And no, for those of you dialing up the Green Phone right now,
this is most definitly NOT a column about cheerleading.
And no, for those of you dialing up the Green Phone right now, this is most definitly NOT a column about cheerleading.
Like everybody else out there, I’m a music lover and I was recently turned on to the best live recording I’ve heard in quite some time. It’s titled “34th and 8th” by a band called O.A.R. (Of a Revolution) and it was recorded in New York City around Thanksgiving of 2004.
Every song on this two-disc set is worth a listen but the final track, “That was a crazy game of poker,” is one that I can’t get enough of.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching this year’s installment of the World Series of Poker on ESPN or maybe it’s the fact that I recently picked up a set of 11.5 gram chips for the house so that my poker-rookie roommate Tina and I can play the game in style, but doesn’t it seem like poker is everywhere these days?
Here’s a line from that O.A.R. song that I found to be particularly profound: “I learned my way of livin’ from playing cards, with three wise men.”
Pretty heavy, I know but I think it works.
Poker is a game of chance, mathematics and a bit of skill but, in my opinion, it’s also a great exercise in learning human tendencies and psychology.
Take my roommate for example. She’s only been playing for about two weeks but she already knows that when I turn bright red after the flop and start fidgeting with my chips, I’ve made my hand. Likewise, when two-of-a-kind make an appearance on the board and she starts grinning uncontrollably, I know she’s hit threes.
Everybody has their “tells” or little things they do to give themselves away. Some poker pros will watch their opponents’ hands or eyes in hopes of gaining some knowledge as to what they’re holding. Others simply pay careful attention to other players’ betting tendencies for a gauge on the strength of their hand. Some even say that watching an opponent’s neck for signs of a quickening pulse is an air-tight method for gathering information.
What I’ve found after playing poker regularly for the past couple of years is that its lessons can be applicable to everyday life. There are situations we all encounter where it pays to be cautious, as well as those that require us to be aggressive. If you’re going to put your all into something in life, you’d better be sure that it’s a winner, just like when you move all of your chips into the center of the table on that full house.
But even with all of this in mind, I am well aware of the fact that my favorite game is just that. A game. It’s not a sport, despite what the ultra-cheesy commentators on the World Series of Poker would like you to believe.
Athletes play sports. And the best athletes usually win, right? Well, one of my favorite poker players, last year’s WSOP champion Greg “Fossilman” Raymer is one of the best in the business but, with all due respect to Mr. Raymer, he’s about as far from being an “athlete” as one could be.
Poker players don’t cross-train in the offseason or anything. They don’t run stairs, they don’t take batting practice. There’s no minicamps, free-agent signings or shoe deals. Some probably drink Gatorade but nobody’s striving to “Be like Mike” or lock up a 10-year contract worth $200 million.
It’s a game. Does it deserve to be on television? I think so but I’m obviously biased. Does it deserve to be on the four-letter network? Probably not. But hey, if Stuart Scott has a few “boo-yah’s” for kids who correctly spell 10-syllable words, why not a couple for Fossilman’s pocket aces?
Joshua Staloch is the Sports Editor of the Hollister Free Lance. Email him at
js******@fr***********.com
