Sunday, August 24, 2008

Musings on the start of a legacy

I ended up playing some $2/4/4/8 limit at the Horseshoe Indiana- what some might deem the "old ladies' game." I only made a $26 profit (less if you include smokes and a sandwich) but played very well. Of the pots that I had contested, I won most all of them except for losing with top 2 and a one card king high flush. Not so bad, but here is the interesting thing: I realized that whenever I play live poker I never take the losses or bad beats seriously and always conduct myself with the utmost of class. For me at least, there is something to be said of losing to the faceless online opponent. I guess I always have this picture in my mind of some sinister foe who cackles endlessly whenever he moves me off the best hand and can practically see my cards with his endless database of Pokertracker madness.

I started taking this vision a little further when I remembered an article that I had seen somewhere recently that had a surprising list of world class pros that dealers hated dealing to. Two of the memorable names were Jennifer Harmon and David Grey. While their list of accomplishments is certainly formidable, I would never want to see myself be part of such a list. As a professional, you should treat your job as a profession and act courteous and respectful at all times. Whether you are at the top of the list or the bottom, this is how your legacy will play out. After all, how much professional respect is given to Phil Hellmuth, despite his undeniable talent?

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