There are times when soldiers have nothing to do but wait. While they can’t often carry computers, laptops or other electronics with them, someone is usually able to carry a deck or two of cards. These hours of free time are precious, and those who serve wish to enjoy those free moments. This usually leads to a friendly game of cards. The army is not separate from society though, they usually follow the trends. As poker increased in popularity throughout the country, so did the popularity within the army. There are a few notable differences though.
Gambling for money on FullTilt.com is discouraged within the army. It leads to people owing debts that they are not able to pay, and when your life depends on the person next to you, they don’t want any hard feelings between soldiers. Usually soldiers play for points instead, and in some camps there are leadership boards that those who play try to rise to the top of. There are free sites out there, such as FullTilt.net that let you play without risking any money. This is a much safer way to have soldiers play poker then gamble cash. The army wants its soldiers to have a break from the rigors of battle, so they try to do their very best to make sure that when playing poker in the army it is fun. There are even occasions when the troops will be able to partake in a poker tournament.
There are tournaments as well, held back on home turf. The soldiers are able to play with the general public. All proceeds raised go towards the soldiers own charity group that usually helps those who have been injured. The greatness of this kind of poker is doubled. People are able to donate to a charity and see the people it helps face to face. It also increases the moral of the troops to be able just to sit and play poker like everyone else in the world could for a few hours.
Poker has quite the history in the military. It has managed to be played in just about every combat theater in the last 100 years. It was played all of Europe during the World War I and II, in the backs of trucks, little canteens and cafes as well as countless barracks and fox holes. It was played by sailors on the ships in the pacific as well as by those down in the deep in the submarines. Poker went to Korea also during that conflict and then again it made the trip with the soldiers over to Vietnam. Poker has also found its way through Desert Storm and is currently enjoying its stay with the men and women serving in the Middle East. Poker has seen a lot of history around the world and played a huge part in the lives of the men and women making that history. It’s actually quite amazing to think that a deck of playing cards and a game could come to mean so much, to so many for so long. For centuries men have been saying war is hell, you cannot bring your girlfriend, you cannot bring your dog but you can take your playing cards.