Gene Kubiak
Poker & Table Games Correspondent
Katy, TX
25+ Years Playing Poker
About Gene
I learned to play poker in oil field man camps in West Texas during my twenties. When you’re stuck in a metal building with thirty other roughnecks for two weeks at a time, you either learn to play cards or you go crazy. I learned to play cards — and to read people, which turned out to be the more valuable skill.
Over twenty-five years, I’ve played poker at kitchen tables and casino poker rooms, in underground games and home games, in Louisiana riverboat casinos and Vegas tournament rooms. I’ve been up big and down bigger. I once won $15,000 in a single night and lost $8,000 the following week. I don’t recommend either experience, but I learned from both.
Now I’m settled in Katy with my wife Linda and an empty nest — both kids grown, one in the Army, one in nursing school. I play poker twice a week at local card rooms and take quarterly trips to Louisiana casinos since Texas won’t get its act together on legalization. I write about poker and table games with the weathered patience of someone who’s seen it all and knows the cards will eventually even out.
Areas of Expertise
Cash Game Strategy
Live Poker Rooms
Online Poker Sites
Live Dealer Games
Bankroll Management
Texas Gambling Law
Home Game Setup
What I Don’t Cover
Slots are money pits — I’ve watched too many people feed their paychecks into machines. Sports betting isn’t my game; I stick to cards. Crypto anything doesn’t sit right with me, and I don’t trust what I don’t understand. High-stakes tournament coverage isn’t for my bankroll. And I won’t write about day trading or stocks — that’s a different kind of gambling.
Poker Experience
Years Playing
25+
Started in oil field man camps
Weekly Sessions
2
Local card rooms + home game
Biggest Single Win
$15K
One memorable night
Louisiana Trips/Year
4
Until Texas gets its act together
The Personal Stuff
When I’m Not At The Table
- Hosting Thursday night poker in my garage ($50 buy-in, beer on me)
- Building things — made my oak poker table myself
- Fishing on Galveston Bay when work allows
- Smoking brisket competitively (yes, that’s a thing in Texas)
Industry Pet Peeves
- Texas legislators dragging their feet on legalization
- Online poker sites that allow HUDs
- Poker rooms with excessive rake
- The misconception that poker is “just gambling”
“The cards don’t care about your feelings. You can’t win what you don’t put in the middle, but you also can’t lose it. In the long run, skill wins out — but you’ve got to survive the short run first.”
What I’ve Learned
Poker taught me patience, bankroll management, and how to read people. It’s a skill game where variance can make you feel like a genius or an idiot on any given night. The best players aren’t the ones who win the most pots — they’re the ones who lose the least when they’re behind. I write from that perspective.
On Texas Gambling
Texas will legalize poker about the time hell freezes over, but I keep hoping. In the meantime, I know every offshore option and I know the drive to Lake Charles and Shreveport by heart. I follow every piece of Texas gambling legislation because someday — someday — we’ll get there. Until then, I write about what’s available and what’s legal, and I don’t sugarcoat the situation.
Latest Articles by Gene
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Connect with Gene
Questions about poker or Texas gambling options? Reach out through our contact page.
