Marlene Glenn, LMFT

The Game

I never liked games and I am surprised when they show up in the least expected places like my therapy room. I spent over two years administering treatment that was mostly ineffective to a client only to realize he is a member of a subculture that supports an unique lifestyle. He has spent the past 22 years avoiding all the fundamentals of society such as filing tax returns, being gainfully employed for a wage, maintaining his own housing, and even owning a vehicle. So where does he come from and what has he done in order to sustain an existence? He is a professional poker player who wins some and loses some. His goal in therapy is to obtain a paper trail for treatment to compliment his application for disability so he could have a monthly allowance to play poker. What was it like weekly in the therapy room? He challenged my every move as though we were playing a mental card game. I was unfamiliar with poker but I realized quickly that I was dealing with a different IQ, an overly amicable personality, and he even claimed he was very skilled at psychology as he made every effort to overwhelm and garner my support. He referred to himself as having a Big Personality and riveted the attention he got in the poker games. I got busy researching the game to better understand his preoccupation and the influences of this subculture on his diagnosis.

Poker games do not produce much profit for casinos so there usually are not many of them going on. What has become the rage is private/home poker games where promoters rent short term Airbnb houses in nice neighborhoods to sponsor in-person private tournament games. Many promoters rent out several houses to set up and organize new games to attract more players. Rented foldable tables, chairs from Party Supply businesses and catered foods are for the comfort of the players engaging in the game in the poker rooms. Also many games provide drugs, alcohol, and prostitutes for entertainment. The games are usually promoted within a 24 hour window of the game by effective marketing channels such as the promoter’s websites, blogs as well as email or WhatsAp platforms to direct quality traffic to the events. These digital platforms coordinate home games for the in-person tournaments. Heavily relied upon are friend networks used by promoters and regular players. “Vouching” is employed by existing players for recruiting new people joining the game as a means of insuring security for the poker room and guaranteeing the newcomers have the funds to pay their losses. The poker subculture has its own very extensive vernacular or jargon for conveying concepts and behaviors that make up the standards and deviations at the poker room. For instance, “fish” are weak, unskilled players who lose their money regularly. Whereas”face cards” are celebrities, profession athletes, and high profile individuals who work in unison with promoters of the rigged games to entice wealthy amateurs (fish) into the games. Regular players often get a cut of the profits for being the Big Personalties that extend humor, warmth, and attention ( which is really a distraction ) to the newcomers (fish) to make them feel welcome and to befriend them as they lose their money.

Another common and popular version is mobile gaming. This is when a promoter books several rooms on a cruise ship especially to invite players to underground tournament games lasting several days at sea. My client would often become unreachable because he would be in a game lasting two or more days on the Pacific Ocean. Players are often offered loans by the promoters before they can run out of funds so they can stay in the game. Now not only have they lost their money but they are also in debt to the promoter.

Online poker is played over the internet and is responsible for the huge increase in poker playing world wide. These games attract less wealthy clientele who can now participate and often are beginning players. In some states and countries online poker has been outlawed even to the level of being a felony if caught playing. On a closing note, I do not approve of gambling and am aware from personal experience of the detriment and heartache this selfish activity can bring to the involved individual and those who care about them. I have learned as a mental health provider that some personalities and disorders are down more to the stimuli of poker playing. Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and narcissistic personalities often parade the poker rooms and the consequences can be devastating. The whole subculture of poker is not promoting the well being of society nor the progression into the wealth and advancement of spiritual wholeness from hard earned accomplishments.

Marlene Glenn, LMFT - I have had the privilege to work hard for the past 10 years at becoming an effective therapist after my graduation from CSUN. I have been inundated with the onslaught of clients suffering from Anxiety and Depression and find it a surprising challenge when a diagnosis that is outside of the norm appears in my therapy room. I am fortunate to work for three agencies all of which treat me with the upmost of respect and for which I return the same. I am a firm believer in the restoration of a strong American society as we enter into the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation. I will take a stand for what benefits the most people and contributes to the welfare of nation. Changes are occurring almost daily and we need to keep a keen eye on developments. It has been a great advantage to be a member of SFV-CAMFT and I owe so much to the wonderful therapists who came before me to build this fabulous organization. May my article find all of you in good health and happiness.