Research in poker and ideology
Through my research on gambling I have become interested in poker and
the relationship between poker and capitalism. Why Study Poker?
The enchanting charm of poker lies in the contrast between the simplicity of the game’s structure on the one hand and on the other the enormous complexity unfolding exponentially as the player discovers more and more facets of the game. One proverb in the vast folklore of poker says: ‘Poker is a day to learn and a lifetime to master.’
Besides these qualities as a game, which poker in principle shares with many other games, poker seems to be distinguished by a set of very special qualities as a cultural phenomenon. Over the last 20-30 years poker has experienced an enormous growth in popularity and today we may virtually speak of a poker boom. Rough estimates say there are 140-180 million regular players worldwide and the turnover of major poker sites on the Internet is counted in billions of dollars.
To some extent the popularity of poker may of course be explained by a combination of TV-transmitted poker tournaments, with the player's hands recorded by the so-called hole-cam, aggressive marketing and not least new favourable opportunities for spreading the game brought about by the development of the internet. Nevertheless, there seems to be something in the very game, which appeals to the time we live in, and which explains the poker boom as more than just the result of clever marketing.
The parallel between poker and capitalism is quite obvious and is captured in a number of often quoted sayings about poker. Walther Matthau has put it this way: ‘Poker exemplifies the worst aspects of capitalism that have made our country so great.’ Hence, it is probably no coincidence that poker in its modern form is conceived in the USA. One author notes in the beginning of the eighties: "Poker is a pure expression of the American dream. Embodied in the action of the game is the ever-present notion that anyone with skill, individual initiative, patience, foresight, and a little luck can easily make the leap from rags to riches." Today the American Dream as well as capitalism as such have been globalised and poker should no longer be considered a particularly American game but rather a genuinely global game.
The relationship between poker and capitalism is however much more ambiguous than superficial similarities reveal. True, poker is a celebration of the system of capitalism, but at the same time, poker is also a mocking of this very same system. True, people play poker hoping to make a quick advance in the capitalist order of society, but at the same time they may equally have a hope of escaping this very order. True, poker is about winning money, but it is also a game of displaying the utmost disregard for the otherwise sacred object of money. It is this relationship between poker and capitalism that I hope to explore in my research.
My research in poker takes place within the framework of a post doc position at Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy, Copenhagen Business School.
At the Nordic Sociology Congress in August 2008 I have presented a paper on poker. Read
For journalistic articles on the research see:
www.videnskab.dk
Weekendavisen 7. maj 2009
ACE-Mag June 2009
Presentation at the Center for Gaming Research, University of Nevada Las Vegas. Podcast
Interview on the relation between poker and risk society: View
