may the best player come close, redux

[jonathankaplan]

Allen Cunningham is (perhaps) the best tournament poker player in the world. If everyone who played in major events voted for their top ten in the Game, I am pretty sure that Allen's name would appear on the most lists. It used to be that the best player in the world could expect to have some number of realistic chances in their life of winning the

Comments

[thefakeg]

It's gotten to the point now that merely making the final table of the Main Event is a crowning achievement for players, much less winning the darn thing.

And I'd like to be as disappointed to only win a couple of million dollars or so from some little poker tournament - if that's the worst thing going for you at any time, your life is pretty damn good.

[jonathankaplan]

Well, there is a difference between ...the worst thing going for you at any time... and disappointment. I am friendly with Allen (moreso with his girlfriend Melissa), and I am sure he has worse things going for him than whatever is happening in his poker life. Just like anyone else.

From Dictionary.comTo disappoint is to fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of. In that sense, Allen is dramatically disappointed, I believe

[andrewhime]

2. I don't gamble.

Me either, I just play poker.

[andrewhime]

You can throw it back at me when I try to borrow money from you, then.

I practice decent bankroll management, and I certainly don't expect a civilian to bail me out of my own situations.

My inner Jew doesn't allow me to go broke.

[groovinmahoovin]

For some reason your post to the poker community had comments disabled.

[groovinmahoovin]

Well, I might as well answer here as well for people who read your journal but not the poker community

[andrewhime]

no thanks to them refusing to mention his Pokerspot past at all.

It's not that they don't mention it, they just smooth it over and make it go away.

Every Serious Poker Player's Dream

[walterzuey]

Mine is to stay off the rail.

Re: Every Serious Poker Player's Dream

[jonathankaplan]

You're such a card, and correct to boot.
Still, I am pretty sure you can relate to what I am talking about, in your own field of world-class expertise.
How are you doing, by the way? Hope your recent adventures have been great!

"Poker is a man's game" his father said, "because it isn't fair."

[abostick59]

The disappointments of life far outweight the disappointments of poker. Trust me on this one.

I often dream of winning the big dance, but for some reason, in my fantasies, in the press conference that follows I find myself saying that obviously the best player didn't win, I got lucky, etc., and tell them the story of Hal Fowler.

Re: "Poker is a man's game" his father said, "because it isn't fair."

[groovinmahoovin]

But McEvoy is such an easier whipping boy, particularly since he parlayed that into a writing career with famed craps champion TJ Cloutier.

Re: "Poker is a man's game" his father said, "because it isn't fair."

[andrewhime]

It is amazing how many people tout that book, though...

Re: "Poker is a man's game" his father said, "because it isn't fair."

[jonathankaplan]

I believe you.
But then, I never really was the favorite to be the world's best at anything, let alone see the denial of that recognition resulting from the closest of misses.

I can see from reading all the different replies that react strongly to what I was trying to say, but in a more obvious direction. I didn't write my thoughts well enough to let others see the situation the (perhap very unusual) way that I do. I've been thinking of Allen's disappointment for a few days now, I guess I was one of the only people to do so (including maybe even him). I have a weird skewed view or something?
Maybe next time I'll write my thoughts better. Maybe in this case my thoughts are just too outlier.