It is probably not a well-known fact that this website seems to get more readers when it posts about poker drama. The editor suposits (intentional) because poker players love to hear drama, and poker is all about drama. Nothing infuriorates (intentional) a poker-ist (intentional) more than hearing about the positive progression of a player from low to high-stakes, and not blowing it all in a blaze of recklessness, shame, or stupidity. Didn’t they really just get lucky? Why did they get to win while the rest of us suffer at the baby stakes, eeking along on our pitiful bankrolls while working 40 a week at a ‘real’ job? Poker players are a jealous lot, and misery loves company. Tell us this is not true?
Rampage wins a big tournament, gets rich, and we now beome bored with his vlogs. A popular female twitter-ite wins a Sunday on-line millions, and boom, done following that account. It is no longer reality, and the kinsmanship we feel no longer exits. Brad and Andrew – in the words of Norman Chad – you are… (naw, we can’t really say that). If you somehow get your foot in the door with poker royalty, get a sponsorship from a big company, are wealthy by other means and just splash your big $ around at the table, then bully-hoo for you. This is NOT how the rest of the poker world exists. There are not exclusive parties, fancy houses, trips, staked or comped tournaments & expensive dining in glamourous locales.
The editor does not know where she is going with this, except to say that she wishes there were more reality-based blogs and vlogs or other media which addressed the true day-to-day mundane poker antics of this sport (or hobby or business). If you start a blog or vlog out at low stakes, and fail or don’t move up, please keep v/blogging. If you quit, be honest about why. If you move up, don’t let the fame go to your head and forget your roots. Invite the low-stake, peasant grinders to your events instead of just the beautiful, rich, and popular. I think it behooves EVERY ONE out there to remember that the game (sport) of poker is an equal playing field, and while there may be an edge with the right discipline, chances are you got to the elite few mostly by luck and winning flips, or by who you know. The edge of skill and knowledge in poker is not that big. Admit it, it is not Jeopardy.
Poker success is akin to acting success. There are thousands and thousands of wanna be Hollywooders out there, many many many of them excellent actors. Getting that one part for that one show that will be a hit is the key, and it means lots and lots of work, and no matter how much hustle you have, it may never happen. It could happen on your first try, or after excessive amounts of garbage on your resume. Once you are there, if ever, you may be a one-hit-wonder. Sure, as a poker player you may be hanging with the glam and rich for a while, but if you can’t sustain, then say goodbye to the perks, ala Topher Grace.
Flynn the Fabulous Degenerate Drunk Poker Playing Flamingo has met many poker celebs, as has his handler. Frankly, most celebs were courteous but disinterested. Flynn and handler don’t meet the qualifications to warrant more than a ‘nice to meet you’, Flynn is not rich. Flynn has not moved to the top 85 percentile of the Hendon Mob and he doesn’t play in Bobby’s Room or whatever it is called now. Fair enough.
There have been a select few who have bent over to show their humanity and equalness. Oddly enough, an eon ago we ran into Annette Obrestad outside the Aria. She was waiting to play with friends who played low-stakes, and they didn’t have her bankroll. She voluntarily hung out with Flynn & Ollie and just chatted about poker, the mundane, and seemed genuinely interested. No ego showing. She quit poker.
Glamourous poker houses, fancy studios, parties for winners-the famous-the popular only are nice for those who are a part of that clique. For the rest of us, it is exclusionary, like walking past first class to the back of the plane. It is also not the reality of poker, whether it be recreational or professional. Most of the plane is coach.
Let us convince Allen Kessler to put out a vlog for a few months of his life (someone else would have to pay for production, of course). Flynn wants to see him sitting at tournament tables for hours on end, min cashing, making never-ending travel arrangements, eating economically, sluffing suitcases around, and finding rides to the airport. THIS would be tournament poker reality, even if he is a successful player it would show the true colors of the poker life. DNegs on private jets is not. Most of us cannot afford to play credit-card roulette with 8 other people at Javier’s.
Flynn wants to follow the lives of 1/3 or 2/5 or 5/10 cash players, grinders and recs. He wants to watch (read) vlog or blogs that are based on reality of day to day life, not on edited significant (and usually winning) hands. Do you pack food, how many hours a day is spent playing and/or studying, how much sleep do you get, when do you sleep, how do you handle health care, budget, family? Where did your bankroll originate, and above all else, an honest accounting of the ups and downs financially. How much, if any, is your internet presence bringing in or costing, has it been even partially responsible for your success or failure? For sure, these vlogs are out there: the OG Tim Trooper97 does/did a good job with this, especially in his starting-out days. Tim’s vlogs got fancy, more creative, and brought him money and more diverse business ventures. We have watched his day-to-day life change, but in a normal human way, not in a “I am a big shot popular fancy” way, and his poker-playing success has NOT changed – he plays the same stakes as we have always seen him play. OMC (Chris) has a very very honest vlog about his life, budget, and poker tribulations at low stakes.
More common person vlogs, less Housewives of Poker, please. Because, yeah, we want to live that life but it just ain’t reality for most of us. Flynn is still hustling from audition to audition, between shifts at the Cheesecake Factory. (<- anyone know this reference?) He needs to know there are others like him.
He is jealous.
Fin
Flynn
This truth should be widely shouted from the rooftops along the strip and all other poker houses!
This is motivation for a low stakes player with a regular job (or 2!) like myself. I actually have a new challenge beginning next week! Working 7 days a week and playing at least 1 night a week. I’m tired already just typing that. Will be posting weekly blog. Would love to vlog but I simply don’t have enough hours in the day to edit. First blog of new challenge next week!! LFG dave_has_aces
This is my favorite blog post that you have written. Truly worthy of publication that would expose it to the large poker community. 😀
High praise indeed! Thanks for that! It clearly touched poker players in varied ways, which we think is a good thing. And, no drama involved.
“Good Jealous”