Olivier Busquet: Let's Not Overhype the Role of 'Poker Ambassadors'

9 years ago
Olivier Busquet: Let's Not Overhype the Role of 'Poker Ambassadors'
22:30
17 Nov

Sometimes poker is all about big winners, hands well played, and kids with dreams, as Norman Chad would put it. But sometimes, just like any other area of private or professional life that gathers a large number of individuals, it becomes preoccupied with different things. That is exactly what’s been happening the last couple days, as ‘reg wars’ have moved away from the tables.

The whole Dan Colman goes after Phil Hellmuth situation ignited some discussion about the importance of ‘poker ambassadors’ for the development and growth of the game. This, in turn, led to a series of tweets by Olivier Busquet, a player best known for two things: his results and his very strong convictions that he is not afraid to share publicly.

The importance of poker ambassadors is not a new topic, but some recent developments have shaken some of the long-held beliefs and led many people to question how much these ‘ambassadors’ actually care about their roles.

As for Busquet, his view of the matter is quite clear. Stars have contributed to the popularity of the game, but he seems to believe that poker would get where it is today with or without them. What he seems especially ticked off by is the idea that the ‘new’ pros owe (in some shape or form) gratitude to the ‘old’ pros.

As expected, these tweets initiated a discussion and one of the people replying was 2003 WSOP Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker. In his reply, Busquet stated that if there was one exception to his statements, it was Moneymaker (not that anyone can really deny the Moneymaker effect). A reply by Chris was a fun one though.

Much like there is no denying the Moneymaker effect, there is a lot of truth to the next Busquet statement where he claims that the ‘old pros’ should in fact be thankful for being at the right place at the right time. While the question of how much any certain pro has contributed to the growth of poker is up for debate, it is an indisputable fact that sponsorship deals back in the day were much sweeter – another topic that’s been discussed at some length lately.

Olivier further explained his belief that it was the Internet that played the biggest role in the growth of poker and no doubt the ability to play poker anytime from any place in the world has tremendously helped the game's popularity. Finally, he concluded his Twitter essay by stating the following:

One thing to pick up from everything that’s been going on lately is that emotions are currently running high. While Olivier’s analysis has some very valid points, some of them are really up for debate. He acknowledges the importance of Chris Moneymaker, which is fair, but what’s with other big names?

What pro wannabe did not watch Phil Ivey, thinking, 'I want to be this guy' (or even, I want to beat this guy). Everything else aside, how many amateurs saw Daniel Negreanu make an amazing (even if it is edited) read against someone at the table and thought – 'well that is pretty cool, I want to be able to do that.' But Busquet's point that if it were another pro sitting there instead of them also has its merits.

If we are talking TV production, it is these guys’ business to amaze, be it poker or anything else. They could have probably turned several random players into stars that the general public admires. Some points are valid, some not so much, but Olivier certainly has a knack for starting up discussions on really interesting topics. The problem is, of course, that it is often really hard to find a way to reach a conclusive answer to many of the issues he raises. However, as long as it stays civilized, nothing wrong with some heated discussion.


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Stewart resides in Edinburgh Scotland, and is a key member of the 180Vita team. An early member of the company, Stewart has worked on all of the companies major brands and projects, and is specifically involved in the core operations of PokerTube - Our flagship poker media website.Read more

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