PokaPaloma – So where did the name come from?
The first part was a slam dunk. Being from the Boston area, ‘Poker’ is pronouned ‘Pokah”.
For the second part of the name, I wanted a word that represented something light and breezy – to keep my spirits high and remind me that it is only a game whenever I might lose chips. ‘Paloma’ is one of my favorite Spanish words. It means dove or homing pigeon. A dove is beautiful and soft, and a homing pigeon always comes home (ie: back to you…like I wanted the chips to). ‘Paloma’ fit nicely with ‘Pokah’. So, I shortened ‘Pokah’ to ‘Poka’ for esthetic reasons, and PokaPaloma was born.
The Balloon
The pink balloon was added several months after my debut at the Texas Hold’em tables.
Just as I chose Paloma as the symbol of light and breezy, I wanted an avatar that reflected the “easy-come easy-go” attitude. Not because I was feeling it. No…because I wanted to remind myself to feel it each time I lost chips. So, I searched my desk top for an image that reflected that spirit. The pink balloon fit the bill.
I never would have labelled myself as competitive, but, my choices above reflect my attempt to control my attitude when things didn’t go my way. So, intuitively I knew it, but had never acknowledged it. This was only the first of several realizations about my character that would surprise me. More on that at another time 😉
The Play
I play 99.99% No Limit Texas Hold’em games. I have dabbled in Limit Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo. I find Limit Texas Hold’em, well, too “limited”. As far as Omaha is concerned, I have enough trouble being dealt two cards and deciding my play. Being dealt four cards pushed me over the edge. For me, Omaha, is such a different strategy, that I felt my No Limit Texas Hold’em game was suffering when I switched back and forth.