Raymer is a Champion Who 'Gets It' – A well-earned tribute

After spending a week in Vegas at the World Series of Poker, the endless stream of parties, side action, and business left me so exhausted that I had to leave town before day eight of the "big one." Thanks to the tremendous coverage on CardPlayer.com, however, I might as well have been sitting at Binion's Horseshoe as the drama unfolded.

After exhausting all of the material on Card Player's website, I checked out a great article by Chicago Tribune and ESPN.com columnist Steve Rosenbloom. He took direct aim at the players who complain when their opponents play poorly. "There are few things said in poker these days that are dumber than, 'How could he call me with a hand like that?''' Rosenbloom, author of the forthcoming The Best Hand I Ever Played, had been at the World Series for six weeks and had grown tired of hearing the pros complain about their opponents' poor play. His answer to the question was equal parts simplicity and brilliance: "Because he thought he could win."Just after reading this column, I got a phone call from my brother, who had just finished watching the 2004 WSOP on ESPN with commentary from Greg Raymer. "What a smart, insightful guy," my brother said of Raymer. "Not only was I entertained, but I really learned a lot from watching him." Before we even hung up the phone, I hit refresh on my computer, only to find that Raymer had just busted out of the 2005 WSOP in 25th place. On his ESPN exit interview, Raymer said he was very pleased with how he played. "Poker is not about results. It is about making good decisions." Rather than tell a bad-beat story or criticize his opponents, he said, "I got in with the best hand each time," and seemed more delighted by his decisions than frustrated by the outcomes. He displayed poise and graciousness in spite of the fact that he had two red kings against Aaron Kanter's Q J with a flop of 6 5 3, only to see Kanter make a backdoor flush.

Yet Raymer, even when he was on the rail, seemed to have it all in perspective. He didn't question how his opponent could have called; he reveled in the fact that these bad calls by his opponents have enabled him to make a living playing the game he loves. And whether he knows it or not, his actions alone make him a tremendous teacher.

I must use the expression "decisions not outcomes" at least a dozen times a week, and for all the lessons I've learned from poker, this is the most important. Keep focusing on making the right decisions, I tell myself constantly, and the short-term outcomes are irrelevant. I even went so far as to ban the word "hope" in my company. To hope is to focus on outcomes. To work, to think, and to strategize is to focus on success. Or, put more simply by Doyle Brunson, "Luck follows a backbone, not a wishbone."

With equal grace as the winner in 2004 and the unlucky recipient of a tough beat in 2005, Greg Raymer epitomizes what it means to be a champion. And while 2005 winner Joseph Hachem might have pocketed $2.5 million more than Raymer did, he has his work cut out for him when it comes to emulating the class of the 2004 champ.

Greg Dinkin is the co-founder of Venture Literary, www.ventureliteray.com , and the author of three books, including The Poker MBA. He gives keynote speeches and seminars, and can be contacted at www.thepokermba.com .