The writer is the author of Pot Limit and
No-Limit Poker.

I first started playing poker for pennies. That was possibly my most enjoyable period in the game. At the Victoria Casino in London you can play in games with a minimum buy-in from £50 to £1,000. You should be prepared to risk at least twice the appropriate amount. You can find tournaments with entry fees for as little as £10 nationwide. In casinos these fees are returned as prizes.

You have to be a really poor player not to have an occasional win. It is the only game I know where non-professionals win back the entire stake money. In other sports a percentage is taken for administrative expenses. Casinos use poker tournaments as loss-leaders.

All play at the MSO will be in tournaments. Everybody starts with the same number of chips. The eventual winner collars the lot. The Silver Medallist will be the player knocked out last. The bronze medal goes to the one before that.

There are many forms of poker. None is the best, although most players will try to convince you otherwise. Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Stud and others will all be spread at Olympia this August. This is an opportunity to learn new variations cheaply.

Many poker expressions permeate the English language: passing the buck; blue chip investment; upping the ante; four-flusher and more. The game influences our culture in many ways. If you are in business, you probably play the game regularly without even realising it. Not with cards, but chips such as property, money or contracts. Anybody who has never run a bluff must be very dull indeed.

It is the ultimate swashbuckling game, and worth a try. It probably combines more different skills than any other. Inexperienced players will receive a little coaching and explanation before each event.