[Myrtle]

Well, it’s now been 2 days since the smoke has cleared since Greg’s showing in the big one. Like many here on 2+2 , over the past week, I have spent an inordinate amount of time online (not playing as usual) but in relentlessly searching to get the latest updates as the field in the main event thinned down from a monstrous 2600.

Along with many other 2+2’ers, I posted thoughts & observations. I have had somewhat of an unique position in this regard, as Greg & I are good friends. Because of this, I thought that I would be able to offer some insights into Greg’s play and state of mind as the days wore on. It is my hope that what I offered shed some light on the situation to those who were following.

When the 88 hit the table and the bracelet now had Greg’s name on it, I was overjoyed for both Greg and his family. The victory has special meaning in that regard.

I have not posted here since then, as I was concerned that as many of you knew that Greg & I are good friends, that anything that I would post could easily be misconstrued. Good friends are a very important part of my life, and I am constantly on guard to protect their privacy, especially under circumstances like this. I shared this concern with one of the venerable “Pooh-Bahs” here at 2+2 in a PM. The response………. “I was surprised to not have seen a “fossilman” story from you. You guys are pretty close, no? Write away. Greg would do it for YOU. Many posters don't know him, and you should write something to help them understand him better.”

With that in mind, I’d like to share some things with my fellow 2+2’ers.

“Fossilman”, the poker player……..

We’ve played many tournaments and PL ring games together at Foxwoods. As I am a smoker, during the breaks, I always migrate to the smoking section to get my fair share of nicotine. I cannot tell you how many times during the past years that I’ve sat there without saying a word, literally peeing my pants laughing, as I’ve overheard one disgruntled player after another whine about getting clobbered by Greg. Invariably, most of these stories end up as face-saving “bad beat” stories. It’s the same old stuff….”He’s a lucky sob…..he doesn’t know how to play……he’s way too aggressive….he’s not that good……blah, blah, blah, etc.”. It goes on and on. Most of them wouldn’t know a good play if it hit them between the eyes. It’s like asking an elementary school student to all of a sudden become proficient at calculus….it just ain’t gonna happen!

The plain fact is that Greg plays the game on a level that most of us don’t even know exists. Veteran players at the tables (and posters here at 2+2) know this. His performance during this past week serves to validate this fact. Yes, the poker gods smiled on him a few times. Any of us that have ever won a tournament know this has to happen. The envious, malcontent railbirds will be sure to be chirping that aspect loud and clear as play is dissected under the post mortem magnifying glass. What they will most likely forget to mention is the times that he got his money in right, and he was on the opposite end of the gods’ whim.

To all my fellow 2+2’ers…..Judge Greg by his posts. Look at not only what he says, but how he says it. He’s a true student of the game and has an unquenchable thirst for improving his game. All of this comes without the typical ego….as Sgt. Joe Friday said so often on Dragnet…“Just the facts, m’am…just the facts”. When he’s critical of a play, it is criticism of the play….NOT the player.

So, if you TRULY want to improve your game, spend the time doing searches for his posts. Pay attention to the way he approaches various problems. Understand the logic the he uses to solve them. As a poker player, he is truly one in ten million. If you are really a student of the game, you can choose many to emulate, but none better than Fossilman.

Greg Raymer, the “Guy”………..

There have been a few posts here at 2+2 concerned about “gee, I hope he still will post here”. The insinuation being….”Now that he’s rich & famous, will he leave us mere mortals behind?”. One doesn’t have to have too vivid an imagination to understand that his life will be jammed up for a bit due to his showing, but…LOL….Let me tell you a bit about Greg.

He is what you see. His ability to change gears or put moves on at the poker table is NOT part of who he is as a person. Go to a dictionary and look up “Good Guy”. His picture will be next to the definition. He has many friends, and they are his friends because of who he is as a person, not a poker player. He is learned and intelligent, and has the proverbial “mind like a stainless steel trap”. But, you know what? I’ve NEVER seen him use that gift to harm anyone. It’s just not in his nature. Again….read his posts. He’ll reply to the “newby” here at 2+2 with thoughtful, caring, intelligent responses where some others will shoot back some smart-ass, snappy response meant to belittle the poster. What does that tell you about the man? Hell, he checked in to 2+2 from the airport today on the way home, just to thank us!

In an age of hypocrisy and hyperbole, he is the “real thing”. I consider myself fortunate to have such a friend, and sincerely wish that each of you are fortunate enough have a friend such a Greg.

For those of you to whom what I’ve just written strikes some chord of familiarity, I welcome you to share in his victory and wish him the best.

In the world of Good or Evil, it seems that evil wins more often than we’d like.

Not this time…..This was truly “One for the Good Guys”.