A mid level poker pro should always be on the lookout for ways to attract new blood. It becomes a little tedious grinding against the same opponents day in, day out, and eventually, as the individuals become more experienced, the profit margin is squeezed. There are always the Friday night blowhards who return sozzled from the bar and who are partially correct to believe they are the next Devilfish. However, they are usually broke soon after they fall comatose. I prefer it when the weaker players stick around.
To that end, I advise always be on the lookout for venues that attract people with a desirable blend of competiveness and naivety. Be creative. Scour the newspapers and journals for events that could easily be used as a recruitment ground.
Let me start you off with an idea of my own: in Britain, there is an event called the annual World Poohsticks Championship.
Just in case you are unfamiliar with the history of poohsticks, it started when a character from children’s fiction, Winnie the Pooh, tripped on a bridge and accidentally dropped a fir cone into the river. Now, 80 years on, participants at the WPC drop sticks into the Thames from one side of a bridge to see whose emerges first on the other side.
Top level competitors sometimes refer to the wisdom of a donkey: Eeyore, a character from the books and cultural short hand for unremitting pessimism, believed that success at poohsticks was achieved by ‘letting the stick drop in a twitchy kind of way’.
Next year’s WPC is taking place at the end of March and I intend to be housed in a booth, hosting Hold’ em introductory sessions, trying to sway those following the path of the donkey. These are the kind of players we want: fun, friendly and capable of surrendering their fate to the river.
No comments:
Post a Comment