we are having fun or playing games. Many games can help you improve both your short term and long term memory.

Crossword puzzles can be both challenging and fun. They often force us to delve into our long term memory to recall a word. They keep the brain active and stimulate thought processes and recall ability.

Most card games require a strong level of recall ability. Generally the ability to remember what cards have been played can be necessary in many games. And the more you play the better you get.

Card Games on net were once few and far between, but since the increase in many user friendly and easy to play card games on the Internet, playing cards online has become a popular recreation and past time. Many people play card games online to get refreshed and take a break. Many people just want to chill out at the end of a day, and a game of cards is certainly the way to take your mind off day to day matters and unwind.

According to a leading company’s survey on online gamers, women around or above age 40 are the informal gaming hardcore, playing games at an average of nearly nine hours a week. As far as men of all age group are concerned, they spend nearly six hours gaming while women of all ages average to around seven hours per week. This show increasing urges to play online games in all age groups and both genders.

The report also unveils an interesting point, 54 percent of adults said that they play games to wipe-off stress and the 20 percent of teens who play for just relaxation.

With free online card games one can experience the excitement of playing, without the fear of losing any single cent. Many sites on the Internet also let you to post messages in forum and even facilitate to chat with friends while you play.

All in all, it can be pretty relaxing experience and certainly it is becoming very popular past time.

Although not all card games sites requires you to sign up in order to play, some websites do require a simple sign-up. The information that you input into the online card games website will become your member’s profile. Other members will be able to view your profile. Your likes, dislikes, favorite games, favorite movies, location (not address, please. Never enter your complete address online, anywhere), and personal characteristics will help you find friends through online games.

Engaged in a competitive card game, you are in a better position to gauge the kind of person that your opponent is, for instance, is he/she an aggressive person? Is he/she a strategically-minded person who is capable of planning everything from scratch? What is his/her favorite character and how does he/she use that online game character to his/her benefit?

The reason why finding friends through online games is easy is because there are forums and chat rooms that card game fans can use to connect, share tips, communicate, make alliance, and chat with online. They share a common interest, a common goal…and the card games that they like become the foundation for their friendship. Not only do they battle it out playing card games but they essentially turn into friends after chatting and communicating with each other.

It’s also safer finding friends through online games. Because the common interest is card games, basically, and although we should still be careful about revealing too much of ourselves online, we generally feel safer when we make friends through online games.

You not only make new friends through online games, you can also connect with and play online games with your friends Even if your friends have gone to college or are working elsewhere in the world, you can still log on at the same time and enjoy a couple of hours catching up ahd having fun playing card games.