As we know from being around poker players and the scene, the persona we see at the table is usually a trivial portion of our opponent’s full life, or occasionally, even a completely deceptive image. Professional poker player Ryan Schnabel, who can be seen in a tank top, tie, and[…]
Category: behavior
Poker and The Culture of Narcissism
Guest post and artwork from Porter today – P.You are a serious poker player. You post hand histories in the forums, subscribe to the poker training sites, and watch all the latest vlogs. You even have a coach. Yet you still aren’t crushing the games. Probably variance. But humor me[…]
Poker and Conscience
Recently a friend of mine sent me a photo he had taken of poker’s favorite villain. “I didn’t say hi,” he mentioned.No, it wasn’t Phil Hellmuth.Chris Ferguson is who I am talking about. Now smiles fade. The former owner, together with Howard Lederer, of Full Tilt Poker, not the most[…]
Cosa Nostra, or The History of an Illusion
In Where the Red Fern Grows, we learn about the one great weakness of a wily and dangerous creature. Tormented by greed and curiosity, the ferocious, clever, ever-wild scavenger – and his desirable pelt – is defeated and captured by a terribly simple trick: a shiny piece of metal nailed[…]
The Not For Tourists Guide to Pro Poker
In a coincidence of holiday planning, both RC and CLP put out media on deciding to become and be a professional poker player around Thanksgiving Day. I noticed this in the uneasy tranquility of my Borgata hotel room: a place, its view casting upon the metal grey of the boardwalk casinos and[…]
Luminaries II
As we wrap up another exciting year in poker, it’s hard to keep track of all the scandals and crimes – and so I don’t! That’s intentional. I’ll let news sites and other blogs handle the “top tens” and poker “tips,”as usual. However, some issues are so important they can’t[…]
Luminaries I
I spend a lot of time watching poker videos. The clicking of chips is often enough my own personal “Gentle Beach Sounds” that lull me into the brief death of sleep. I love the game, and it loves me. So, being a nobody in a surprisingly big industry, I must[…]
Poker Careers, Revisited
Not sure if it was a new article or not, but I saw a Tweet from Red Chip about the Top Poker Careers, and checked it out. The list is no doubt a good one, but here’s a few clarifications from my grubby vantage point in the low stakes:Entrepreneurs: the[…]
No One Nose
I can’t say I’m very interested in the Dr. Jacylnn Moskow/Nolan Dalla debacle itself. No one can know exactly what happened in the late night mists of personal ambition and industry politics, never mind under the pressures of the all-encompassing, 24/7 sexual marketplace; leaping to conclusions is a sign of bad[…]