Enjoy the moment for this is one long game
Gary Clarke, 02/08/08 | Print this article
Three and a half years. That’s how long it has been since I took an active interest in poker. A short time I guess but I cannot believe how far I have come in this period. I sometimes feel like a grand-dad. I feel like my thoughts and sentiments are that of a person who is 58 rather than 21. But then again, many internet sites will make you feel like a failure if you haven’t got the self-made poker million by 21 years old.
Dreams of wealth and glory shadow the passion for improving one’s game. I hear lots of talk about big spins and big scores and it hurts my ear-drums. All people are interested in is instant money. They want more and more and more and they want it now. No need for development and practice. We are the children born to accept nothing less than instant gratification. People are more interested in the sick-reads, sick-calls and the sick-bluffs than the sick realisation that all three are losing plays. Am I alone in wanting to develop and enjoy poker rather than just winning money on the day?
The journey men are diminishing. The Padraig Parkinson’s, the Don Fagan’s, the Mick McCloskey’s, hell even the Kev Maloney’s of this world are a dieing breed. These are people who love poker. They love poker for the banter and the joy which a game should encompass. These people are poker fanatics. They are not solely chasing the ding ding ding of the bumper $$$ pay checks or the silly titles that are bashed around like chicken feed. These are people who love the game as well as the prize and I too want to be one of them.
Unfortunately I think poker is losing it’s soul in this country. I wrote an article for Cardplayer what seems like not too long ago but reads like an ancient novel. In it I discuss my love for poker and how it makes for such a fantastic game. I want to feel like this today but I believe poker has drained me. I have seen the nasty side of poker and it depresses me. I see drunk people in the poker clubs spiking a one-outer, laughing as they stack their chips and make for the door like a criminal stealing a purse. I see people slow rolling, I see begrudgery, I see jealousy, I see hate. I see lost souls chasing forgotten dreams. I see greed and I see little else. The passion for poker is one which few hold and I too am now losing the faith. The lack of poker etiquette in general is disturbingly high. If there was one thing I could change about the players in this country it would be that.
Ignorance is bliss and for many poker newcomers the game seems to offer something like the possibilities and promise of a seat on a game show. Poker roulette if you will. They do not know that they must graft. They must develop and learn. They must serve their time in order to become better. Just like any other activity. Poker can often lay a trap in making people believe they are better than they are. It can reward the undeserving. Those who practice and develop consistently will prosper in the long-run. They will be the consistent winners and the over-night-success-merchants will land on their backsides. Poker is a game for today, tomorrow and the future, its not just about today.
Those with the passion for becoming the best will prove to be the best I believe. All the constant practise and study must pay off eventfully. In the meantime, the only thing to worry about today is enjoying the game and looking to learn from it. For the money we make or lose today is irrelevant. This is one long game.
Gary Clarke can be contacted at gary.clarke@pokerireland.ie
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