Poker Playing Presidents
The stakes are high after months of bluffing, upping their antes,’ and trying not to tip their hands, the U.S. Presidential candidates have put all of their cards on the table and it’s finally time for the showdown.
Ever notice the abundance of poker vocabulary used in U.S. Presidential Election coverage? One possible reason for this is the long history of poker playing American Presidents. Here is a brief overview of the 10 most avid poker playing Presidents in American history. I wonder if they would play in online casinos if they were alive today.
1. Abraham Lincoln
Before his years as a lawyer, Congressman, and President he is believed to have enjoyed playing penny-ante poker.
2. Ulysses S. Grant
During the Mexican-American War he often played poker with junior officers.
3. Grover Cleveland
He spent his Sundays playing 25-cent limit draw poker.
4. Dwight Eisenhower
As a young lieutenant colonel played poker with his fellow officers and often stopped before they lost too much money.
5. George W. Bush
While working on his MBA at Harvard he was also an avid poker player.
6. George Washington
He enjoyed gambling and card games so much that he even kept a detailed ledger of all of his wins and losses.
7. Warren G. Harding
Of all of the U.S. Presidents to date, he was the most dedicated poker player. He played at least twice a week and even gambled away a set of White House china.
8. Franklin Roosevelt
He played nickel-ante stud poker with his cabinet officers as a way to unwind. I could definitely see him playing video poker nowadays.
9. Harry Truman
He actually became President while playing poker because he was in the middle of a game when he found out Roosevelt has died.
10. Richard Nixon
As a young Naval officer During World War II he took up poker and apparently became a very skilled player. With the luck he had I would think bingo would be a more appropriate game.
December 20, 2008