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#1
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Value of the \"profession,\" bereft?
My wife, who is supportive of my poker habit, as no previous hobby has ever been profitable, asked me this morning about the essential value of poker as a profession. She suggested that all jobs have value both as a way to earn money (honorable) and also provide a service or needed function. Doctors, teachers, waitresses, construction workers and ditchdiggers all play an important role in society. Professional poker certainly can earn money to help support their families, but is there value to society beyond this? My poker play supplements in a meager way my income as a clinical psychologist, but in no way benefits anyone. In fact my sitting down at a table means the rest of the table will, on average, lose a BB or two an hour. Not devastating, but certainly no help either.
So, is there any redeeming social value other than income? Are there any other jobs so bereft of such value? Does any of this matter, so long as I'm winning? |
#2
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Re: Value of the \"profession,\" bereft?
My children intensely dislike the fact that their formerly respectable father now plays and writes about poker. One reason is that they believe poker has no redeeming social value. I am currently writing a book that says it has more educational value than sports. I think I make a good case, but others will make the final judgment.
I find it fascinating that football, baseball, and basketball players are heros, even though they contribute nothing except entertainment and many of them use drugs, get in fights, and are extremely immoral sexually. But we poker players are nearly pariahs because we also provide nothing but entertainment, cost society much less money, don't do drugs, and don't have the same sexual habits. Thankfully, TV is changing our images. We are not yet respectable, but we are making progress. Regards, Al |
#3
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slight nitpick
[ QUOTE ]
But we poker players are nearly pariahs because we also provide nothing but entertainment, cost society much less money, don't do drugs, and don't have the same sexual habits. [/ QUOTE ] I think there is a certain % of poker players with the same bad habits and behavior as many high profile athletes have. I do think tho that these are much less obvious to society than it currently is in sports figures, who are subjected to more intense media scrutiny. If such a day comes as poker players are as glorified as athletes are today, similar scandals may very well occur in the poker world too. al |
#4
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Re: slight nitpick
While I agree that media scrutiny is a factor in athletes' notoriety, there is lots of evidence that their habits are MUCH worse than ours.
Hardly any good poker players -- and almost no professionals -- do drugs because of the knowledge that they prevent people from playing well. Yet there are drug scandals involving top athletes nearly every month. Wilt Chamberlain bragged in his book that he had had sex with over 20,000 women, and Magic Johnson said publicly that he "accomodated" over 500 women. Kobe's defense lawyer will almost certainly claim, "It wasn't Kobe's fault. She wanted him because he's a basketball star. Poor Kobe couldn't resist her." How many top poker players have had sex with 600 or 20,000 women? How many have been tried for rape? To the best of my knowledge, none. Regards, Al |
#5
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Re: slight nitpick
The top players in poker will almost never have a CURRENT drug problem. I should have stated that. Stu Ungar tho shows that some, even top players, do have life problems such as drug abuse. I doubt Stu was heavily drugged up tho when he was playing his best.
My comments were more geared towards poker players in general (winners or losers), not the top players we see on TV every week. I should have clarified that as well. al |
#6
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Re: slight nitpick
You know, I've seen professional poker players on TV. Can't see anyt of them getting 20,000 women (or even 20) to sleep with them.
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#7
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Re: slight nitpick
that's cuz the best lookin' poker players still aint THAT good looking. And they don't have the fame of athletes either.
al |
#8
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Re: slight nitpick
[ QUOTE ]
Hardly any good poker players -- and almost no professionals -- do drugs because of the knowledge that they prevent people from playing well. [/ QUOTE ] I have lost count of the times a player has come back from a "break" and my nose twitched from the spell of pot (yes, I know what it smells like - ill spent youth and all that). I don't mind, they play worse. Jay |
#9
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Re: slight nitpick
I said GOOD players.
Al |
#10
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Re: slight nitpick
[ QUOTE ]
How many top poker players have had sex with 600 or 20,000 women? [/ QUOTE ] Not for lack of trying I'm sure!!! [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] |
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