Date: 05/23/1999
From: Jim Geary
Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker
Subject: Re: Fundamental Theorem of Life(Was: If Sklansky knows so much about Poker...)
I'm in the camp that says everyone should follow their own heart without harming others, but I would like to stop by and comment on the possible comparison to pro athletes. Professional sports is the hugest, dumbest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind.[1] The argument "it creates jobs for parking attendants and program hawkers" is completely worthless. The fact that a couple of people are picking up minimum-wage scraps while others are hoarding huge amounts of money is insignificant. If the capital being dumped into a few people's accounts was invested, you'd see a lot more economic value than a couple minimum wagers working a few hours a week. The "economic benefit" argument is the biggest farce perpetrated on the American people, ever. I can think of no worse use of capital than taking the discretionary income from large numbers of people and transferring it to the accounts of a few for the generation of nothing more than a final score and sneaker advertisements. I'm no socialist.[2] If Glenn Robinson can get someone to give him $100 million, more power to him. But please be clear about what the transfer of wealth is and is not. //end rant ObPoker: Here is the only hand I won in 2 hours of 40-80 O8 Friday night[3]. My big blind: KQQ7 double suited. Couple of limpers, one aggressive player raises, I call. Flop TJ3. I check. Agressor bets, a couple of callers including me. Turn Q (rainbow). I check. check. Agg bets. Call. I raise. Fold. Call. Call. River another J. I bet. Agg crying calls. Other person folds. I win. He doesn't show. What could he have possibly had? JG [1] The hugest transfer of wealth may well have been the formation of OPEC, but even though it is stupid that a few dumbasses happened to be grazing their camels on this "lucky" land, there is sufficient economic benefit to the paying countries that I disregard it from the above analysis based on my second superlative. [2] In fact, I'm not even anti-sports. Having been addicted to the Suns' fortunes since I was five years old, I see no hope really of changing despite all the trials they have put me through. Just the same, I've decided to apply my event-going dollars to the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. [3] Despite this being the only pot I won, I still posted an OK profit for the two hours. :) After I finally won this pot, the game broke...
Last Modified 2/9/00