Daniel Negreanu Applauds Victoria Coren's Decision to Leave PokerStars
9 years ago
01 Dec
Poker Hall of Famer and Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu blogged his opinion on fellow team member Victoria Coren's announcement that she would no longer be affiliated with PokerStars since the site is aiming toward expanding into online casino gambling.
Putting his thoughts into words at Full Contact Poker, Negreanu said "I both respect and admire Vicky Coren’s personal stance on online casino gaming." That stance saw Coren also in blogging mode a few days earlier when she told the masses that she has elected to terminate her contract with PokerStars, finding it impossible to "professionally and publicly endorse" the site when the odds are in its favor versus casino gamblers.
Those casino gamblers sometimes fall into traps of addiction, playing games of chance weighted heavily toward the house. Poker, as we all know, is not in the same category, being a game of skill in which players compete against each other while the house profits by raking the pot or charging fees when hosting tournaments.
KidPoker Debated Humanitarian Issues Before Embarking on Career in Poker
Negreanu went on to explain that he long ago asked himself questions on whether making his living at the expense of others, including patronizing casinos where a number of gamblers may make bad decisions that could affect the quality of their lives, would be OK under his beliefs and values. Obviously, his answer was "Yes" considering that he has amassed great wealth over a 20-year career by playing superb poker in the poker rooms of casinos.
"I’m aware that on my climb to where I am now it required me to step on a lot of heads," KidPoker blogged. "When I win, others lose. I don’t take that lightly."
Nor does he take lightly the decisions of others when they hold firm to their beliefs, doing what seems right to them, as Coren has obviously done in shedding a lucrative sponsorship deal with PokerStars.
I assume she asked herself a lot of tough questions, and in the end, drew a line in the sand that she wasn’t willing to cross," Negreanu added. "What matters most is that when you draw that line you also follow it up with doing what you feel is right, and Vicky deserves all the kudos in the world for doing that."
Negreanu Bashing Comes With the Territory of Being the Face of Poker
Negreanu took some bashing from posters on online poker forums when he continued to toe the company line after PokerStars made a few moves that were detrimental to the pocketbooks of online grinders. And KidPoker is toeing that same line while a fellow pro made a decision that reflects perhaps on doing what's best for the greater good of humanity by disassociating herself from an aspect of online gaming that could be detrimental-- as she sees it.
But Negreanu, with his status as the face of PokerStars, and to a certain extent, the face of poker, sees his role toward his fellow man somewhat differently.
I suppose everyone has their own line in the sand and they aren’t all going to be in the same place, and that’s neither right or wrong," Negreanu opined. "The question I focus my energy on now is how will I give back to the world and inspire others to live out their dreams? I’m not talking poker here, I’m talking life. Poker is what I did to accumulate my wealth, but that doesn’t preclude me from being a contributing member of society and making a difference for people, and for the world."
Well said, Daniel.
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