Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

Read the following, from today's Card Player.com's coverage of the Doyle Brunson North American Classic:

"Tournament Director Jack McClelland just stopped play in the middle of level six for an announcement. After play concluded last night players were treated to a free buffet. Allegedly, a few of the "famous players" were abusive to the buffet staff, and the incident was brought to McClelland's attention. This prompted McClelland to issue a warning: any player who is abusive to buffet staff will be assessed at least a 30-minute penalty. "Behave like ladies and gentlemen," McClelland demanded, "or you can go down the street and pay for dinner."

This raises the question - why can't poker players, especially the famous ones, behave? I had always heard stories about dealers being treated terribly by some of the top professionals, but I guess I naively thought players kept their antics to the poker tables.

Personally, I think if a tournament player is "abusive" to anybody involved in the tournament or the hotel hosting the event, that they should be disqualified from the tournament and blinded off. It is the player's privilege to compete. There is no entitlement that allows players to throw temper tantrums, or act like children.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

Lots of these "famous players" just think they are too good for everyone else and that you must bow to their wishes at any and all times. Yet the casino is making the same money off them as the guy playing 2/5 NL.

As far as I'm concerned, these pricks can go Fck themselves. Guys like Johnny Chan, Sammi Farha and so on are total assholes.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

I'm sure several of the "famous players" were complaining about Harrah's giving players a $10 food coupon at the WSOP this year. Then they get a free buffet at the Bellagio and they act like jerks. Of course not knowing all the details, it seems Harrah's had the right idea.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

I would guess (I have no numbers to back this up) that a higher percentage of poker pros are single (vs. non-poker pros). See, to accel at poker, you need to have a certain "me first", greedy, cut-throat personality. That does not lend itself to good family relationships.

It also doesn't lend itself to treating others with respect.

Or, simply put...bad behaviour "comes with the territory"

Josh

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

There are famous people who are jerks and There are non-famous people who are jerks. But how often do you hear rumors on the web or in tabloids about John Doe being abusive to wait staff compared to how often you hear the same story about a famous person?

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I would guess (I have no numbers to back this up) that a higher percentage of poker pros are single (vs. non-poker pros). See, to accel at poker, you need to have a certain "me first", greedy, cut-throat personality. That does not lend itself to good family relationships.

It also doesn't lend itself to treating others with respect.

Or, simply put...bad behaviour "comes with the territory"

Josh

[/ QUOTE ]

Bullshit. Even if it isn't bullshit, that still doesn't validate the bad behavior of some famous players.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I would guess (I have no numbers to back this up) that a higher percentage of poker pros are single (vs. non-poker pros). See, to accel at poker, you need to have a certain "me first", greedy, cut-throat personality. That does not lend itself to good family relationships.

It also doesn't lend itself to treating others with respect.

Or, simply put...bad behaviour "comes with the territory"

Josh

[/ QUOTE ]

But which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

[ QUOTE ]
This raises the question - why can't poker players, especially the famous ones, behave? I had always heard stories about dealers being treated terribly by some of the top professionals, but I guess I naively thought players kept their antics to the poker tables.

[/ QUOTE ]

It has nothing to do with poker. Some people are butt-heads, no matter what profession they are in. Public figures who are butt-heads are more obvious, but no worse than the ones you never hear about. The poker player berating a buffet server is just as big a butt-head as the guy in line next to you in the store talking loudly into his cell phone.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

Must be really sad when you have to be abusive to the buffet helpers.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

If anyone is abusive or disrespectful, regardless of fame or wealth, they should get thrown out. It really is that simple.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

I really can't stand people who are jerks to low-wage workers. They're on the job so they can't leave or respond without getting in trouble and it's not like they don't have enough difficulty in their lives as is.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Must be really sad when you have to be abusive to the buffet helpers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Small people have to pump up their puny little egos wherever they can. Buffet servers can't react, at risk of losing their luxurious positions.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

There's an old expression that being treated special takes about 5 minutes to get used to, and an entire lifetime to get over. Possibly the wait staff didn't recognize them. They need to grow up.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I really can't stand people who are jerks to low-wage workers. They're on the job so they can't leave or respond without getting in trouble and it's not like they don't have enough difficulty in their lives as is.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed.

Ill take it one step further, people who are doing their jobs whether its low wage workers, such as dealers to well paid workers such as the guy in charge of the poker room have a really difficult job and deserve respect. Life is too hard to have to deal with jerks mistreating you while you are trying to do your job. I dont work in a casino, but ive seen some old people really treat people who are trying to work like garbage.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

Who cares?

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

Poker players can't behave because most of them are selfish dicks, myself included.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

What could a buffet worker possibly have done to piss someone off to such an extent? WOW!!

