The Poker Press
Another month, another issue of Poker Europa. Well, I haven’t seen the latest issue yet but I have read this on the Internet :
Ban Sunglasses
And what utter nonsense it is. On a par with the issue of taking drugs in athletics my arse. The problem with performance enhancing drugs is that they are extraordinarily bad for you in the long term. Florence Griffith-Joyner for example (Flo-Jo as you may remember her) dropped dead before she reached 40. If drugs were allowed (as some people propose), you would have to say to teenage athletes “well son, you’ve got all the talent in the world but if you want to win anything you’re going to have to shorten your life by 30 years”. And that’s why they’re not allowed. To compare that with perching sunglasses on your nose in a vain attempt to make yourself unreadable you would have to be either six years old or insane or both.
There’s a lot else I don’t like about that article which mostly boils down to TV saying “jump” and poker being expected to say “how high” instead of what it should say – either “no you go and jump” or “only if you give us lots of money”. But although this article is stupid, it’s not actually insulting (except to our intelligence). There have been other instances where Poker Europa has, I think, stepped over the line. When pressed on this, Nic Szeremata and the poker operators for whose benefit the magazine is published fall back on three arguments : it’s free ; it was just a joke ; and it’s someone’s opinion not mine. It’s hard to decide which of these defences is the lamest. I’d have more respect for them if they just said “so what” rather than coming out with these piss-poor excuses.
It’s not all bad. Nothing’s all good or bad in the end. I am told there is an excellent piece in the latest issue by Simon Trumper which talks about the downside of playing the tournament circuit. And they printed a review of my software for which I was, and still am, very grateful. But it could be a lot better if the publishers took a bit more responsibility for the quality of what they print, and for the effect it might have on the game. Just someone’s opinion – mine !
Ban Sunglasses
And what utter nonsense it is. On a par with the issue of taking drugs in athletics my arse. The problem with performance enhancing drugs is that they are extraordinarily bad for you in the long term. Florence Griffith-Joyner for example (Flo-Jo as you may remember her) dropped dead before she reached 40. If drugs were allowed (as some people propose), you would have to say to teenage athletes “well son, you’ve got all the talent in the world but if you want to win anything you’re going to have to shorten your life by 30 years”. And that’s why they’re not allowed. To compare that with perching sunglasses on your nose in a vain attempt to make yourself unreadable you would have to be either six years old or insane or both.
There’s a lot else I don’t like about that article which mostly boils down to TV saying “jump” and poker being expected to say “how high” instead of what it should say – either “no you go and jump” or “only if you give us lots of money”. But although this article is stupid, it’s not actually insulting (except to our intelligence). There have been other instances where Poker Europa has, I think, stepped over the line. When pressed on this, Nic Szeremata and the poker operators for whose benefit the magazine is published fall back on three arguments : it’s free ; it was just a joke ; and it’s someone’s opinion not mine. It’s hard to decide which of these defences is the lamest. I’d have more respect for them if they just said “so what” rather than coming out with these piss-poor excuses.
It’s not all bad. Nothing’s all good or bad in the end. I am told there is an excellent piece in the latest issue by Simon Trumper which talks about the downside of playing the tournament circuit. And they printed a review of my software for which I was, and still am, very grateful. But it could be a lot better if the publishers took a bit more responsibility for the quality of what they print, and for the effect it might have on the game. Just someone’s opinion – mine !
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