The Evolution of a Game Illustrated by One Man's Story - Six Years Later

Let's dispose of all the platitudes about poker's explosion, expansion, eruption, and escalation. You really know the game has achieved mainstream acceptance when it's featured on three major television networks and is watched by millions of viewers. Poker is not only more popular than ever before, it has finally reached a level of respect that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago.

There are millions of poker players and just as many anecdotal stories that illustrate poker's advancement. The game is now played at church socials and family picnics, and on college campuses. Poker is played backstage at The Metropolitan Opera and by the biggest stars in Hollywood. United States senators and Supreme Court justices reportedly have their own private poker games.

Despite all the extra supporting evidence, perhaps no single story illustrates poker's evolution more compellingly than that of a 44-year-old Midwesterner by the name of Kevin Knourek. You've probably never heard of Knourek – unless you have an exceptional memory for old Card Player columns. You see, Knourek was featured in a Card Player column I wrote about six years ago.

That column – called "The Business Trip" – came out in October of 1998. It presented Knourek as an average working man with a family, who enjoyed playing poker in his spare time. What made the profile extraordinary was Knourek's curious predicament in having to defend his poker playing in the face of suspicion, misunderstanding, and even some hostility from his friends and co-workers. When he traveled out of town on business, at the end of the workday, Knourek sometimes visited the local casinos and played poker. Here's a passage from that previous column. Note that Knourek was never mentioned by name in the column. The sad fact was, Knourek was (rightfully) concerned about being publicly identified as a regular poker player:

While traveling on business, the man is often invited to go out for a night on the town with his colleagues. Sometimes, it's just for dinner and drinks, but more often, it's for something else – something more. The destination usually is a gentlemen's club.

The man stated, when asked, that he politely declines the invitation. It's not that he's against such things. Instead, he prefers to visit a local casino or cardroom. He relaxes for a few hours by unwinding at the poker table. He said that poker takes his mind away from daily pressures. He even plays well enough sometimes to make a few dollars. The important thing is – he enjoys the game. Instead of leering at naked women in a dark nightclub, he gets enjoyment from socializing at the poker table.

So, what's the problem?

The man made a staggering disclosure that epitomizes the moral impasse in many communities and social circles, one that illustrates one of the most ridiculous double standards of American society. The man said that a few of his colleagues are concerned that he's (brace yourselves) a "compulsive gambler."

"Every time we go out of town, you want to play poker," one colleague remarked. "Are you sure you don't have a gambling problem?"

Somehow, reports of the man's activities reached his superiors in the company. He explained that he's now in an awkward position. He's forced to defend his actions, causing some measure of embarrassment, and even shame.

Isn't that odd? A man goes out of town and indulges in his hobby on his own free time by his own free will. He acts responsibly. He doesn't let it affect his job performance. His wife and family approve of his activities. He's not out getting drunk, carousing, or whistling at naked women parading across a stage. He's at a poker table – a place that is safe and secure. Yet, his behavior is perceived as being odd? He's the one who is a social outcast?

As I said, that was written six years ago – before casinos started packing in poker tables, before the explosion of poker on the Internet, and before poker became a feature attraction on television. How times have changed! How far we've come in such a short time!

A few months ago, I ran into Knourek again, this time inside a Las Vegas poker room. I felt the urge to ask him how things were going at work, since his struggles to balance his career with playing poker on the side were known to me because of the column. I wondered, had things changed? His answers were so startling that I was compelled to write a follow-up column – and here it is.

Knourek explained that everything is now completely different. The same detractors who once criticized him for spending his spare time inside cardrooms now approach him as a poker authority and ask questions about the game. Some of the critics have even become players themselves.

"What I do as recreation is no longer viewed as something that's degenerate or controversial," Knourek said. "Poker has become so popular that co-workers, family associates, and even some of the parents whose kids I coach in baseball are all very interested in learning more about poker and how the game is played."

This change in attitude is remarkable, since most of Knourek's circle of friends and co-workers have remained the same over the years. Knourek suggested that television exposure was the biggest reason poker has become so widely accepted and has successfully upgraded its image. He believes that the glamour and good sportsmanship displayed in tournaments such as the World Series of Poker on ESPN and the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel have revolutionized the way people perceive the game of poker.

This benefits everyone. Greater mainstream acceptance has made everyday life much easier for poker players, including Knourek. In particular, it has made communicating and dealing with non-poker players more straightforward.

"It's difficult to answer simple questions about poker, especially about the gambling aspect, when they come from people who understand very little about the game. It just takes longer to explain things to them. But now, most of my family and co-workers have seen poker on television and understand more about how the game is played and what it means when I tell them something that only a poker player would normally understand."

Was there ever a moment when Knourek finally realized that poker was no longer a personal liability, but an advantage? Yes. He experienced something of a "poker epiphany" one day, when a business meeting was scheduled and he was introduced as a poker player. Knourek explained:

I attended a business meeting with several people and met a customer whom I had never seen before. When I was introduced, the customer said happily, "Oh, he's the poker-playing guy." My business associates had explained to the customer prior to my arrival that I play poker. The connotation was that poker was a positive thing, not a negative thing, because this project required a great deal of analytical thought. Previously, I'm not so sure that my poker playing would have been thought of as positive."

The big question is, have we finally reached the point where there is no stigma attached to the game? Knourek seems to think so.

"At my church, I recently got involved in a discussion with my pastor about poker," Knourek said. "I explained to him that, at least in part, the game is one of the defining characteristics of who I am. My pastor seemed to accept that part of my life, whereas I don't think he would have had the same reaction years ago."

Today, Kevin Knourek (aka "Kevin Un" – for his "UNpronounceable" last name) lives in Mokena, Illinois, just outside Chicago. He is married and has two children. He is a poker player – and proud of it.