Poker is a passion. The presidential elections are coming to America so it is time to remember all the presidents who are remembered for loving poker from Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama. Martin Harris wrote an interesting article that you can read in PokerStarsBlog where he uses poker as main subject.

There were Republicans such as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding, Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon but there were also Democrats such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Obama himself.

The games played by Obama were for low stakes, with wins and losses only rarely reaching a hundred dollars during a single evening. A colleague, Terry Link, explained to poker historian James McManus how Obama played a «calculated» game, showing patience and developing a tight enough image that «when Barack stayed in, you pretty much figured he’s got a good hand.» Such an image enabled Obama to run the occasional bluff, too, with his «stone face» often helping him earn folds to his bets.

A few months ago Obama revealed that he carries a «lucky poker chip» given to him by a voter while campaigning back in 2007. Obama was quick to add he wasn’t superstitious, but carries the chip (and other keepsakes) as a reminder of those he’s met.