Really stupid letter to the editor...

[bdypdx]

This last Sunday, July 4th, The Oregonian had a front page article about Annie Duke and her poker playing and how she now resides in Portland. A decent article actually, continuing with another full page in the front section.

Anyway, this inanity shows up in the opinion section today:""

Don't glorify addictions
Wednesday, July 07, 2004

Your front-page article "Portland resident antes up for a poker life" (July 4) performed a public disservice by glorifying gambling.
You repeatedly state how much money a professional gambler can rake in (up to millions of dollars at a time) and never mention that, for every successful gambler, there are hundreds or thousands whose lives and families are destroyed.

You promote the profession of gambling as a good career path for the young, noting that last year's second-place winner in the World Series, who "pocketed $3.5 million, is a 23-year old college student."

Why should anyone pursue an education? The Portland-based gambling pro's brother dropped out of college in order to gamble. He "played 70 hours straight in a cocaine-bent game" and "transformed himself" into the "Zen-like 'Professor of Poker' who won more than a half-million dollars in two televised tournaments last year."

You describe casinos as "elegant" and poker players as "intelligent." You state that the Portland-based gambling pro "pals around" with movie star Ben Affleck. What a groovy lifestyle! Please stop glorifying addictions, particularly on Page One.

DAN MEEK Southwest Portland""

I shrug at this as I head off to the cardroom...

-bdy

[jwvdcw]

So everyone who plays poker for a living is addicted??

[cardcounter0]

Everyone who plays poker period. Not just for a living.

(Obviously written by a 10 step program member)

[GoblinMason (Craig)]

Ok, I'm convinced. Time to cash out and donate ill-gotten gains to charity.

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
This last Sunday, July 4th, The Oregonian had a front page article about Annie Duke and her poker playing and how she now resides in Portland. A decent article actually, continuing with another full page in the front section.

Anyway, this inanity shows up in the opinion section today:""

Don't glorify addictions
Wednesday, July 07, 2004

Your front-page article "Portland resident antes up for a poker life" (July 4) performed a public disservice by glorifying gambling.
You repeatedly state how much money a professional gambler can rake in (up to millions of dollars at a time) and never mention that, for every successful gambler, there are hundreds or thousands whose lives and families are destroyed.

You promote the profession of gambling as a good career path for the young, noting that last year's second-place winner in the World Series, who "pocketed $3.5 million, is a 23-year old college student."

Why should anyone pursue an education? The Portland-based gambling pro's brother dropped out of college in order to gamble. He "played 70 hours straight in a cocaine-bent game" and "transformed himself" into the "Zen-like 'Professor of Poker' who won more than a half-million dollars in two televised tournaments last year."

You describe casinos as "elegant" and poker players as "intelligent." You state that the Portland-based gambling pro "pals around" with movie star Ben Affleck. What a groovy lifestyle! Please stop glorifying addictions, particularly on Page One.

DAN MEEK Southwest Portland""

I shrug at this as I head off to the cardroom...

-bdy

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah this sounds like my boss at my summer job (6 years running), i tell her i've been playing a lot of poker and she immediatly tells me to quit before i ruin my life (her dad choked away a ton of money, as did her good friends brother). i tried to explain it as best i could but she still considers myself to be incredibly lucky after studying for tons of hours and playing around 150,000 hands and that i should quit now because i am an intelligent person who shouldn't throw their life away gambling.

[youtalkfunny]

My mother still thinks that way. I think if I won the WSOP, she'd still think I just got lucky, and that I'd be very likely to lose it all back ($5M plus) the next time I played.

A few years ago, she came out to Vegas to visit, and brought her best friend for the trip. I took them out to see a show at the MGM, and while we waited for the theater to open, I ran over to the sportsbook to see if they had posted a series price on the Stanley Cup finals. When I saw the MGM's price, I got very excited--I had found a nice middle.

So I'm trying to explain to my mother what a "middle" is. And of course, as soon as she hears words like, "Can't lose" and "no risk", she turns to her friend and asks, "Can you believe he STILL thinks like this?"

[ElSapo]

While I think the letter is fairly silly and uneducated, if the article really did lay out the life of a professional gambler in all those terms than isn't it just as one sided as the letter?

There probably is a tendancy to glorify the game and the so-called life of a professional gambler in terms that make it elegant and simply. That's easily as misleading as the letter, no?

On the other hand, I didn't read the article so I could well be far, far off.

ElSapo

[pokeraz]

I am not sure why you call it a really stupid letter. I understand the writer's concern as I have felt it myself. Poker, and by extension gambling, has been glorified over the last couple of years with the poker explosion. No real effort has been given to show the other side of what can happen to degenerate gamblers. As poker players here, we all know that there are plenty of losers. We all know plenty of people in our circles who are constantly losing money they cannot afford to lose. We all know people whose lives have been destroyed by gambling and all the ills that come along with it. Are there intelligent poker players? Yes, but for everyone intelligent one, there are hundreds of fools. That's how we profit. None of that is being talked about. Are there people who can gamble responsibly? Of course. Are there a lot more people who are hurt by gambling than helped? Without a doubt.

Sure, the letter may not describe your situation, but I bet it describes someone you know.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

If you're looking for wisdom, stop reading letters to the editor. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[B Dids]

It's stupid not because of the message (although it's with which I don't agree), but because of the way it delivers the message. There's not really an argument put forth, it's just "gambling=bad, so don't promote it".