Play the Man, Not the Cards. (Homo)socialities and Masculine Positions in Poker

Abstract

Poker, a million-dollar industry and a leisure activity, is played between close-knit friends, at casinos, and online. It is gendered; masculine positions are produced between players, often in competitive, aggressive, and sexist ways. However, the (homo)social relationships of poker have hardly been studied. Using interviews with Swedish men poker players, this article investigates masculine positions and homosocialities within poker, demonstrating that poker was associated with a range of social relationships, from close friendships to relatively anonymous online relationships. Poker made room for friendship, but it also structured relationships and led to a simplification and a formalization of them. Competition and emotional detachment were central, but not sexism; the article suggests that poker players are constructed as nerdy, rather than tough guys, and that nerdy socialities are formed between players.