[Swax]

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I always found it humorous that chess grandmasters generally aren't anywhere near as arrogant as some of the top poker players are; given the nature of both games, you'd think it would be the other way around.

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I'm not sure about that one Jordan. Granted, becoming a chess grandmaster is probably more difficult, but if you managed to be completely secure for life financially just through playing a card game, I think you have every right to be a just as egotistical.

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Are you serious? There's a huge difference between taking pride in one's accomplishments and becoming a product of your own arrogance and vanity. I'm sure Harrington and Raymer are well aware that they are millionaires and among the top 10 or 100 or whatever players in their chosen field the same way Hellmuth and Arieh or whatever example of egotism that you want to use is. How people choose to handle success, however, is totally up to them. There is no correlation between being successful and being a condescending ass. The fact that people think that there should be is ridiculous and what creates the BS obsession with fame.

Being egomaniacal is always a bad trait, and it doesn't matter what's fueling. Whether you're full of yourself because you're a world class athlete or because you were the captain of your high school football team is irrelevant. Maybe if I somehow saved a bunch of lives or cured cancer, then perhaps I might be a little self-indulgent. Becoming a millionaire from playing a game should make someone feel thankful, not cocky.