I typed so damn much, I might as well get two threads out of this-
I was just thinking about the fact that I've been gambling as long as I've had disposable income. When I was 11 or 12 I started mowing lawns and making like $40-$60 per week for the grass growing months. I blew some of it playing NBA Jam with Micon at the local laser tag arena. That shit was $2 per game per person, but the winning team stayed for free, so it was kind of like gambling. When the clock was ticking down, you were thinking about not wanting to pay that two bucks and how it could buy you multiple honey buns at lunch.
Throughout middle school, usually in the summers, we would play this game called In Between (it has a lot of names) where you deal two cards into two piles, and then bet on if the next card will be between the two dealt. If the third card matches either of the first two, you have to pay double what you bet. So it lends itself to crushing (and hilarious) beats. A good win at In Between could drag you $10-$20 bucks.
I was definitely playing poker by 9th grade, but it might have been earlier than that. We played a lot of 5 card draw, like everyone does. We also played quite a bit of 7 card stud with wild cards and goofy rules like high spade in the hole shit.
When I turned 21 I was already a professional programmer. So I had more disposable money than most 21 year olds, and I made sure to dispose of all of it. Micon was day trading stocks, and going to the casino with a real Indiana license that he had gotten with someone else's birth certificate. The Saturday after my 21st birthday, we took 3 cars down to Louisville to Caesars Indiana. 5 of us sit down at my first blackjack table and the dealer looks at Micon and says "Glad to have you back with us a second night in a row, Mr. Daymeyer." We were trying so hard to not burst out laughing. So I dump about $300 at Blackjack, but have a good time. This was back when the boats had to close at 4am. At like 3:45, I'm walking out and I throw $20 in a Sphinx slot machine, and hit the bonus round for almost $450. It was too much for the buckets of quarters, so I had to get paid by the attendant. The lady placed hundred dollar bills in my outstretched palm, and counted "One hundred...two hundred...three hundred...four hundred". When your rent is $250/month, that seems like a lot of damn money. I remember looking at the stack of money and saying "god damn, gambling is awesome". And since it was my birthday, she brought me a "Happy Birthday from Caesars Indiana" coffee mug. That mug is currently on my desk at work and full of pens.
What were the first games you played for money and what were the stakes?