Celebrities in Our Midst?

by Matt Lessinger

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Sure, a handful of celebrities (especially in the L.A. area) are known to frequent their local cardrooms. But what about online? I'd guess that quite a few famous personalities play online, and I wonder if anyone stops to consider that possibility.

Think about it. All kinds of performers spend lots of time traveling. There's only so much they can do in their free time. If they have the urge to gamble, they might avoid a brick-and-mortar (B&M) casino for any number of reasons. Maybe they don't want the public to know they are spending time gambling. Maybe they don't want to deal with everyone who recognizes them and wants to talk to them (if they're not in a particularly social mood). Or, it could simply be that there is no B&M casino wherever their travels have taken them.

So, they decide to gamble online. And because poker has become quite fashionable since the advent of the World Poker Tour ( WPT ) and televised poker in general, it becomes their game of choice. They play in one of the online cardrooms and find it to be an enjoyable experience. Before long, they are telling their friends (who might be celebrities, as well) to log on and check out a particular cardroom. Eventually, this phenomenon leads to many known personalities gracing our online tables. Only part of this is speculation, as I know for a fact that it is already happening to a certain extent.

Why Should We Care?

If for no other reason, I think it's an interesting thing to consider. You might assume the person sitting across from you in your online $5-$10 hold'em game is your average Joe, but he could be an actor, musician, athlete, you name it. Would that change the way you treated him? If you are already doing the right thing and treating all of your opponents respectfully, it wouldn't change your behavior (and kudos to you for setting a good example for others).

Unfortunately, quite a few online players are rude on a regular basis. They comprise a small minority of the general online population, but it takes only one unpleasant person typing in the chat box to make the game unpleasant for everyone. These same people may or may not be equally rude in a B&M cardroom, but when they are hiding behind an online pseudonym, they don't see any reason to censor their insulting or obnoxious remarks. So, they basically speak (or type, as it were) without thinking.

When I thought about the topic of celebrities, all I could think was how funny it would be if these rude people were actually insulting their favorite celebrity without knowing it. Maybe there's some small chance the thought of that will cause someone to behave more properly at online tables, and if so, this article was worthwhile. For my part, I stay pretty quiet when I'm playing online. But if I suddenly felt the urge to type a negative remark to an opponent, all I'd have to do is consider the possibility that I am about to insult Robert DeNiro, for example, and that would stop me faster than you could say, "You talkin' to me?" Of course, it shouldn't take a celebrity to get you to behave properly at poker tables, but if it helps, I won't knock it.

Behave Yourself Now, and Reap the Benefits Later

When something becomes cool in Hollywood , it becomes cool to the general public. Perhaps that is not the way things should be, but it would be tough to dispute that it's true. When an actress goes on a diet that enables her to lose 30 pounds, suddenly everyone wants to know what her fabulous diet was, and pretty soon thousands of people are trying to lose weight with it. But for the most part, such diets are only passing fads. They stay popular for maybe a year, and then lose their appeal.

As 2004 begins, poker is at a critical juncture. It could stay popular for years to come, or it could simply be the latest passing fad. Personally, I think the way new players are treated online will have a tremendous effect on how long poker stays popular, and that effect is magnified when new players are people in the public eye. If they come into a game and are welcomed, and everyone treats them in a friendly manner, poker could thrive well into the future.

In Closing

If you saw Celebrity Poker on Bravo , you should understand where I'm coming from. The celebrities were there to enjoy the game, and didn't even seem to care too much about winning. Many of them did not even have a complete grasp of the rules! The question is, how would you react if one of those players was at your online table? Would you tell him to go away and learn the rules rather than waste your time? Not only would that be rude, it would be pretty dense on your part! Don't you want new players at your table - especially ones who might be a little wealthier than you and I?

Instead, try your best to be helpful and courteous. Not only will it benefit everyone involved, for all you know you might be starting a friendship with one of your favorite celebrities.

Matt Lessinger's "Bet With Less" column appears in Card Player magazine. He can be found playing online at RoyalVegasPoker.com, where he is a member of its team of experts, and can be reached at mlessinger@hotmail.com.

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