Above: The latest issue of All In magazine with Vanessa Rousso on the cover.
I'm just MOJO. I know I'll never be a top poker player, but that's okay -- I love to play the game and I do okay on my level. In the latest issue of All In magazine, columnist Jeremiah Smith (no relation) has a piece about Jean-Robert Bellande. If you play poker, you likely know who he is. He's been on TV ("Bad Boys of Poker") and the final table of a WSOP Circuit event. He was on the CBS TV show: Survivor, China.
You probably think a player who's at the top of his game would be rolling in money, but that's not so. Bellande was broke last October when he borrowed $2000 from a friend and ran it up to $100,000. The sad truth is that he's now broke again, according to this article.
At least Bellande is honest. Smith writes that (a certain player) sells pieces of himself in an event, then blows it at the craps table. Bellande does nothing like that, and Smith says he likes him and finds his honesty refreshing.
Smith writes:
I asked Bellande if he has ever tried to practice bankroll management. Has he thought about dialing things down a bit? Maybe avoid the intense highs because they are inevitable followed by a depressing low? He answered with a question of his own.
"Where's the fun in that?"
Huh, bankroll management is tough for the big players too.
ReplyDeleteHis story is way too common from many things I have heard over the years. I'd love to hear Dr. Pauly tell stories about this stuff.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...looking at that magazine cover, I've just decided to learn how to play poker.
ReplyDeleteHeh, heh.
"Chili" in there! :-)
My theory is that in order to be a great player, you need to have that gambling bug in you, which makes you play fearlessly and recklessly - money has to mean nothing to you. So the thing that makes you great is also your downfall.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen those prop bets the players make on NBC's Poker After Dark? Insanity.