Travels of Poker Joe

• Posted by Joe Purvis September 29, 2010 - 300 views

  These are stories and articles I have written about my trips to live casinos across the country.

  I have met a lot of great people and seen a ton of cool stuff. And even though I played enough poker to last two lifetimes, I am always ready to plan another trip. This section of the website will have all the articles from the Poor Man's Poker Tour as well as other trips with photos, "table tales" and tips from each place. You may even find an ad or two for some cool stuff.
  
  Click here to see all the stories so far  

  The Travels of Poker Joe
  

  Hi, my name is Joe. My life and my job had always been some type of construction. From houses to power plants I have built most all kinds of structures in all parts of the country. I started as a laborer cleaning ditches back in 1985 and worked my way up to superintendent by the time I was 22. That took all of my time and then some, so I never had much time to play poker seriously or spend much time in casinos, other than a drunken visit to Vegas that was so long ago I barely remember it.
  
  Then about 5 years ago all that started to change. I had a few weeks in between jobs and found out about internet poker. That turned into many hours a day (and night) sitting at the computer, playing poker and reading about people like Chris Moneymaker and Phil Ivey. Then I became exposed to poker forums and all the other Poker oriented websites and media on the internet.
  
  A lot of the forums and places I visited on the internet had a feeling that if you were not some kind of "poker guru" that could do poker calculus or had not been born with a card protector for a pacifier, then you were unworthy to participate and treated like a dunce. So one day I went to look for a place for the "Average Joe" poker player. I was not pleased with what I found and in the middle of complaining to a friend about this they interrupted me and said "Why don't you start your own poker forum?" So I did. 

  I wanted to name the thing "Average Joes Poker" but that was taken, so after several other choices I had to settle for Poker Joes Bonus.com. The term "Poker Joes" was meant to describe a group of average people who play poker and then the nickname "Poker Joe" kinda stuck, that was the beginning of where I am now.
  
  I maintain PokerJoesBonus.com and promote a few Poker Sites and Products. This has lead to a full time job playing and talking about poker and poker related topics, which brings me to why I am here.
  
  I still am just an "Average Joe" just with not exactly an average lifestyle. In the last year I have visited over 30 casinos and poker rooms all over the South East and west to Las Vegas, promoting and playing poker. A lot of this was brand new to me and I realized that there are probably a lot of people out there who have never been to some of these places and may be a little intimidated with the myths and stories about playing live or the expense of going to "The Casino". So I thought I would share my experiences with you and try to show how an average guy can have an above average poker experience, anywhere that they have shining lights and a poker room.
  
  I will be sharing stories about my visits to each casino that will include all types of stuff, from actual activity that I witnessed at the poker tables to the best ways to have a weekend poker trip to a casino near you, without having to get a second job to pay for it. My articles will include the latest promotions and poker events as well as the other things that each venue has to offer. The tagline for our podcast is "Common Sense for the Uncommon Player" and common sense is what I try to apply to all the situations and decisions that make up the world of poker, casinos and promotions. I hope you will enjoy stories and benefit from the information you find here each week as I share with you "The travels of Poker Joe"
  
  Doc and I went on a 12 week promotional poker tour that started in May 2010 where we visited 9 cities and 25 plus casinos, that along with some other trips I have made to Atlantic City and even more that are planned for the near future should give us plenty to talk about.
  
  My next article will feature the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa Florida and Silks Poker Room at Tampa bay Downs race track. Silks Poker Room is a fine example of how great a card room you can find at the race tracks in Florida and the Hard Rock in Tampa is everything a Hard Rock should be, from the 40 foot guitar and purple lights out front to the massive poker room it is "party central" and a great place to find plenty poker action 24 hours a day. I will be in contact with both Poker Room managers this week and have all the latest promotions and events next time as well as some "Table Tales" from the week in Tampa Florida. Then we are off to Biloxi Mississippi to party at the Hard Rock there and play the 30k GTD at the Beau Rivage.
  
  To see more stuff from Poker Joe or to hear the podcast go to PokerJoesBonus.com. An online poker community, Built by Poker Players for Poker Players