2+2'er from NJ who was proud of a little press he received.A less than spectacular story...but I thought I'd toss it up here anyway: Local excels in poker By Doug McNamara, Staff Writer Toward the end of his third consecutive day of play at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, having already played more than 40 hours of the popular no-limit Texas Hold'em, Elizabeth native Dan Burns was finally eliminated from the tournament this past July. With his 209th-place finish 5,618 players started the tournament the 24-year-old Burns walked away with a little more than $33,000. Even better, unlike most players at the WSOP, who pay $10,000 for a chance to play, Burns went free, having won his seat through an online tournament at pokerstars.com. Burns got his start playing poker a little more than three years ago, as a college senior, when his dad, Frank, taught him the game. "He's self-made," said Frank, who jokingly added, "He can definitely beat me with a straight flush," the highest hand in the game. Burns explained he's been drawn to three different aspects of poker. First, it gives him a chance to socialize with other players. Outside of his weekly game with friends, the game has "let me go many different places," most notably Las Vegas and on a cruise, both firsts for him. Second, poker is the "perfect balance of luck and skill." He readily admitted, "The reason I did well this year ... was by getting a certain card at the right time." Even if a hand is played perfectly, there's always a chance of losing, he explained. However, over the long run, successful players learn to "trust the numbers ... and keep an even keel on their emotions." Finally, the game offers a chance to make some money. Burns certainly has. Shortly after learning to play, he deposited $50 at an online poker site. In the ensuing three years, that initial investment has yielded more than $55,000 and counting. Though he plays online five days a week, Burns prefers competing against opponents in-person. He finds the psychological side of the game reading people and keeping track of their betting patterns is more fun than the mathematical side of crunching numbers and calculating probabilities. Playing poker "is a lot like pitching" in baseball. The best players excel at "mixing it up, not being wild" in their strategy, which keeps their opponents constantly guessing. A reporter by trade, he's considered becoming a professional poker player. For now, though, he's happy supplementing his income with his winnings. "I don't want my life to revolve around chance that much." Burns' interest in the game mirrors a larger trend nationwide. During the past few years, poker's popularity has skyrocketed. Perhaps one reason why this is so is that poker has found new ways to reach people that Online sites, such as pokerstars.net, as well as TV shows such as Celebrity Poker on Bravo, have been key in introducing the game to a much larger audience. Indeed, the past two winners at the WSOP were online players who qualified as Burns did.

Source: Poker and other Random thoughts