Sam Grafton's Take on Daniel Colman and Today's Poker Climate

14:39
07 Sep

Although it's been some time since Colman's victory in the One Drop tournament and the whole controversy created by young pro's refusal to do a winner's interview, the entire situation that came about still entices people to write blogs and articles expressing their opinions about the whole ordeal. The most recent one comes from an UK professional Sam 'SquidPoker' Grafton.

Grafton's blog entry focuses on several points, but there is one particularly interesting that can help to explain why the enthusiasm found in the younger generations of poker players pales in comparison to the old guns. Many of the big name pros that helped so much with promotion of the game often had very strong motivation as they either received a salary from one of the top online sites or were sometimes even shareholders in the companies. For them, growth of poker was directly related to their financial well being. We are not talking EV here or some future influx of amateurs that will eventually make the games better – but the cold, hard cash in their bank accounts.

The generation that preceded the online players were invested in poker and the success of poker platforms in a very literal way. They were either effectively paid a wage by them through sponsorship, or in the case of Full Tilt they were actual shareholders in the company. When this is the case, of course you are naturally more willing to partake in the hype and excess that helps to either grow the game or a specific company. Sam Grafton, RunItOnce;
The state of poker today can be debated, but one thing is certain – boom days are long gone and unless something really big (like return of American market) happens, this is not likely to change. Perks and sponsorship deals waiting new generation of top players are not even close to those offered several years ago. So incentive to publicize yourself as a poker player and, potentially, put a target on your back with government and criminals is not that strong any more.
We shouldn't quickly forget that the space left by Colman's silence was filled by a thousand images of a unsmiling young man looking almost contemptuous of the giant pile of cash he had just won. If pros themselves don't set poker's agenda then others will do it for us, often to our and our community's detriment.
While Grafton fully understand the position from which Colman and some other young players he knows are coming from, he also warns about what could and likely would happen if more players stopped giving interviews. The media creates story with or without the interview, and if things are left to their imagination, that could lead to many unflattering scenarios.
Afterthought
Grafton, Negreanu and many others have shared their opinions about the situation and Colman’s actions (or the lack thereof) have triggered a very interesting debate within the community. Even if Colman’s refusal to do an interview was a bad thing for poker, the whole discussion that followed up will most likely bring about a lot of good thoughts and ideas that could help with promotion of the game. And, as some have mentioned in the comments section, this enigmatic, seemingly troubled young character brings a whole different vibe that might actually intrigue some people that would never really give poker any thought otherwise.