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Immediately following 23-year-old Daniel Colman’s Big One for One Drop $15 million plus win early Tuesday, the Boston poker player ran off and refused to talk to any media.
Colman fled the World Series of Poker host casino, the Rio, within five minutes.
His handlers claimed Colman “was not interested in promoting poker”.
From the Las Vegas Sun:
How painstaking it must have sounded to answer a couple of questions to help an industry that could use any and every bit of possible positive promotion. An industry that enabled Colman to uncover his exceptional ability for one-on-one poker and allowed him the success to move to a swanky home in Rio de Janeiro while peers lived in college dorms.
Not having the dignity to mumble out a few words for the sake of poker wasn’t the surprise, though. There are self-absorbed types in every profession.
The jarring part is that Colman concurrently came off as having an anti-Machiavellian streak with no interest in promoting himself either.
He could have lined himself up for any number of sponsorships or endorsements just by acting decent. Antonio Esfandiari set himself up in a lucrative gig as the face of Ultimate Poker, the first licensed online poker room in America, by winning the inaugural Big One For One Drop two years ago.
Later in the day, Colman explained his reaction following the big win on the TwoPlusTwo.com posting forum.
I really don't owe anyone an explanation but Ill give one...
First off, I don't owe poker a single thing. I've been fortunate enough to benefit financially from this game, but I have played it long enough to see the ugly side of this world. It is not a game where the pros are always happy and living a fulfilling life. To have a job where you are at the mercy of variance can be insanely stressful and can lead to a lot of unhealthy habits. I would never in a million years recommend for someone to try and make it as a poker pro.
It is also not a game where the amateurs are always happy to be losing their money for the sake of entertainment. The losers lose way more money at this game then winners are winning. A lot of this is money they cant afford to lose. This is fine of course because if someone is dumb enough to gamble with money they cant afford to lose, that's their problem. Im not really buying that though. In a perfect world, markets are based on informed consumers making rational transactions. In reality sadly that's not the case, markets are based on advertising trying to play on peoples impulses and targeting their weaknesses in order for them to make irrational decisions. I get it if someone wants to go and play poker on their own free will, but I don't agree with gambling being advertised just like I don't agree with cigarettes and alcohol being advertised.
It bothers me that people care so much about poker's well being. As poker is a game that has such a net negative effect on the people playing it. Both financially and emotionally.
As for promoting myself, I feel that individual achievements should rarely be celebrated. I am not going to take part in it for others and I wouldn't want it for myself. If you wonder why our society is so infatuated by individuals and their success, and being a baller, it is not that way for no reason. It is their because it serves a clear purpose. If you get people to look up to someone and adhere to the "gain wealth, forget all but self" motto, then you can get them to ignore the social contract which is very good for power systems. Also it serves as a means of distraction to get people to not pay attention to the things that do matter.
These are just my personal views. And yes, I realize I am conflicted. I capitalize off this game that targets peoples weaknesses. I do enjoy it, I love the strategy part of it, but I do see it as a very dark game.
Happy to read any ones opinions that could convince me otherwise of my views.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
