Just witnessed the worst part of poker

[Stork]

So I was sweating a 200-400 heads up game on UB (along with about 50 others!)and was watching a game between Keyser and wwwnvrwinpkr. nvrwin started w like 50K and Keyser started w like 16K. so the game was going on and keyser was getting his ass kicked. it was clear that nvrwin was severely outplaying him. Keyser lost his first buy in, then he bought in again and lost that, and then he lost his third buy in and nvrwin was sitting pretty with 90K when keyser finally left.

then this other guy catchoftheday steps in and starts talking with nvrwin about how he only agreed to transfer him some money or something if he agreed not to play Keyser HU 200-400, and nvrwin pulls some cop out that it was a misunderstanding and blah blah blah. Now it clearly seems like Keyser is a gambling addict who really didn't know what he was doing.

Anyway, catchoftheday left and a little while after that, werestreakin sits at the table. he starts accusing nvrwin of being a cheat, and then says that he beat keyser out of everything. He said "you took everything, he has nothing left to live for man".

And right then I just froze up and felt absolutely horrible. Not in a physical sense but it was just sickening. nvrwin clearly knew he was taking advantage of a compulsive gambler and cleaned him out of all his money. he then went on to gloat that about how he was the best heads up player in the world. i still feel horrible after witnessing this whole thing and i dont even know what kind of responses i am looking for here but i had to get it off my chest. i dont think poker will ever be the same for me. i mean sure this type of thing will never happen at low limits but to know that there is someone as twisted and greedy as nvrwin out there is a disgusting thought.

[Dominic]

sorry, but the guy has no responsibility to the anyone but himself. if someone is stupid enough to risk everything he has on poker, that's his choice and his problem. it's not the fault of the winning player, at all.

[DrGutshot]

is this like saying it's not a drug dealer's fault for selling drugs to an addict?

aka it's not his fault for selling drugs to him, it's the addict's fault for buying it. "If I didn't sell it to him he woulda gotten it from someone else!"

I know in many ways it's different - just bringing it up to spark some discussion.

-DrG

[mmcd]

We (poker players) are in the business of relieving foolish people of their money. Just like drug dealers, the guys on TV infomercials, used car salesman, some religious organizations, most retail businesses, the advertising industry, the U.S. government, and countless other organizations. That is capitalism.

The guy in question here made 3 mistakes.

1) He played at stakes he could not afford.

2) He played heads-up against someone who was (arguably) better than him.

3) He did not acquire a sufficient amount of knowledge and skill to beat the game in question before sitting down at the table. (If he had, he wouldn't have made mistakes 1 and 2)

You are making the following mistake:

Failing to recognize that the consequences of mistakes in this line of work are often severe and the burden of those consequences falls solely on the person who made the mistake(s).

[Stork]

yea, i know keyser shouldntve been playing above his means and thats not nvrwins fault but nvrwin knew that this other guy didnt want him to play keyser and it just seemd like nvrwin knew what he was doing and didnt care at all

[Sooga]

So you're saying if Keyser had won, then you wouldn't feel bad at all? cuz that's bullsh*t too.... it's called gambling for a reason. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

[Stork]

yes, somebody has to lose, but i dunno, watching someone lose everything they had in what couldntve been more than an hour isnt pretty.

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

[ QUOTE ]
yes, somebody has to lose, but i dunno, watching someone lose everything they had in what couldntve been more than an hour isnt pretty.

[/ QUOTE ]

Predation isn't pretty. It means seeking out weakness and exploiting it. This is not combat. Poker pros do not seek out a "worthy adversary" to prove themselves. They seek out the weakest players, and for the same reason that lions attack the weak, lame and juvenile. It is a much less risky way to earn one's meal than taking on the strong.

Have no stomach for it? Take up chess.

[reubenf]

[ QUOTE ]
So you're saying if Keyser had won, then you wouldn't feel bad at all? cuz that's bullsh*t too.... it's called gambling for a reason. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nobody has to play, therefore nobody has to lose. QED.

[tdarko]

i dont think nvrwin did anything wrong but yes, this is a horrible story and its never cool to hear about someone get cleaned out and not have a reason to live anymore.