Many seasoned pros play the live game to grind out their monthly/yearly nut to live off of. While I am as close to a seasoned pro as Lindsay Lohan is to sobriety according to the many supermarket gossip rags, I play the live poker game for a different reason.

To meet people, and have a good time while taking down a few pots playing low stakes poker.

Sure, I am watching the cards I play, making slight reads, using position, and noting pot odds quickly in my head, but my main objective to get some entertainment value out of my overbuy of chips. Online a buy-in for a $2/$4 of $300 wouldn't be blinked at, but sitting down with this amount live has the causal player taking swipes at why I need so many chips.

My reply "I get bored". Which is true, to an extent as the live game move much slower then those use to playing 2-6+ tables online and there's a lull in the conversation. But, this trip to Grand Casino Hinckley brought a little profit and fun. Their new-ish poker room sports 12 tables and had half of those running limit hold em' (no limit is against MN state gambling law) with quick drink service and surprisingly personable dealers for a Sunday night on a holiday weekend.

I even managed to win a little swag as the poker room manager splashed a pot with a embroidered ski hat with the room's Royal Oaks emblem on it. Who ever said Jack-Six offsuit with seven players isn't profitable probably makes more money playing poker then I do, but that won't keep their ears warm.