Back to the slot hoki Paragon
Some personal annoucements…
First, I’m heading back to the Paragon Casino and Resort this weekend. In fact, through some personal contacts, I’ll be staying at the casino for free tomorrow night. That means more time at the poker table (and craps table, I can’t help myself). You can expect a slot hoki report by Monday at the latest.
And speaking of Monday, I’ll finally be online at home again. I bought myself a new laptop computer and I’ll be on Cox High Speed Internet. That means a return to the virtual poker tables.
Enjoy your weekends, I’ll definitely enjoy mine!
Paging Lex Luthor
For a long time, I called myself a traditionalist. In one extreme period, I referred to myself as a Luddite. Eventually, I coined then settled on the best description of my philosophy on sport, gaming, and life in general:
I’m a neo-purist.
That means I don’t like artificial turf. That means I think the addition of the three-point line, while deviating from tradition, added an element to the game that now is indispensible.
That means I think we should dance with who brought us. If for some reason said dancing partner wants to learn a new dance step, then so be it, but it better be a good dance move and not some silly cabbage patch dance.
That is a long way of saying the following:
Manufacturing poker villain personalities for the sake of better TV is a road that will do nothing but eventually make the game as enjoyable to watch as most of the reality shows on TV now.
For an abbreviated discussion of the topic, make sure to take a look at the comments section of CJ’s live blog of the most recent WSOP ESPN broadcast. There is decided dissention about the place poker villians hold in the game of poker, and by extension, televised poker.
Witness: Steve Fishman, after a lengthy round of high-fiving, after-thought handshakes, and declaring his “Crew” the ring-leaders of a poker coup d’etat, takes the Nestea Plunge onto the felt.
Witness: Poker Brat, Phil Hellmuth, declares that if it weren’t for luck, he’d win every game of poker he played.
Witness: Phil “The Unabomber” Laak runs behind the dealer in mid-hand to get a glimpse of the river card before his opponent.
Witness: Every point-and-poke, fist-pumping, suckout scream that you see on almost every televised broadcast.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the current trend in professional sports. You know the one. It’s the belief among certain “superstar” players that their talent, and more importantly, their personality should be respected more than the game itself. From sock-Sharpie autograph signings to end-zone cell phone calls, there are players out there who honestly believe the game is more about them than it is about…the game.
Sure, it’s no new thing. There was the Ickey Shuffle. There was the Superbowl Shuffle. Shoot, the Babe even called his dinger in the days before reality television created characters ad naseum.
But, here …