Michael Hoover Joy Palmer English 102-023 September 18, 2008 Ethnography Sketch The most common form of professional poker played today is Texas Hold-‘em. Granted some dealers will switch up the game on a whim, from Hold-‘em to Omaha to Stud etc., all different kinds of poker. Poker is televised daily in America today, so I won’t bore you with the details to an extreme. The main focus of this research was done on the players themselves not on the intricacies of the games. What was observed be me during play was only during “tournament” play, which means only one set kind of game through-out. What I participated in and observed mainly was Hold-‘em. Cash games are the more common of the two, with players usually buying in for $50 or more. There are no stipulations on re-buys, but it usually doesn’t happen after the first hour of play. After the first few hands the “blinds” are raised, so it becomes increasingly difficult to afford to buy back in the game with out a lot of cash. The “blind” is the amount that two players have to put in before the cards are dealt and before betting begins. Those blinds rotate clockwise around the table so everyone has to take a turn putting in the blind. At any time during a cash game you are allowed to “cash-out”, meaning take your currentwinnings and leave the table. Tournament play is frequent at the houses because it draws in more players with experience levels ranging from novice to expert. These games are often followed by cash games of varying buy-in levels. There is a complete variety of players at a tournament from students to business owners, white collar to blue collar, and from 18 years old to upwards of 55 years. The main thing players told me about the tournaments was whether they liked or disliked the re-buy option at the house. At one house in town they give the option for the first half of the game to re-buy as many times as one would like. At another house, depending on the tournament, they either limit it or...