Filed under: Tip of the Week
OK, so it sounds more like a Thought of the Month.
I had PRK surgery earlier this week, so I have not played in a few days. Before that, I played a bunch, but ended sourly with two big losers. In one I perhaps did not play as well as I could. In the second, I played quite well for me, making no observable errors (to me), and I still lost a bunch. So be it.
If you took my advice and signed up for BARGE, please let me know when we get there. I would love to chat with you. If you are still thinking about it, it is too late. I will remind you again next year.
I try to avoid poker politics, but this item really burned me. For background, I had lunch recently with two dear friends who are influential in the poker tournament administration, and I mentioned that it seemed to me that some “stars,” and in particular Phil Hellmuth, Jr., were getting special treatment at the WSOP. We discussed that this might be particularly true in light of the “no exuberant celebrations, no abuse” rules put into place this year.
Later that day (or the next, who remembers these things), Phil was gives a penalty in the late stages of the Main Event for abuse. It was just before they broke for the evening, so the penalty was to be invoked at the start of play the next day.
Late that night, I got this Press Release:
“July 13, 2008
Official Statement from the World Series of Poker
This morning Phil Hellmuth met with Jack Effel, WSOP Tournament Director, Howard Greenbaum, Harrah’s Regional Vice President for Specialty Gaming, and Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the WSOP. Based on that meeting and an official review of the situation, it was decided that the penalty imposed on Mr. Hellmuth at the conclusion of play last night was excessive.
‘Warnings and penalties are intended to correct inappropriate behavior and our rulings should be as fair as possible, given the circumstances,’ said Pollack. ‘In this instance, the punishment did not fit the crime.’
‘Phil has now been warned and put on notice in a way that he never has been,’ Pollack added. “
OK, that was the release. Talk about special treatment! Can you imagine an average player (maybe you) getting an abuse penalty, getting a meeting with the Tournament Director, the Regional Vice President, and the Commissioner. and then getting the thing reversed? If you can’t, then you are seeing favoritism in action. You would have missed nine hands.. Phil didn’t.
Even if his case had merit (I heard third hand what the arguments were and did not agree with them, but I could have had them wrong), how could anyone else get such a hearing?
You could argue that SuperStar players in all sports get favorable calls: Shaq gets away with charges, star pitchers get a wider strike zone, and so on. But could you argue that is a good thing? And could you argue that, in world’s richest and probably most important poker event, where “anyone can enter and anyone can win” some should be treated differently than others?
Sorry for the lack of poker content this week, but I wanted to get that off my chest.
