I started playing poker in 2003 during my pregnancy, to distract myself from my awful morning sickness. For months all I did was cry and play Texas Hold’em.

Hines frames poker not as a glamorous pastime but as an improvised coping mechanism during a physically miserable pregnancy. The juxtaposition of “cry” with “play Texas Hold’em” underscores how distraction can function as emotional triage: a structured game with clear rules and incremental decisions offers a sense of control when the body feels uncontrollable. The specificity of “2003” and “for months” gives the anecdote a confessional realism, suggesting that skills and hobbies sometimes emerge from hardship rather than leisure. The quote also lightly punctures stereotypes about who plays poker and why, presenting it as domestic, therapeutic, and accidental rather than performative.