Paul Phillips

Was checking out PokerLizard.com today and finally got around to reading Paul Phillips' interview on there. It's a worthwhile read, as is pretty much anything Paul has to say.

Paul and I aren't really on the best of terms. He doesn't like me much and doesn't really make a secret out of it. But that's ok because I like him just fine. He's pretty funny at the table, and always comes off well on tv. I have a feeling that's because he's made some remarks that have back-fired in the past (did you know he was banned from the WSOP?), and is now a little more thoughtful about how he comes off. I actually think if Paul got to know me a little, we'd gel.

Here are ten things that Paul Phillips and I have in common :

(1) We both play a lot of poker;
(2) We both think we're funnier and better looking than we actually are;
(3) We both like scrabble;
(4) We both share some of the same favorite books, like Godel Escher Bach, The Stand, and Watership Down;
(5) We both dabbled in a dot-com startup;
(6) We both read RGP to see what new shit they're posting about us;
(7) We both like Sublime;
(8) We both get a little teary at the end of "A Leagure of Their Own";
(9) We both dislike Rick DaVoice; and finally
(10) We both like to blog!

Anyway, enough about Paul... let's talk about the interview. My favorite line follows:

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PokerLizard: What advice would you give to any aspiring pros? Any pitfalls to avoid?

Paul: My advice to aspiring pros is to change aspirations. Poker seems much more glamorous than it actually is, and for every player who is living the dream, there are dozens who aren't. If you're smart enough to succeed at this game, you're smart enough to succeed in the real world, with much greater satisfaction. If you don't want to work for “the man”, then start your own company and put your efforts into that.

I think poker is a great hobby but a very poor choice of profession. I'm concerned that the current poker craze is going to leave us with legions who eventually discover that poker isn't all it's cracked up to be, but who have also rendered themselves largely unemployable.

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Not bad advice, Paul. Thanks!

(btw - you can read Paul's blog here).