#197: “Heads-Up!”

Two weeks ago, we witnessed the cruel defrocking of one of Ireland’s most consistent performers, a man who had played more games than almost anyone else available, a man who could be called a national treasure or an icon of the game. From the other side, it must have been incredibly difficult to drop somebody with such deft skill and impeccable timing, somebody with such aggression in a heads-up collision, somebody as determined as he was to showcase his abilities against an old enemy. Unsurprisingly, Twitter was instantly abuzz with both well-crafted criticism and woefully populist punditry but was Fintan Gavin really right to drop me from the Irish Heads-Up Team to take on The Brits in Galway?

The short answer? Yes.

Don’t get me wrong. I am disappointed to be left out. It’s going to be a really cool event and I would have been delighted to be in the side had it been a 32-a side tourney. Word is the British team could only field 16 and so it was that captain Fintan Gavin had to cull his numbers. I don’t think it’s possible to select a side of which everybody in Irish poker would approve. Every player in Ireland would pick a slightly different 16 (and one which should include themselves). I think you have to look at the format, the televised nature of the event, the strengths of the players available to you and make the best call you can. Co-captain Dermot Blain has obviously had an influence on the selections and I think that the brain-trust have gotten it just about right.

Ireland is enjoying a bit of a golden age in poker at present so, I imagine, there was some serious competition for places. Despite the economic situation here, there are more legitimate pros than at any other time. Thanks to a new generation of online players, there are more guys making a working wage week in, week out. Loads of the lads out in Vegas last month, even some of the bigger names, were out there either fully or partially staked. And that’s also a good thing. That’s actually a really really good thing.

It absolutely doesn’t mean, as some might believe, that a culture of cowardice has enveloped the playing fraternity, that a player’s decision to not put it all on the line in some way takes away from his credentials on the felt. Rather, it demonstrates a growing understanding of important wealth creation principles in the poker intelligentsia, a greater maturity in today’s young pro. A healthy staking community is an absolute necessity in a thriving poker economy and Ireland’s top players at both higher and mid-stakes seem to have the financial backing required to take on the rest of the world while at the same time limiting their risk of ruin. The poker world is an almost perfect model of a capitalist society and a capitalist society succeeds when the most talented entrepreneurs, artists and innovators are supported by the most astute and bullish investors.

With 60 tournaments in 17 days, the Galway Festival will hopefully be a massive success for all those involved, showcasing Ireland as a premiere poker destination, brimming with indigenous talent. Sure, several successful pros may have been omitted from the Irish Heads-up Team, and it’s perfectly fine to feel disappointed if you are one of them, but with the likes of Jude Ainsworth, Dara O’Kearney, Nelius Foley, Chris Dowling, Ronan Gilligan, Sean Prendiville, Daragh Davey and ‘plastic paddy’ Steve O’Dwyer all turning out, Ireland will be incredibly well-represented in the tournament. My attitude is ‘if you can’t rally behind the team as selected, then you probably wouldn’t have made a good team player if selected’. On this, we should all take a leaf out of the book of one Brian O’Driscoll, a class act when he was on the pitch and off of it.