Ego and Poker

  How has ESPN impacted the sport of poker? Well besides giving it exposure like it has never had before nationally, which is good, some negatives have come from the extra exposure. Somehow the touchdown dance has crossed over from the NFL to the World Series of Poker.  There is an old saying that asks people to leave their ego at the door. This is good advice for a poker player. To start off with, the Godfather of the game, Doyle Brunson has ten WSOP bracelets. These represent ten shining moments, but he has played much more then ten WSOP tournaments. This means that he has lost far more than he has won. He respects the difficulty of the game, and I doubt he would ever participate in some of the displays that are becoming common place in the game.  For you to win, this means somebody else has to lose. That is the nuts and bolts of sports. Nobody is so skilled they will win every time. The people you beat today will be celebrating a win over you tomorrow. Theres will be more lavish, just to rub salt in your wound. This is an escalation that results in the death of sportsmanship.  When you win, do it like a true lady or gentleman would. Shake the hand of the other player and the dealer, and walk off the floor without flopping on the table or giving some sort of a victory yell. Good sportsmanship never goes out of style it just isnt camera friendly. Behaving like a good sport will win you the respect of your contemporaries.   In some ways ESPN is ruining the sport. This doesnt have to happen though. Players are in complete control of their behavior. Ignore what the folks do on television when mugging for the camera and play the game the way it was intended to be played. Leave the bad dancing to the football players.