SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's decision to consider a run for president isn't surprising to his old poker buddies. The Democratic senator from Illinois was described Monday as a "conservative" card player who kept his hand close to his vest.

"He wasn't going to declare his hand until he had his cards and had a chance of winning," said Denny Jacobs of East Moline, who served with Obama when the two were members of the Illinois State Senate. "He usually kicked my butt."

Jacobs, a Democrat, speculated that Obama arrived at his presidential decision - announced Sunday - after assessing that he had the right combination of cards to win the jackpot.

"If he played his hand, he usually had a winner," Jacobs said. "That's what I learned about the other side of Barack Obama."

Obama, who served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 until he left for Washington D.C. in 2004, said Sunday he was abandoning his earlier vow to serve out his six-year term.

"That was how I was thinking at the time," he told "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert. "Given the response I've been getting the last several months, I have thought about the possibility.

"My focus is on '06 . . . After Nov. 7, I'll sit down and consider it."

Obama has been traversing the country raising money for Democratic congressional hopefuls. He also has launched a promotional tour for his book, "The Audacity of Hope" and recently appeared on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

State Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican, said a group of senators from both sides of the partisan aisle would often meet on Wednesday nights after a day of doing business in Springfield.

Seated around a card table at a lobbyist's office in downtown Springfield, the lawmakers would lay bets that would allow a winner to walk away with $100 in winnings on a good night.

Brady said Obama's card-playing style didn't match his more liberal voting record.

"He was very conservative at the card table," agreed Brady.

By contrast, Jacobs said he and Brady, both considered conservatives in their respective parties, were nothing like Obama in their approach to the game.

"It got us in trouble sometimes," Jacobs said.