Poker has caught on at a local level, with many restaurants and bars offering games and tournaments. At the Free Loader Tavern in Salem, a weekly game runs in tournament format on Wednesdays and Saturdays. If your idea of a poker tournament is flashy clothes and intense commentary on the television, prepare to be surprised. The atmosphere at these games is excited yet welcoming, like the people at the table are a big family, and they're willing to let you sit down with them.

In the tournaments, you'll find young and old, female and male, happy-go-lucky and do-or-die players. With the tournament structure, there is some speed; each round increases the pressure and forcing the best and sometimes most reckless plays. Laughs and epithets fill the air.

Tim Taylor, who coordinates the tournaments at Free Load, seems to do it as much out of love for the game as for any reward. He runs a "clean" tournament, helping even new players get their bearings. Taylor also keeps track of the results of each smaller tournament and runs a quarterly championship game from the best players in what is really a league game, not much different in structure from what bowling leagues use.

If you're tempted to take your game to the casino, be prepared. At the larger money tables in casinos, most local players, even experienced players, will tell you the step-up in talent is profound. Consider any money lost at a poker table in the casinos to be for training purposes.