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would guess (I have no numbers to back this up) that a higher percentage of poker pros are single (vs. non-poker pros). See, to accel at poker, you need to have a certain "me first", greedy, cut-throat personality. That does not lend itself to good family relationships.

It also doesn't lend itself to treating others with respect.

Or, simply put...bad behaviour "comes with the territory"

Josh

[/ QUOTE ]

But which came first, the chicken or the egg?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure if this is a serious question or not, but my answer would be "it doesn't matter".

If people with lousy manners flocked to poker or if poker 'created' lousy mannered individuals, the fact is that there are a lot of lousy mannered people in poker. Not all. I won't even say "most". But lots.

Josh

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

[ QUOTE ]



Ill take it one step further, people who are doing their jobs whether its low wage workers, such as dealers to well paid workers such as the guy in charge of the poker room.

[/ QUOTE ]

Most dealers make good money. The floor often makes less than the dealer. The guy who runs the room does well.

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

Tourney Directors and Casino managers are often
abusive to their staff, I don't see anyone badmouthing
them. That is, Everyone at fault should be badmouthed
equally [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

was it you or Al Capone who told me the story of dealing in the big game and one of you said you'd rather just deal in the main room - too much stress and no tips and everyone was an [censored].

RB

A Better Question
 

Yes, there is a disproportionately high percentage of absolute walking anuses in the poker world. It's one of the things that makes me not want to play anymore, etc etc.

A better question is this: Why the f*ck even GO to the buffet in the first place? I mean, you know that the entire tournament is running over there, PLUS the usual dinner crowd.

So there you are, relatively well-off financially, and you're gonna stand in a line for twenty minutes to eat at the buffet to save what would amount to one half of one big bet (tax deductible) in your usual game.

Duh.

I am nowhere near as financially comfortable as a lot of these guys, and I invariably give the coupon to somebody, get up and walk at a brisk pace to the furthest point from the poker room, so that I might eat in peace.

I mean, does what I am saying make any sense?

Re: A Better Question
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, there is a disproportionately high percentage of absolute walking anuses in the poker world. It's one of the things that makes me not want to play anymore, etc etc.

A better question is this: Why the f*ck even GO to the buffet in the first place? I mean, you know that the entire tournament is running over there, PLUS the usual dinner crowd.

So there you are, relatively well-off financially, and you're gonna stand in a line for twenty minutes to eat at the buffet to save what would amount to one half of one big bet (tax deductible) in your usual game.

Duh.

I am nowhere near as financially comfortable as a lot of these guys, and I invariably give the coupon to somebody, get up and walk at a brisk pace to the furthest point from the poker room, so that I might eat in peace.

I mean, does what I am saying make any sense?

[/ QUOTE ]

Completely! The last thing I would want to do while involved in a tournament is to eat with the people that I'm playing agianst - espeically if they were/are jerks.

I would do the same as you - give the free lunch to someone who really wants it and go some place else. The price of the meal is the cost of donig business.

Reminds me a little (but not to the same scale) of when I lived in Florida. A friend/acquaintance of mine is married to a someone who makes good money, they live in an expensive house, drive nice cars, and so on. When they bought their generator after the second hurricane to hit the state last year, they were the first in line to ask FEMA for a voucher on that generator.

I don't get it.

Re: A Better Question
 

Makes perfect sense. I'm the same way. Although, don't necessarily assume that most of these folks are more financially secure than you are. Most, I would say, are living day to day, often having to beg and borrow their entry fees, etc.

Because most of these folks' bankroll is always "in play", so to speak, this is a very low level of financial security.

Because of this constant stress and guilt about not having a more productive job, they have more of a tendency to act like asses, to make up for and hide their own insecurities and shortcomings.

TSP

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

[ QUOTE ]
If anyone is abusive or disrespectful, regardless of fame or wealth, they should get punched out. It really is that simple.

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

Re: Why Can\'t Poker Players Behave?
 

It can be very dangerous to your health to be abusive to someone who handles your food.

Re: A Better Question
 

That's what I do/did (except I usually keep the coupon and save it for a future date assuming it doesn't expire for a few days).


If I'm unable to beat the crowd of poker-players and be one of the first one to the buffet then I'm skipping it and it's not even close.
If it means getting a burger at whatever snack-bar in the casino then that's what I'm doing.


I have no idea what the situation with these guys was...but I'm assuming that it had something to do with the buffet going too slowly and these guys needed to make it back before play resumed.


Why anyone who has been to an event or three wouldn't see in advance that it's probably too crowded and they aren't going to make it is beyond me.
Even NEVER having been to an event before I could just kind of look at the line and make a judgement about whether there will be enough time.