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Copyright 2004 EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS
The Express

December 30, 2004

HEADLINE: I CAN PLAY POKER FOR EIGHT HOURS A DAY, BUT I'M NOT ADDICTED; EXPRESSYOURSELF - REAL LIFE

BODY:

    Melanie Lofthouse, 33, plays live and online poker for about 25 hours a week and claims it is just a hobby that she could stop at any time. Here, Melanie, who lives in Slough with her fiance Eugene and their four-month-old son Declan, describes how she got the gambling bug POKER is my hobby and I've become a real convert to the world of online poker. It all started four years ago when Eugene and I decided to visit Las Vegas and wanted to play something more exciting than the usual roulette or blackjack once we got over there.

    I had never gambled before but if you're going to Vegas there's not much else to do.

    We had seen the Late Night Poker programmes on Channel 4 so we decided to try that. We already knew the basics so we read up a bit more on the subject and really went for it once we got over there. Eugene and I did lose about $ 200 (
£106) between us on that holiday but had a fantastic time playing and ever since then we've been hooked on poker.

    I love the buzz of playing - you get a real adrenaline rush - plus there's the chance of winning money and the excitement of beating maybe 800 other people in a tournament.

    I also like the fact that it's a game of skill. Poker is about 60 per cent skill and 40 per cent luck - so you're always learning something and improving your game. It's a bit like playing a skilful game like chess, only with the chance to win some money thrown in.

    I got into online poker because there aren't any casinos near where I live and it was a real trek travelling into London to play. It's very easy to play online and I use a site called Pokerstars. You set up an account, choose a user-ID and if you want, you can pick an image to display at the poker table. It could be a photograph of you or anything you like really. I use a picture of Jessica Rabbit because I love that image and some people say I do bear a certain resemblance to her.

    IT'S just like playing a live poker game except the computer is the dealer and you play your hand by clicking the mouse. A virtual card table comes up on the screen and you can see the other players sitting around the table - they're identified through their user name and a picture if they have one. It also says where they're from. A lot of the players are American.

    People probably imagine you lose lots of money but it doesn't have to be expensive because you pay a set amount - anything from $ 5 to $ 50 or more (you play in dollars online) depending on the game - and play until all your chips are gone and you're out.

    Alternatively, you make it to the final table and win all the money from the chips lost by everyone else, although a percentage is taken by the site.
Depending on the cost of the game and the amount of people playing you could win anything from a few hundred dollars to $ 10,000 (£5,300).

    The most I've won in an online tournament is about $ 3,800 (£2,000) which was brilliant. Generally, I'll play cash games - where you buy a certain amount of chips and play till they're gone - online for a couple of hours maybe three nights during the week. Then I could be online for up to eight hours a day competing in a big tournament on a Saturday and a Sunday.

    I usually play after I come in from work around tea-time or, once Declan has gone to bed at around 10pm, I might play for a couple of hours. Then at the weekends, we'll go out in the day-time then play for up to eight hours straight in the afternoon or evening.

    Eugene and I will take it in turns to play if one of us is looking after Declan or we'll both be playing at the same time but on separate computers. We have a computer each because two people from the same address aren't allowed to play in the same competition so we'll often be in the same room taking part in two different tournaments.

    Sometimes I'll play with Declan sitting on my knee and if he needs changing or I need to fetch a bottle for him I'll just sit out a round.

    You also get a five-minute break every hour so you can go and stretch your legs, get a drink or nip to the loo.

    As well as playing poker for around 20 hours a week online, we might go out to a casino at the weekend if we can get a baby-sitter.

    Eugene and I also host a regular live poker tournament for about 20 people at our home on a Friday.

    I wouldn't described myself as being addicted to poker. I'm hooked on it but only in a good way and although I love it I could stop playing if I wanted to.

    I see it as a fun hobby and whereas some women will spend a couple of hours a night watching soaps like Coronation Street, that's not for me and I'd rather play poker instead.

    Eugene and I aren't permanently on our computers - although we might like to be - and we do have a life outside as well.

    We do normal things like walking in the park or going out for a meal as well and having a young baby we take him out and play with him a lot.

    AT THE moment we can go online a lot because Declan is quite happy to sit on our knees and have a cuddle while we play but I know we'll have less time once he starts crawling.

    I don't really see poker as gambling because you're not betting against a casino but against other players and because I always play with a fixed amount of money there's no chance I'm going to blow a fortune.

    I'm actually fairly good at poker now, having played for the past four years, and I've won a lot more than I've lost.

    I've made about £15,000 over the past three years taking into account losses of around £1,000. There are times when I've lost £50 or £100 and I'll get really annoyed with myself but even if I lose money, I'll have had a good night's entertainment out of it. You can easily spend £50 on a night out for dinner.
Instead we'll spend it on a night in playing poker.

    At the moment I'm making about £5,000 a year from poker and I've thought about giving up my sales job with Yellow Pages to play full-time but I enjoy going in to work so I doubt I'll ever actually do it.

    I've been quite sensible with the money I've won. Sometimes I've used it to buy in to bigger, more expensive tournaments where you pay $ 400 (£212) to enter rather than the more average $ 20 (£10.50) I usually spend. But I've also used it to buy new windows for our home, clothes and toys for Declan, holidays and most recently I've been saving towards our wedding which will be in Las Vegas in March. Given our love of poker, it's quite fitting that we'll be getting married in the poker capital of the world.

    I'm not sure if I'll play any poker games on my wedding day but you never know and I dare say we'll be playing a game or two on our honeymoon.

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