[JITF2020] The World of Poker English

Munehiko Matsuyama

Probably Japan’s one and only translator specializing in poker.  His main work is translation of poker textbooks, of which he has translated more than ten volumes.  Besides that, he has translated all sorts of things related to poker, gaining experience in diverse genres such as news articles, poker software, marketing articles / newsletters, video scripts, video subtitles, four-frame cartoons on poker, etc.  As a player, he is a “fish (so-called sitting duck)”, but he has won several championships in Japan, including the 2012 JPT Japan Online Poker Championship.  He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University and completed a Master’s program at Hitotsubashi University, and the Master’s Program of Business Administration at the State University of New York. 

The World of Poker English

Did you know that poker has been booming around the world for the last 15 years?  At the annual World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas, there were more than 8,500 participants last year, and the winner won a prize of $10 million.  This boom has spread to Japan, and the poker population continues to grow year by year, including those who play a poker game called amusement poker in which players compete without betting money.  It is also thought to be certain that poker will be played at Japanese casinos which will open under the ongoing IR initiative. 

I would appreciate it if you could join this session, in which I will introduce “Texas Hold’em,” which is the poker game with the most contestants at present, and have a glimpse of the simple but profound world that is said to take “one minute to learn and a lifetime to master.”  Of course, I also want to make this is an opportunity to share the basic knowledge of poker and often-used English expressions with those who are interested in casino-related interpreting / translation projects under the IR concept.