writer for his column. He thought it would be interesting to have a wife
or mate of a poker player, write her perspective of the poker world. I
have refused each time for many different reasons. The other day he
asked me again, so finally I decided to give it a try, knowing full well, we
probably wouldn’t be speaking for several days after I wrote it.
The first thought that comes to my mind is how I feel when I see a poker
player getting knocked out of a poker tournament. As many of you
know, who have seen me on the sidelines for hours at a time, I have
seen many a poker player be eliminated from a poker tournament.
“Most” are quiet, thoughtful, aggravated, irritated, and leave muttering,
mumbling or just staring off into space. But then there are those who
leave a
tournament making themselves look like children, and those watching
appalled. Even my own husband (forgive me, Vincent), occasionally has
left a tournament with conduct that I was not that happy with.
I remember the first time I saw a player yell obscenities when he left the
table, in front of a couple of hundred other players, and a few observers
like myself. I was very surprised and immediately knew why poker
tournaments do not, and may never have sponsors. Over the next few
years, the things I saw included thrown chairs, water bottles, Walkmans,
and trophies. Every time I would see one of these displays of anger, I
was appalled. I even heard of worse occurrences, that thank goodness I
didn’t witness. I found myself asking , what if this player’s mother were
here, or wife, or child.-- how terribly embarrassing for his family. But
maybe, that’s why the poker gallery is so small, or often non-existent.
Then I then found myself getting angry at the behavior of these players,
because many of them were the so-called “champions.” These players
have made a name for themselves and are watched and observed by
other players and the general public. They, like top names in any
endeavor, are highly regarded and more expected from them. Maybe
more shouldn’t be expected, but it is. When you are one of the poker
champions, one of the top players, believe it or not, people expect you to
act like a champion.
Most of these well-know champion poker players have won hundreds of
thousands of dollars and sometimes millions. The majority of the other
poker players would love to have an ounce of these champion’s fame
and notoriety. These champions have, or had money. They have fame
and they have fans. But believe me, all of these things are completely
forgotten, when your behavior is not that of what we observers think, a
champion should be.
There is nothing more disappointing to a fan, of any kind, then when you
see a champion behave unprofessional. I know when I see the Dodgers
get in a brawl, or Lawrence Taylor make a late hit on the quarterback, or
Roberto Alomar spit at an umpire, I am disgusted and disappointed. At
that time, I hope they never win or do well again, and from that time on,
they are NEVER viewed the same again.
I used to come and watch many more poker tournaments than I do
now. But as I came to know the different players, who they were, and
what they had done, I became somewhat disillusioned. I guess I may be
living in a dream world, but I still expect people, poker players and
champions, to act in a certain way. If that mom, dad, sister, brother, son
or daughter, should see that player leaving the table, after getting his
Aces cracked, I truly hope they will see a person with dignity, a player
with respect, and a champion with class.
For what it's worth ...
