HipHop.org has a strong belief that HipHop Culture and Music and the world of Poker have very similar upbringings, and that they go hand in hand.

What better feeling to rake in a huge pot, beating out your competitors and getting even more amped up by playing your favorite hip hop tunes on your iPod.

HipHop originated in the streets and took awhile to be socially accepted by the mainstream media. As did legal gambling, now when you take a look at the progression of both platforms in the 21st century where would we be without both outlets.

Both are very strong tools to help keep our youth off the streets. By teaching them discipline and training them with a high skilled ability and powerful mentality and trade to perfect and master.

Just like hip hop being introduced in the streets, it also goes well with gambling because as we all know, Hip Hop culture also includes gambling however because of the latest technology nowadays, hip hop and gambling evolves into new dimension.

Online casino games such as blackjack, online slots and video poker are now the latest trend same with new genre and mix up in hip hop world and culture that includes new slang words and even latest fashion.

Take for example poker player Paul Darden who is known to rock some of the latest HipHop fashions like Ecko Unlimited. Darden is known for his stylish hip-hop apparel and jewelry. One of the game's few prominent African American players, Darden is unique among poker's new wave of telegenic stars.

His hip-hop style and ghetto roots have made him wildly popular with poker's younger fans. (credit: Daniel Lazarek) Take Paul Darden's story for example, Darden was born on October 27, 1968, and grew up in the ghetto of New Haven, Connecticut.

The city of New Haven has a troubled history of poverty and violence. Located halfway between the drug distribution centers of New York City and Boston, New Haven is the hub of a drug trafficking network known to law enforcement as the New England Pipeline.

Most of the illegal drug traffic in the northeast flows through Connecticut. Many New Haven youths, who suffer from poverty, poor education, and broken families, have given up hope of succeeding in the mainstream economy.

In the despair of the ghetto, the illegal-drug business can seem like salvation to a desperate teenager. A drug dealer can earn thousands of dollars a week. Work is always available, and it doesn't require good grades, work experience, or a clean police record. Gang and drug culture is glorified in popular culture, and many kids admire the local dealers..

That wasn't the path Paul Darden took, he found salvation from the streets with poker. When Foxwoods Casino opened in 1992, Darden began playing casino poker. He started at $1-$5 Seven-Card Stud.

The style of play he encountered at Foxwoods was different than the "back room" style he had learned at his father's pool hall, but he adjusted his game and escalated rapidly to higher limits. Within three years, he was beating $75-$150.

Darden would occasionally travel to Atlantic City to play, where he met a young player named Philip Ivey. "We used to always go at each other in $75-$150, and became real close and friends. He put me under his wing."

Darden has since won two major No-Limit tournaments. He won the main event at the 2002 New England Poker Classic (1st place - $72,590), and in 2003, he won the televised WPT Gold Rush tournament (1st place - $146,000), prevailing over a tough final table that included Phil Hellmuth and a then-unknown Antonio Esfandiari.

Esfandiari stole the show, delighting viewers by fiendishly antagonizing (and eventually eliminating) Hellmuth. But the broadcast also introduced viewers to the cool, stylish Darden. Hip-hop culture is enormously popular, and Darden's street credibility has translated into a strong following among young poker fans, who have given him endearing nicknames like "American Thug".

You know," he adds thoughtfully, "I beat the odds. A lot of guys that I grew up with in the inner city ended up in drugs, and all kinds of violence. Although I dropped out, I was smart enough to do something positive, rather than negative."

Rather it be HipHop, Poker, or some other trade follow your dreams, never let the negativity of others beat you down. Always persevere, if you fall down pick yourself up and try again. So gear up, grab you a account at US Casinos and start your path to putting some cash in your pocket.

Some of the old school players may not take us with open arms, they may judge us on appearance rather than ability or not even take the time to really get to know us, but like it or not, we are the new generation and the new face of Poker and we are here to stay.