The Pittsburgh Penguins were shut out for the second straight game during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Championship Finals this year. This highly touted group looked like a semi-pro squad against a much more talented and driven Detroit Red Wings team. How did the Penguins deal with their dissapointment of not living up to the high expectations and being held scoreless for the first six periods of the Championship? They started fights and then complained to the press about the officiating. Most reasonable people will agree that this is not the best way to respond after someone has beaten you at a competitive event.
If you are Phil Hellmuth, you can get away with this sort of childish behavior because you have eleven World Series of Poker braclets that say you can. This doesn't mean he still doesn't look like a complete prat when he does it, and it certainly doesn't mean that most normal people can get away with this behavior at a casino or home game.
Most poker players will find themselves playing most of their hands at the casino and during home games. Trash talking and tantrums are generally not considered acceptable behavior at these places, and making accusations that things at the table are somehow not fair is a good way to find yourself out on your ear. Chances are that even Mr. Hellmuth would be tossed from the casino if he threw one of his trademark fits at a normal gaming table where there is a pit boss keeping an eye on him instead of a television camera.
The bottom line is that regardless of what sort of demonstrations one sees on ESPN from poker players, that behavior is not welcome in most casinos. So keep your feelings in check and if you have to say anything after a loss, it is best to simply congratulate the winner.
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