I just returned from another cruise and road trip that included Asia, the Caribbean, and the Deep South. I've been playing poker, giving seminars, and hosting events. Sometimes I feel guilty at my good fortune while the nation struggles through the current economic crisis. It's a time to step up and help our neighbors, our friends, and maybe even those we don't yet know. Respecting each other is key, and I saw this clearly during my recent travels.
I traveled from Shanghai to Singapore, with stops in China, Bangkok, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Singapore on a Card Player Cruises poker adventure.
My dad had a couple of eye-related medical emergencies and we had to go to two medical clinics in China. In Shanghai, we visited a state-of-the art facility with the latest in technology and care. The doctors who assisted us were extremely attentive and compassionate, and the care we received was much better in many ways than we could have expected in the US. We were treated like family and given the utmost in respect.
At the next stop, Xiamen, we were told we shouldn't go to the eye clinic where we were referred since no one there spoke English and thus could not help us. But the volunteer at the port, whose job it was to help tourists with transportation, directions, and information, joined us on our adventure. Without his help, we wouldn't have been able to communicate to the doctors.
He explained the system, expedited our treatment, and made sure my father got wonderful care. When my credit card was denied since I didn't have a PIN, he paid for our treatment and took us back to the ship. Once there, I went aboard, got some money, changed it to the local currency, and returned to the terminal to repay him.
Because of the excellent treatment, my dad's eyes are okay and I have fond memories of the respect we received in China. In Vietnam and Cambodia, two countries whose poverty is staggering, we were always greeted by smiling people who exhibited dignity and happiness, even in their dire situations. We should take a page from their book.
In Singapore we played some poker at an event sponsored by the Asian Poker Tour (APT). Barry Tanenbaum, Mark Tenner, Linda Johnson, and I gave a seminar to the local players and the 20 Americans who attended. After the APT event, a free-roll tournament was held, and this was where I saw some lack of respect... sadly, it came from the Americans.
The tourney was structured in such a way that "we" really couldn't win anything since the prizes were for entries to tournaments in Asia and it would have been cost prohibitive for us to return to play the events. Prizes won could easily and graciously have been donated back to the charity as the locals were just thrilled to have us there and play against us. Unfortunately, some of the members of our group grew bored with the event and tried to donk off their chips. They made their intentions obvious by calling big bets with silly hands, rather than at least moving in with them.
In my opinion, it showed a complete disrespect for the game of poker as well as our hosts. When we choose to play poker, we need to play to win and that means from start to finish. As the finish line nears is no time to mock the game that has treated us so well-whether it's financially, professionally, or in terms of day-to-day enjoyment. Let's agree to respect the game as well as each other. Moving right along....
Jan Fisher has 30 years experience as a poker player, tournament director, strategist/columnist, co-founder of the Tournament Directors Association, Partner in Card Player Cruises, WPT Boot Camp instructor and statistician, and live studio announcer for the Professional Poker Tour. E-mail Jan at Jan@cardplayercruises.com.
