We read with great interest Stuart Pfeifer's riveting (and kinda nerve-jangling) piece about poker in the L.A. Times a few days ago, but what we didn't know was that a brief history of Mr. Pfeifer's card addiction had been posted online by his friend, Mark Matassa, at M&M.

After reading both, we had some questions for Pfeifer about his expensive habit. Happily, he took a gamble and agreed to talk with us:

Did it go down like Mark says on his blog? Mark did teach me how to play casino poker. He took me to the Hustler in Gardena after work back in 2003. I was so nervous I could hardly breathe. He taught me everything from how to get a seat at a table to where to put my chips and how the game of Texas Hold 'Em works. They were some expensive lessons. I remember losing $100 each of the first few times I went with him, but with experience I actually started to win now and then. So I really owe all this to him.

Do you curse his name for having introduced you to this? No I don't curse Mark's name for getting me into poker. The game is so complex and so challenging, It's interesting trying to bet an amount that an opponent will call when I want him to call and an amount that will make him fold when I want him to fold. And it never gets old. No two hands are ever alike. Every situation is different. Every opponent is different. And it's really pretty cool to have a hobby at which you make money.

Did you manage to get a poker nickname? Still no nickname, but I'm open for suggestions.......