Tuesday after I got off of work I decided to head over to the Casino to play a little poker… I hold down a regular job so I am not a pro but I do alright for myself when all is said and done. I have played poker with some pretty famous people. Not only famous poker players but actual Hollywood stars too. You see, poker is much more mainstream than it used to be and it seems like everyone wants to give it a try. You have to be playing someplace nice to see that type of person walk in and join the table but if you spend much time in Vegas like me that happens on a pretty regular basis.
I absolutely love it when these actors (or actresses) walk in only to join a table that I am playing at. First, I like to meet them. It’s nice to see what type of person they are in real life. Second, They have money to bring to the table and I like that. Most important, they often fancy themselves a gambler even though they are not. Many feel that their acting skills translate into being able to bluff well… There is no such correlation in my estimation. They are in fact almost always bad at it. I never prejudge in these situations. It’s always best to sit back for a few hands and pay attention to them. See what they seem to be about. Then, look deeper into what they are actually about. Many pay too much attention to themselves and their fans but forget that they are in a competition for money.
You might be amazed at some of the stories I could tell you about people I that have a very friendly public persona but really are not very nice at all when it comes right down to it. It always amazes me when someone that is famous tries to treat people in a subjective manor. Like they too should bow down to their greatness or serve them in some way like their employees are paid to. I don’t think that many have a firm grip on reality. They hire yes men to take care of them while they are in their shell but when they come out they still have to deal with people like me…
If you give these people enough rope, they will usually use it to hang themselves with. Let me give you an example about one such encounter involving a pair of 2’s. It illustrates effectively my point and drives the matter home for me. The best way to handle these people is to teach them a lesson about the way the real world works.