Lee Davy trawls through the debris of 12-months of keyboard jabbering to come up with five of his favorites accompanied by a big fat WHY?
I was doing a little number crunching today and estimate I have written over 10,000 articles in the past 12-months.
Here are five of the most interesting as I ponder life with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
1# Why I Respect Erick Lindgren
Of all the articles that I wrote during 2014, this one was brought me the most hate, and I guess that shows how much hate and anger the poker community has for Erick Lindgren. That saddens me. I can’t think of anybody that I can generate that much hate towards, and I hope it never happens to me in my lifetime.
At first, the feedback on the article was very one-sided. I was a c**t and that was that. By saying I respected a gambling addict for trying to get his shit together, it was even suggested that I would therefore support the recovery of pedophiles. Then, over time, a few people spoke out in my defense. It seems there were people who agreed with me, they just weren’t the type of people who used the word c**t on poker forums.
This morning I received a Facebook message from someone with respect to this article. I would like to quote it for you.
“I saw your article on E Dog and applaud your take. That’s rare in the poker world and showed a lot of character from you.”
People thought I just wanted to be the center of attention, and whilst there is a grain of truth in that assumption, most people missed the point. I am a gambling addict and therefore it’s only natural that I would be interested in Lindgren. I thought it was important for a different side of the story to be poked. So I poked.
There are times to write articles that are going to be read quickly over a piece of toast; there are times when you are writing articles to fill up space; and there are times when you write something that creates involvement. This was one of those articles. The ferocity of the hate, and the latter outpouring of support showed that this was an article worth writing.
If you cannot find forgiveness in your life, then there is nothing but bitterness. Who wants bitterness? Why hold on to that? I don’t and that makes me feel good. I suggest others contemplate the merits of doing the same.
The article can be read here.
2# From PokerStars to GreedStars
It’s not easy to find someone who is willing to speak so openly about PokerStars and the effect they have on the poker community. Poker players are worried that a word out of place will one day ruin their chances of being sponsored, and writers believe their chances of employment will be affected by one errant word. This is what happens when one company becomes so influential within a market. It spreads fear, falseness and fake fur.
What I liked about this article is I found someone who wasn’t afraid to buck the trend, was highly respected, and wanted to share his views. It was also a different voice, and that’s important. Talal Shakerchi doesn’t give many interviews, or opinions, and when he does your ears should prick up and take notice.
It’s unbelievable how quickly PokerStars turned from Kelly Brook to Jocelyn Wildenstein. Amaya Gaming Group acquired the largest online poker room in the world, their young hotshot CEO promised ‘nothing would change’, and then proceeded to change the very value that made them who they are.
Profit replaced customer service as the primary focus, the players felt the pain, and Shakerchi gave them a blueprint to follow if they wanted to turn around and kick the giant in the balls. Nobody did – which is another article in its entirety – but that doesn’t stop the blueprint from being a great idea.
You can read all about it right here.
3# Are All Poker Writers Failed Poker Players?
One thing I learned in 2014 is that poker writers, journalists, {hang title here} do not like to be called failed poker players.
This article was a classic case of looking in the mirror, developing an opinion, sharing that opinion within the confines of a small group, and then putting pen to paper to pose an interesting question. The net result? I was told that I was ‘belittling poker writers with my sweeping statements.’
The piece generated a lot of interaction, and this is why it ranks as one of my faves of the year. Provoking debate is healthy, interesting, and all parties learn a thing of two. One of the things I learned is there is a class system within the writing community. There are the classically trained arty types, and then there are people like me. The misfits, the uneducated; the people who are found in the carts of the rag and bone man.
Those that attacked did so from glossy magazines and high paid positions of power. Those that defended were being paid $50 for a 1,000 article and told they were lucky they were receiving that.
Are all poker writers failed poker players?
Of course not.
What a stupid question, and nearly as stupid as the people who took it so literally.
You can read the article here.
4# Prejudice in Poker: Let’s be Consistent
I like this article for the same reason that I like the article where I belittled classically trained poker writers with my sweeping statements. The same principles apply. It’s another issue that generates debate, creates confusion, and still leaves me totally in the dark when it comes to misogyny, sexism and feminism. But just because I don’t understand it, doesn’t mean I can’t express my opinion about it. There is a downside to it though. People believe you are a pig, they lose respect for you, and they stop reading you.
I wrote the article in defense of the Royal Flush Girls. The sexy, sassy, and salivating side of the World Poker Tour was being attacked by feminists that had a problem with their positions, and how it could have a detrimental effect to the way women are portrayed in the world. I found the attack hypocritical, and wanted a greater understanding. I did get a greater understanding. I learned a lot. One of the sad things that I did learn is some people have very closed minds, and until they open them there is no debate.
I have marched with women’s rights groups, I am married to a feminist, and yet I was still accused of getting this so very wrong. My opinion is a simple one and I would like to share a story with you to explain.
Yesterday, while taking a bus journey from A to B I witnessed a teenage boy verbally abusing three teenage girls. He was wearing a woolly hat with ‘Weed is Cool’ woven into the fabric; he had his arm around his girlfriend, and was casting his sexist views on all three of them. The girls were taking it. He was assuming the dominant ‘I will tell you how it is’ role, and they were taking the ‘I am not going to speak out’ role.
This angered me so much. I wanted to pull his pants down and grab a handful of pubes whilst I explained the importance of being respectful to women. Instead I carried on listening to Revolution on my iPhone. Those three girls were making a choice. They could of (a) accepted the abuse, or (b) do something about it. From my standpoint they were accepting it.
Everyone has a choice.
I totally support female equality. I am trying to raise a young man to understand the importance of idolizing the female form, to be respectful, and loving to all women. But I also stand by my views that each individual person (woman or man) has within them the ability to change the world.
I also wanted to explain how important it is to open your mind. I find it interesting that there are feminists who are so eager to complain about un-evolved cavemen, whilst behaving like a hardened feminist from the suffragette movement.
You can read about my views on this in more detail here.
5# Watching Phil Hellmuth, The Silver Haired Dude and the Ghost Playing Razz
Only writers will understand the feeling that comes with writing something you are really proud of, sending it out to the world, and then feeling like nobody read it. It stings like a Carolina Reaper Chili rubbed on your bell-end.
Watching Phil Hellmuth, The Silver Haired Dude and the Ghost Playing Razz was my take on the three way action that would later lead to Ted Forrest defeating Phil Hellmuth, in heads-up action, thus preventing him winning his 14th World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in a Razz event this summer.
I was sitting in the crowd, watching the whole thing unfurl, studiously taking notes on my iPhone. I was struck by the sheer mundaneness of what went on before me. I picked up every single boring detail. There was about as much excitement as an episode of The Waltons, and later that night I read how poker writers told the world that it was one of the most amazing Razz contests in the history of the WSOP.
That’s the difference between some of the other gang members and me. I don’t really appreciate the skill and sexiness of a scintillating Razz hand. I’m more interested with the length of Hellmuth’s fingernails, why the commentator sounds like Norman Collier, and why the hell there is an audience when there is nothing to watch?
I love these sorts of articles. Stick me in the middle of a crowd with a pen and paper and let me go to work. It’s just a shame that nobody seemed to like it as much as me.
You can read the article right here.
