---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started playing poker in 2003 during my…"
description: "\"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 Hol..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/cheryl-hines-16342_awful_i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-m_2962247.jpg"
---

#  I started playing poker in 2003 during my pregnancy, to…

![“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.” quote by Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/cheryl-hines-16342_awful_i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-m_2962247.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/cheryl-hines-16342_awful_i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-m_2962247.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/cheryl-hines-16342_awful_i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-m_2962247.jpg)

> “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.”

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Pregnancy nausea led her to a poker game, using gambling as a coping mechanism for discomfort.

**In simple terms:** She turned pain into a distraction.

Key Takeaway

Find healthy outlets for stress.

Themes

coping addiction health humor

Mood

lighthearted reflective

Type

anecdotal humorous

When to use this quote

- pregnancy
- stress management
- gaming
- mental health

Key Concepts

addiction psychology self‑care

Questions to Reflect On

- What healthier coping could replace gambling?
- How does humor help endure pain?

A Different Perspective

Gambling can become harmful if overused.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did/) [Distract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distract/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Morning sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning-sickness/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-texas-4517445/) [Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing/) [Playing Poker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-poker-787647/) [Poker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poker/) [Poker 2003](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poker-2003-4517444/) [Pregnancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pregnancy/) [Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-playing-257076/) [Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas/)

## Related quotes

> [I know how to become a top 5 teamJust play Texas A&amp;M.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-neuheisel/i-know-how-to-become-a-top-5-teamjust-play-texas-a-m/)

[Rick Neuheisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-neuheisel/)

> [I play Texas Hold'em on my Blackberry. I have amassed a fortune on that. I have almost 30 million dollars from playing. It is unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/i-play-texas-hold-em-on-my-blackberry-i-have-amassed-a-fortune-on/)

[Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/)

> [If you want to make money playing poker, find a game with a few suckers, fish, donkeys, live ones, or whatever you choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-negreanu/if-you-want-to-make-money-playing-poker-find-a-game-with-a-few/)

[Daniel Negreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-negreanu/)

> [If you've been playing poker for half an hour and you still don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/if-you-ve-been-playing-poker-for-half-an-hour-and-you-still-don-t/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [Last year people won more than one billion dollars playing poker. And casinos made twenty-seven billion just by being around those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-bee/last-year-people-won-more-than-one-billion-dollars-playing-poker-and/)

[Samantha Bee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-bee/)

> [“Life is just like the game of poker, you never know what cards you will get. Sitting against the people, you can either win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prerna-varma/life-is-just-like-the-game-of-poker-you-never-know-what-cards-you/)

[Prerna Varma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prerna-varma/)

> [Actually," Alan said, earnest and clear-eyed, "this is my first time playing poker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/actually-alan-said-earnest-and-clear-eyed-this-is-my-first-time/)

[Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/)

> [“There was a framed print on the wall of dogs playing poker. I wanted to smash it to preserve the dignity of the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-osborne/there-was-a-framed-print-on-the-wall-of-dogs-playing-poker-i-wanted/)

[Stephen Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-osborne/)

> [It's one thing to skip class to play poker, but if I'm learning how to think in the real world playing poker, then maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-holzhauer/it-s-one-thing-to-skip-class-to-play-poker-but-if-i-m-learning-how-to/)

[James Holzhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-holzhauer/)

> [Playing poker in their Quonset hut on Tinian, killing the last hours of the preatomic age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-goldman/playing-poker-in-their-quonset-hut-on-tinian-killing-the-last-hours/)

[Peter Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-goldman/)

> [You get steely nerves playing poker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/you-get-steely-nerves-playing-poker/)

[Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/)

> [“The more I wrote, the less I needed to play. Once I got started I couldn't stop. This was my salvation. Writing was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-heller/the-more-i-wrote-the-less-i-needed-to-play-once-i-got-started-i/)

[Ted Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-heller/)

> [The pros really like all the new people playing poker because they love the dead money; but when the money wins they don't like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-moneymaker/the-pros-really-like-all-the-new-people-playing-poker-because-they/)

[Chris Moneymaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-moneymaker/)

> [I've won over 50 million dollars playing poker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-bilzerian/i-ve-won-over-50-million-dollars-playing-poker/)

[Dan Bilzerian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-bilzerian/)

> [“Maurice laid down all of his cards, then said, Gin. Reginald looked up into Maurice's face and said, I thought we were playing poker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-b-truant/maurice-laid-down-all-of-his-cards-then-said-gin-reginald-looked-up/)

