Poker is as valid as any other passion
I think it's interesting to note that if I was a diligent student, spending all of my hours studying and sacrificing social activities in the pursuit of academic glory, that most would consider this an honorable (though perhaps not desirable) endeavor. In fact, I think the university hands out awards for such academic excellence accomplished through such sacrifice. And this reverence we hold for others isn't limited to academic pursuits. A similar respect is extended to those who seek to better themselves at music, athletics, art, chess, bridge or scrabble. What we value in these people is their passion, and, to varying degrees, their fighting competetive spirit.
Why don't people extend this same degree of respect for something like Poker?
I think it's because there are those who treat poker like it's gambling, and it's pretty clear that we can't respect these degenerate gamblers.
The fallacy of a lot of people's view is that they take this as their sole view of the poker player, and group poker with other forms of definitionally minus expected value games like blackjack and roulette — where it's called gambling because you have no way of winning.
But poker is a game of skill; if you are a stronger poker player than your advesaries, you will make money. It has elements of chance, but the game plays a lot more like chess with dice than blackjack. Of course the risk of financial ruin leads to a slew of socially undesirable states of affairs; and on the other hand, the allure of making excessive amounts of cash draws the clueless as well. There are dangers from all streets. But with a well-informed view of what the game is about, and how true players of the game approach it, it's just another form of competition, and to some, another form of art.
What if you knew Mike Sandberg was a winning player, treats poker like the rest of society treats their job, and on top of it, is passionate about the competetive aspects of the game? Really, how far afield is this from the dedicated student who works to ensure a good job in the future? Or the musician who spends all their time practicing for recitals?
Phillip Wei '05
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