Poker - the U.S. Versus the World

As I write this, it is only late January and I've already played in tournaments in Dublin, Ireland, and Melbourne, Australia. American tournament organizers could learn a lot about how to treat players and advertisers (including websites) from them. They sure care a lot more about making players feel valued and respected than the U.S. tournament organizers do. In Melbourne, the Australian Open tennis tournament was happening at the same time as the Crown Casino's Aussie Millions poker tournament, and most of the stars of both were staying in the Crown Casino's hotel. There were many sightings of Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Martina Hingis in the restaurants, lobbies, elevators, and the gym. There were huge posters of stars everywhere - including Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Clonie Gowen. But, again, Australia and Ireland follow the English tradition of allowing gambling and loving the successful punters. In Ireland, there seems to be a local bookmaker on every block.

Meanwhile, the United States is continuing to make life difficult for gamblers. Note that the only countries that seem to see gambling as evil are the Fundamentalist Muslim countries, Communist China, and the United States. The Department of Justice is actively going after sportsbooks and the companies that facilitate their financial transactions. So far, those companies restricting themselves solely to poker have been spared. But perhaps the government doesn't see all gambling as evil. In New York City, poker clubs have been put out of business. Horse racing and lotteries, which require the least skill and have the largest vigorish (rake), are flourishing. What's wrong with this picture? I recommend that everyone join one of the poker players groups, like the Poker Players Alliance, that are lobbying for poker. I also would like to see as many people as possible write or call their congressmen and make known their thoughts on legalizing and regulating poker. Hopefully, within a year or two, poker will be permitted, or at least exempted from prosecution.

At least televised poker is thriving. The newest entry is Late Night Poker on NBC. This show features great players (OK, some of us think we're great) in a sit-and-go style of tournament in five segments. Nearly every hand is shown. This means that in the early segments, you can see how the pros handle deep-stack poker, while the later segments are the familiar crapshoot, all-in-before-the-flop style that is so common at final tables. There is less "expert" commentary and more uncensored player chat than usual. The segment I was on had what has been characterized as a "Phil Hellmuth tantrum," and many people have asked me about it. (It is available for viewing on YouTube if you're interested in seeing it.)

Phil Hellmuth probably has the best hold'em tournament record of any player, and he may well be the best tournament hold'em player. He was having a bad day with regard to cards, and a lot of reasonable decisions turned out badly. The fact that he is a very fierce competitor (with a big ego) who doesn't take defeat well, combined with the fact that a number of us were giving him a hard time, caused him to overreact to our table-talk. While it made for exciting television, I don't think it was that big a deal. We all have our own ways of reacting to adversity. I liken my reaction to that of a sick elephant that quietly leaves the herd and goes off into the woods to die alone. Elephants may not like to go to a local dive bar to drown their sorrows as much as I do, but they don't have the opportunity, either. Obviously, the most constructive thing to do is follow Phil Ivey's model, and win or lose, try to analyze what you did so that you can improve on it the next time.

Here's one final note: Gus Hansen won that segment of Late Night Poker, and also won the Aussie Millions. He is not only a great poker player and a great backgammon player, but he also has a great temperament for poker, and usually seems to be enjoying himself at the table. He also has a constructive method of dealing with losses. He hits the gym for a tough workout: Mens sana in corpore sano.

Steve "Zee" Zolotow, aka The Bald Eagle, is a successful games player. he currently devotes most of his time to poker. he can be found at many major tournaments and playing on Full Tilt, as one of its pros. When escaping from poker, he hangs out in his bar, Nice Guy Eddie's on Houston and Avenue A in New York City.