I had thought about it for years in very vague terms, having fond memories of college nights spent hunched over the cards, telling jokes and drinking too much. Male comraderie is significantly more difficult to foster in our society once you have established yourself. I'm not sure why that is, but there is no doubt that us guys create artificial barriers to protect ourselves from the world. Clubs of all kinds have long been an avenue for guys to get to know each other and form socially correct relationships. This is where poker comes in.
Poker is perfect.
You spend 5 intense hours a week in a smoky room with the same 6 guys year in and year out and you will have friends for life. All because of a game called poker. I got 20 guys to tell me that they were interested in getting in on a regular game. In four months I still hadn't managed to get any four of them in one place at one time. First I started with friends, then I moved onto work associates, then neighbors and finally casual acquaintences.