DID
I REALLY SAY THAT?
BY:
Russ Fox
"I
really didn't say everything I said."
-- Yogi Berra
I'm
disgusted by some of the behavior I'm
seeing on television. OK, you're laughing
at me and thinking, "How can anyone be
surprised with what they see on television
these days?" Yes, that might be correct
if I was talking about the latest situation
comedy. However, I've been watching poker.
In
the past two weeks I've seen:
�
A player, after he was eliminated from
a major tournament, tell one of the two
remaining players, to, "get that mother******."
�
A player, after he won a pot by bluffing,
tell the other player that he has no *****.
I've
seen other incidents, too, that are similar
to these. Haven't they heard of the Golden
Rule?
I
should point out that I've also seen some
isolated incidents of sportsmanship. One
player, when he suffered a loss on the
river (he was an 82% favorite going into
the river) was visibly annoyed. However,
he then smiled, sat down, and got ready
for the next hand. A player who was eliminated
on that same hand did not yell at one
of the other players for calling (and
then eliminating him). He noted that he
probably should have folded the hand on
the turn (rather than going all-in).
Television
seeks out excitement. Boring hands are
rarely going to be shown. For example,
suppose (in a no-limit hold'em tournament)
that I raise and no one calls. Is that
hand going to be shown on a telecast?
I doubt it. But if I exclaim that you're
a ****** idiot there's a decent chance
that it will be shown.
Politicians
have known of the impact of television
for years. When a politician goes on a
Sunday news show, he will not joke
before or after his interview because
there are cameras around and even though
the joke would not likely be shown any
chance is too much. Unfortunately, poker
players for the most part do not exhibit
excellence in behavior.
What does this have to do with Omaha?
A lot, actually. The universe of Omaha
players at any club is small relative
to hold'em. For better or worse hold'em
is getting almost all of the television
airtime. More players are playing hold'em
than Omaha. That does not mean
that the Omaha games are bad - in fact,
last Saturday I played in a superb Omaha
game.
Let's
say that I act like an idiot at a hold'em
table. Some percentage of the players
at that table will consider me a jerk
and avoid playing with me. Let's say 4
of the other 8 players would consider
me a jerk. I have angered 50% of my opponents
at one table. However, there are many
hold'em tables in the cardroom, so I've
actually offended 1% of that universe
of hold'em players.
Now,
suppose I act in the same way at an Omaha
table. Again, I've angered 50% of my opponents
at that table. However, I may have angered
25% of the universe of Omaha players at
the cardroom I play at!
Good
Omaha players - and hopefully all of you
want to be a good player - cannot afford
to offend any of the other players. There
are so few winners in Omaha that it's
vital that a successful Omaha player be
a nice person. When you walk into the
cardroom be on your best behavior. Follow
your mother's advice, "Smile and make
a mother happy!" Remember, the person
you're smiling at is the one who will
be giving you his or her money!
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