[Johnny B. Truant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-b-truant/)

## More by Cheryl Hines

> [Sometimes I don't want to stand around a room full of strangers, chitchatting about nothing, so I'll come late to a party - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/sometimes-i-don-t-want-to-stand-around-a-room-full-of-strangers/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [Well, I am producing a show that's going to be on NBC this fall. It's called 'School Pride,' and it's a reality show where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/well-i-am-producing-a-show-that-s-going-to-be-on-nbc-this-fall-it-s/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [I do have a tendency to talk a lot at the poker table, which throws people off because they spend a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-do-have-a-tendency-to-talk-a-lot-at-the-poker-table-which-throws/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [It is weird. People will say, 'Oh my God, I love you.' And I'll say, 'Oh, that's so sweet. Thank you.' And the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/it-is-weird-people-will-say-oh-my-god-i-love-you-and-i-ll-say-oh-that/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [At my first tournament, about four years ago, I got four twos. Now I have a poker problem. I do win every so often,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/at-my-first-tournament-about-four-years-ago-i-got-four-twos-now-i/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [The things the writers have me doing on 'Suburgatory' are insane. I think they think it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/the-things-the-writers-have-me-doing-on-suburgatory-are-insane-i/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [While visiting Costa Rica, I was inspired to hear that someone had donated a playground to a local school. So when I returned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/while-visiting-costa-rica-i-was-inspired-to-hear-that-someone-had/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [When you're young, the loss that you experience when you break up with somebody, that's the loss of a relationship. And the older you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/when-you-re-young-the-loss-that-you-experience-when-you-break-up-with/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [I just learned how to scuba dive. Id been scared to rely on one little air hose for oxygen, but swimming with all those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-just-learned-how-to-scuba-dive-id-been-scared-to-rely-on-one-little/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [The Go Red for Women campaign raises awareness of the risk of heart disease. I think a lot of people don't realize that heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/the-go-red-for-women-campaign-raises-awareness-of-the-risk-of-heart/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [For my birthday my husband learned to cook and is cooking one day a week for me. But he only likes to do fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/for-my-birthday-my-husband-learned-to-cook-and-is-cooking-one-day-a/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [Well, I was born in Miami, and then I lived for a long time in Tallahassee, and before that, Winter Haven, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/well-i-was-born-in-miami-and-then-i-lived-for-a-long-time-in/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [It makes me happy to work. And it makes me a better mother to be a happy person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/it-makes-me-happy-to-work-and-it-makes-me-a-better-mother-to-be-a/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [I think as a director you have to make it your own. It'd be a mistake to approach a project with the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-think-as-a-director-you-have-to-make-it-your-own-it-d-be-a-mistake/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

> [Manipulating people is what's so fun about poker. I love that you can just look into someone's eyes and lie - and it's perfectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/manipulating-people-is-what-s-so-fun-about-poker-i-love-that-you-can/)

[Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

[Explore all 40 Cheryl Hines quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/)

## More Awful quotes

> [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/)

[Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/)

> [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

> [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/)

[Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/)

> [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-was-a-special-challenge-in-describing-the-awful-childhood-of-a/)

[Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/)

> [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/)

[Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/)

> [Fascism: awful stench of saw and axe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/fascism-awful-stench-of-saw-and-axe/)

[Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/)

> [No one with a bad tie is getting my vote. Some Lib Dems wear the most shockingly awful ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/no-one-with-a-bad-tie-is-getting-my-vote-some-lib-dems-wear-the-most/)

[Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/)

> [“Here she was back in the brightly lit world she had been avoiding for twenty years, and it was exactly as awful as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/here-she-was-back-in-the-brightly-lit-world-she-had-been-avoiding-for/)

[Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/)

> [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/)

[Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/)

> [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“I am awful. I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

[Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "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.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cheryl Hines"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-my-pregnancy-to-distract/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-my-pregnancy-to-distract/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/cheryl-hines-16342_awful_i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-m_2962247.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/cheryl-hines-16342_awful_i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-m_2962247.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/cheryl-hines-16342_awful_i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-m_2962247.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I started playing poker in 2003 during my pregnancy, to distract myself from my awful morning sickness. For…” — Cheryl Hines",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Cheryl Hines",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I started playing poker in 2003...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-my-pregnancy-to-distract/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-started-playing-poker-in-2003-during-my-pregnancy-to-distract/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
