Rising Stars: Meet Darren Dickow

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darren from Motor City Poker.

Hi Darren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Poker is my number one hobby and passion. I’ve been playing poker recreationally over the last 20 years. I also love watching poker, whether it’s a live-streamed game, YouTube vlogs, or just short poker clips that pop up on social media. To many of you out there who also enjoy watching those videos, making money playing poker looks deceptively easy. The reality, however, is that poker is one of the toughest mental games in the world. Poker is not a card game played by people. It’s a people game played with cards. The discipline, work ethic, and character you develop as a poker player can be applied in any other area in your life. 

I work full-time in the field of automotive engineering, and I wanted to do something poker-related on the side. I started with the simple idea of creating apparel and accessories specifically for poker players who want to represent Detroit, Michigan, AKA the Motor City. In January 2023, Motor City Poker was created. Whether you’re from the heart of the 313, across the state of Michigan, or anywhere else in the world, rocking Motor City Poker apparel shows your love for the game and for the city of Detroit. 

In addition to the apparel, Motor City Poker is also a social media outlet on Instagram and Facebook. My initial page was just another account that would post hand histories and chip stacks but decided that it would be hard to differentiate myself from many others out there doing just that. I took the page in a different direction, focusing on featuring people that I meet while playing. From poker players to dealers and floor managers, I post a portrait and a short write-up about the person after learning interesting facts or stories about them, poker-related or not. This direction of the page is far more unique and much more personable. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been hard to continuously create content because I only play poker about once per week. And in order to grow organically on social media, you really need to constantly post new content to build your follower base. 

Additionally, it’s been a challenge to convert followers into customers since my target market is primarily Michigan players, and my followers come from all over the world. 

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
A great place to network is definitely at a poker table. You really can meet all different types of people from all professional backgrounds. The beauty of the game is that anyone can play.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://motorcitypoker.square.site/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/motorcitypoker
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091194794922&mibextid=LQQJ4d