Black Friday: My (Non-)Thoughts
I want to begin with appreciation and an apology. I’m flattered that so many people have been eager to hear my thoughts on the recent events that rocked the online poker world, and I’m sorry that this post is going to disappoint you.
The truth is that I don’t know what to think and at this point I don’t want to speculate. Unfortunately my relationship with PokerStars doesn’t give me access to any inside information, so I’m as clueless as anyone about what’s going on and what will happen next. I do think the situation will get clearer soon, though I don’t know how soon.
I know that for some of you this is an apocalyptic moment, and I wish that I could be of more help. The best I can do is point you to the best advice I’ve come across for dealing with the present situation, which comes from Jared Tendler:
“It’s hard to know what this means, but I do think it’s important to avoid speculating or get caught up listening to others who are doing it. Stay tuned into facts, listen to credible people, and do what you think is best. It’s easy to think only of the absolute worst case, and on one level it can be smart to prepare for that possibility, it also many not be the most helpful when ultimately figuring out what you need to do. Try to brainstorm some options so you’re prepared to make decisions as more information becomes certain and avoid making premature definitive conclusions.”
…
“Right now you’re looking for answers. The problem is that some of you are so desperate for answers you’ll listen to almost anything or anyone. That desperation is very similar to feeling desperate to win. You’ll do almost anything to shake this feeling because the uncertainty is almost too much to handle.
The reality is that there aren’t many answers out there right now. If you try to force an answer too soon, you’ll be making the same mistake if you were forcing the action because you need to win money right now. You have to stick to a sound and logical strategy.”
Jared has a lot more to say on the subject, and he’s made a free excerpt from his new book available, so I encourage you to read the whole post if you’re feeling anxious right now.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has expressed concern for my situation. It’s very touching to hear from you, but the truth is that I’ll be fine no matter what happens. I’ve got plenty of money saved up and actually enjoyed having a free weekend for once.
Despite my silence the last few days, I do intend to keep blogging. I’ve got plenty of poker-related stuff in the hopper, but you’ll probably see an increase in the number of stories, musings, and low-poker-content posts. I get the sense that some of you would enjoy that anyway. I know I will.