Gavin Griffin: Poker Questions Asked And Answered

People in the poker community often come up to me and ask about whatever is on their mind. Some of these questions are good questions, and some are bad beat stories in disguise. I’ve been through quite a few things in my poker career and I like to help whenever possible, and in this new Card Player series, I’d like to share my experiences and knowledge. Feel free to ask any poker-related question, and I’ll do my best to answer it in the space below.

Question: Do you have any thoughts WSOP Big One For One Drop winner Daniel Colman’s comments regarding poker and its effect on the world? – Kyle

Let me start by saying that he doesn’t owe anybody an interview. The poker media is great for those who are interested in exploiting it and difficult to navigate at best for those who aren’t. If Colman feels uncomfortable or doesn’t want to do a specific interview or picture, he has no obligation to. That said, I was just talking about this with a friend of mine and we discussed our own feelings about not contributing anything to the world and the resulting existential crisis. It’s a thing that almost every non-sociopathic professional poker player goes through at some point in their career and I think it’s natural.

There have even been some well-known professional players that have made statements about their desire to find something better to do with their time. This sounds an awful lot like those superstars who are young and finding themselves feeling like they have lost touch with the normal world and may not know what to do with their time and money. The truth is, and some others have said this, if you feel like there is an inequality in the world and you have the means that someone like Dan Colman does, it’s not difficult to find a way to affect change on that inequality. You find your cause that you are passionate about fixing and go about finding a way to fix it. If that problem that you think needs fixing is something you profit directly from, then perhaps you should look within yourself and find it in you to walk away from that which is making you all this money and affording you your current lifestyle because it will eventually eat you up enough inside that all of the money in the world wouldn’t make you feel better about yourself.

So, some hard choices are probably ahead for Mr. Colman and I hope that he thinks through them as well and as logically as he thinks through his poker game. If he does that, he’ll be just fine.

I know you didn’t play the main event last year, are you playing this year? Any tips for a first timer? – Alex

You’re right, I did not play the main event last year. I decided to take two classes in Fort Worth last year at my alma mater, Texas Christian University over the 4 week July “semester.” It was busy for sure, though not as busy or exhausting as taking care of a 19 month old and a one month old. I got much more sleep there than I do these days. At the end of that 4 week semester, I had accumulated enough credits to graduate from TCU and was happy to have done so. I walked in December (with future San Diego Chargers superstar Jason Verrett) and now have a bachelor’s degree in general studies. It was well worth missing last year’s main event. Ryan Reiss should probably write me a thank you note since he might not have won if I had played due to the butterfly effect.

I’m geared up for this year’s edition and can’t wait to get started. In fact, I’m writing this on the eve of day 1c, the one I’m playing. I’ve been playing great poker so far this year and I’m focused and determined for this to be my best main event yet. An insignificant feat that is considering I’ve never even made day 3 of this illustrious tournament. I plan on getting plenty of rest (as much as I can do with two small children), eating as well as I can, and keeping my focus off of my phone and on my table.

If you’re a first timer at the WSOP main event, I do have a few tips for you. First of all, my first tip for everyone whenever they ask me about playing poker, especially an experience like the main event, is to have fun. This is a game after all and fun should be one of your first priorities. Of course, it’s easy to have fun when you’re winning and making hands but you have to be sure to have fun all of the time and be gracious in victory and defeat. Secondly, make sure you focus. The biggest problems I see other people have, my students have, and that I have, are often when we’re not focused. Poker is a game that is difficult to navigate at times and if you left your mind wander you’ll make it even tougher on yourself. Finally, I’d say that if you have time (meaning if you’re reading this in advance of the 2015 WSOP main event), play a few tournaments in the Rio to get the jitters of playing at the WSOP out of your system. It can be an intimidating room, and you want to make sure you are ready for it. Have fun, stay focused, and don’t be intimidated and you’ll be ahead of many of the 7,000 people who are playing this main event.

If you have a question for Gavin, send it to [email protected].

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