Important issue 6

(first written 1-12-2006)

I do believe this next topic can be considered an issue. Not a bad one, but something that spends way too much time on TV. And that alone grabs my attention very quickly. You’ve seen it just about everywhere. There is no escaping its endless boredom. It has you! No it’s not the matrix, but close, its poker.
I have nothing to hide. I like poker. I have been swept up by the poker craze. I play it, I watch it; how pathetic is that. Almost as unimpressive as watching bowling. Yeah they may be good, but I can go do that any time. You know I take that back. Bowling has a certain element to it. At least you can’t play it anywhere. Baseball and football can be played at anytime, so long as you have the right equipment. And tennis, volleyball, racket-ball, and all other variants on that sport can be played with a little imagination.
Back to poker: when watching it, I feel that the commentators are poorly qualified to talk about it. I have some ideas about how to make it more interesting to everyone. To start, they commentators should be talking about things similar to the conversation on fishing shows. That way people actually concentrate on what is actually happening and not on how old the commentator’s jacket is or how many ex-wives they have. Those things, especially the latter should not be commented on, particularly because they have nothing to do with the action going on.
That leads me to my next point. The word action must be taken out of the poker dictionary. Under no means can I classify what they do as action. Because usually action is synonymous with excitement and in no way, shape, or form is it exciting. It’s interesting... I will say that. The word action can generally be substituted with the word play. That is a much more friendly term and is not just an outright lie.
Another problem from that nice seg-way: gambling promotes lying. And stealing: they often say “that pot was stolen”. Stealing, lying, gambling, and all the alcohol can’t be a good influence on all the eight to ninety year olds watching the program.
Quick break; I guarantee you that you will never hear the commentators notice that a persons ‘play’ was bad because they had too much alcohol. It is barely seen on TV anymore but it is there. It has to be, or else they would let me, an underage drinker, in their casinos. But they don’t. Why? Because there is alcohol I could potentially drink and get them in trouble.
Back on subject: so yeah, I think they should do a better job, making everyone more aware of all the sin involved in gambling. To do this would be easy. Just explain the ruin that is the people’s lives who lost and how they should have spent that ten grand on something more valuable. Like a new washer and dryer, some jewelry; maybe an engagement ring. Certainly not wasted playing a game that is a one in ten chance to make a profit, assuming you are any good at all. (Quick note: over the last two years, over 5 people have lost the main event tournament in the first thirty minutes. They spent money on plane tickets, hotel rooms, and food only to spend thirty minutes wasting 10,000 dollars. {Better luck next year}).
My point is simple: don’t gamble… all the time. Do it socially, never exclusively for the money. The money can be important but your life should not rest on the money you are winning or losing…ever! And if you have a problem, seek help.

Well that’s it for now. Later-z. (I added the z to make it look cool. Did it work?)
-Sam D

P.S. last side note: only one other person on this list (aside from me) actually plays poker with any regularity. But I’m sure the rest of you enjoyed my ranting just the same.