Continued Staff Infection: Fuck The World

So, is ESPN taking the soul out of poker? Are all these .com sites cheapening one of America's legacies? Because come on, when you think of America, you think of the Wild West: Bill Hickok, Daniel Boone, the Outlaw Josey Wales... Does complete access to one of America's better shady past times ruin it or change it or make it stronger?

To me it parallels the motorcycle culture perfectly. You are an outlaw by choice; FTW. Your own rules, your own reasons, etc. You find other people that enjoy the same things you do, but that doesn't mean they think like you or act like you. You enter into it as your own man and you live or die by it as your own man.

No after school special cheesy-ness intended... But that's the truth.

Now you have every Tom, Dick and Jackass riding bikes. Do they understand it? Mostly no. Do they make it better for the 1%? Unfortunately yes. Not that we needed shit from anybody anyway, but not being stopped by the cops or shot by strangers is a definite bonus. You feel special, because fuck all... you are special.

Then the white bread folks creep in... Does there marginally shared experience cheapen yours?

Fuck no.

You know what you are, you know who you are, you know what it means, and you know what you can get out of it. I think the same applies for poker. 100%. A lot of folks can sneak in, bet a little money and brag to their buddies. But I don't think they make any real difference in the game. As with everything that you have to make a conscience decision to do... you have to make sacrifices for... the ones that sacrifice come out ahead, and the ones that half ass will always come up short.

Today's practice equals tomorrow's victory.

So, to sum up, quit bitching about that bad beat some random punk gave you, and figure out why you bit in the first place. He's a tourist and you mother fucking live here.

my first poker post FTW

I'm hoping to add FTW as an advice columnist to That Fat Bastard. He'll answer the questions the, deep down inside, each of wants the answer to, like "Why am I here?", "What the hell is your problem?", and "Are you looking to get cut?" He hasn't answered my invitation yet, but I've got my fingers crossed.