Rather be Otis … or … (What are friends?)

A lot of decent, blogging players I run across. That really became obvious when I read the latest puff piece on Phil Helmuth. It is one of those Entertainment Tonight kind of pieces in our articles section.

Why Otis for the example? Well, why not? He just got done telling us he was lucky and comfortable in life. He can have his fun but the perspective revolves around him and not what the outside world must do for him for his success.

Helmuth, for me at least, is a train wreck. In the rugged good looks category, Otis certainly holds his own against him and avoids looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy when he isn’t watching his weight closely. Otis certainly could tilt a bit and talk a bit of trash. But, he manages humor in his approach without going for the jugular. Compare that to the Helmuthian rants.

One of the signs of health is to be comfortable in your skin with people you enjoy for who they are. By who they are, I don’t mean in they must be celebs. I mean they must be people you enjoy spending time with and can respect. Miss Lindsey’s piece underscores the difference. If you’re Otis friend and slip up, he tries to help. If you Phil’s bud and fall off the red carpet, I don’t think he carries any life lines. Friends in Phil’s little black book seem to be rank on how well they can get him tickets or other perks.

We had a blogger here with that kind of mindset early on. He even kept dropping Robin Leach in his buddy list pimpage. It screams friends based on what they do for me. I don’t call that a really healthy relationship.

I remain unimpressed in the true world of poker too. Doyle only has 10 bracelets. He’s done it with modest effort. The WSOP has played a small part in his poker life. Until the big push, it was a bit of summer fun where he could visit old friends and play the side games. He doesn’t seem as comfortable with it changing into something else. He has continued to have success in the revised format but it is understated. He still knows how to put his pants on.

I guess Daniel Negreanu might be compared to Phil. He’s certainly played the press and fame part of it as well or better. Yet, what comes across is that the friends of his youth are as loved and respected as they were when he was a street hustler in Canada. Friendships don’t come with perks or demands. They come from the man and reflect who he is.

I am far from the poker limelight. I enjoy what I do at poker in its own right and in my perspective. I have pretty well managed to avoid disparaging remarks at the table. I’ve tilted on some beats at the blood vessel popping level, I will freely admit. I then smack the close button instead of entering chat mode to denigrate my opponent. My goal at the tables hasn’t been to destroy the other player as a person but as a player. If I get in a dig, it isn’t a jugular move. If I’m facetious and he misses that, it helps me untilt. That certainly doesn’t make me a wonderful person but it lets me retain a bit of self-respect in the process.

Otis, Doyle, and Daniel don’t require adulation. They are comfortable in their skin and don’t ask for more. So, guess who gets my adulation at this point.

I could add to the list quite easily. Kenna and his lovely wife probably can’t make Helmuth’s A-list but the can make mine. There is Ted Forest, Chris Ferguson and a long list of poker folks that seem real. I’ll never be on their friends list but I don’t expect they’ll look to use me either. I respect that.

ADDENDUM:

It seems that even governments friendly to a wager can’t get it right either. The UK’s state-owned bookmaker, the Tote, has said that it will relocate its online casino operations to Alderney in order to freely advertise in the UK and benefit from the licensing jurisdiction’s favorable tax break.

The move should be an embarrassment to the government which last year introduced a 15% remote gaming tax in a bid to lure the online gaming industry to the UK, but which had the opposite effect of driving gaming businesses (and jobs) out of the country.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 31st, 2007 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Poker Thoughts. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.