This past two months I've seen countless poker players. It's becoming an issue. You could have experienced it yourself.

On the college run, earlier than the summer holiday began, I saw Mike McDonald buying milk, and Steve O'Dwyer looking forward to a bus. A COUPLE OF weeks later there has been Jake Cody at the High Street. On the super market I saw Shaun Deeb, and Justin Bonomo was taking a walk in my home town by the beach, pink hair an' all. Once I saw Mickey Petersen I waved.

It wasn't just players. Toby Stone was within the local green grocer, and that i saw Kevmath (Kevmath!) walking a dog along the road where I live. All of this in my quiet sleepy home town, some 35 miles from the closest poker room.

Only I DID NOT see them.

I only thought I saw them. Because I'm suffering just a little understood condition, attributable to the absence of high stakes poker for your life, called high-stakes-hyper-familiarity, or to present it its more common name: "Hey, I DO KNOW that guy!"

It's been greater than three months since reporting on an enormous poker event, three months since watching a high stakes hand of poker, and 3 months because the likes of these listed above were a part of a normal working day. Quite frankly I MUST come again to work. In fact that wasn't ElkY, peroxide hair and all, waiting in line on the post office, I MUST pull myself together. In our town, individuals who dress like ElkY stand out like men from outer space.

But I see players everywhere. The child in Sixth Sense saw dead people. I see poker players. Walking around like regular people. They do not see one another. They just see what they would like to peer. They do not know they're poker players.

It's not good for me.

Thankfully though, there is a cure. It's one devised over 12 years of dedication, exertions and experimentation, not by women and men in white coats so much, but women and men in black suits, co-ordinated ties, and who can explain the colour-up rule.

It's called Season 13 of the eu Poker Tour.

The dosage, available without prescription, is unassuming and assured to succeed: a festival in August, followed by two more by the tip of the year. I'm told I WILL BE back to my old self almost immediately.

These symptoms might sound familiar to you. During which case there is no wish to go on suffering alone. The cure is freed from charge and is delivered by internet.

Ready to enroll in PokerStars? Click here to get an account.

Luckily I WILL BE getting the entire immersion treatment, as will all the Blog team reporting at EPT Barcelona from tomorrow, when the Estrellas Main Event and €10K High Roller begin. That is the recommended route back to full strength. However, the long distance version, undertaken from home, gets rid of everything except your competitive spirit.

So after ten long weeks, not more poker players on the street. As Haley Joel Osment would say, "I'm able to communicate with you now".

Or a minimum of I'LL BE in only a moment. I just saw Jason Mercier go past on a bicycle doing his paper round. Amazing. If I'm quick I WILL catch him to mention hi!

Live updates at the PokerStars Blog begin on Wednesday with coverage from the Estrellas Main Event. Bookmark this link to get all of the latest news from the Barcelona festival.

Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog. Follow him on Twitter: @StephenBartley.

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: European Poker Tour]