Raise or Fold:  A Year of Risky Business

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Sunday, July 5, 2009

Breathtaking Arrogance

[This post refers to this video on Pokertube. I had to edit it out because the video player was messing with my computer's CPU. My apologies.]

I do not dispute Annette Obrestad's talent. She has proven her mettle online and in live play (winning the WSOP Main Event in Europe). But I am stunned by the level of stereotyping and, in my opinion, downright ignorance and naivété she displays in this video interview.

I remind myself that she is 20, and has experienced a level of success that would turn anyone's head. This is a young person who is accustomed to winning, and who has an unblemished belief in her own abilities. Nonetheless, it is a little shocking to see what pure, naked, and unalloyed confidence looks like.

Part of me wonders how she will process the inevitable experience of a really long downswing, when that time comes.

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11 Comments:

Anonymous joxum said...

Tell me you've never stereotyped at the table ;)

Phil Hellmuths entrance to the Main Event is way more arrogant than Anette_15 trying to give an honest answer to a specific question.

Personally, what I noticed most was that her accent shows. That's something new.

/j.

7/5/09 9:09 PM  
Blogger NewinNov said...

Interesting how two people can get so different impressions of a quick video clip. I did not detect the arrogance you apparently attributed to her. I thought her answers were concise and informed. She readily admits that she will not be playing the $50K events because she is not ready and she says she would like to go deep, not win when referring to her first WSOP main event in the USA. Interesting.

7/5/09 10:04 PM  
Blogger Crash said...

She puts down Doyle. He could turn her into jelly, even wilth his failing health. Flash in the pan. She won't sustain.

7/6/09 2:05 AM  
Blogger Crash said...

Furthermore, anyone who has won so much and done so much for poker, such as Doyle, should not be talked down. You won't even know her name a decade from now. Living on luck. Pokergrrl has pointed out how long it takes for luck to even out. I hope this one goes fast.

7/6/09 2:23 AM  
Blogger NewinNov said...

She does not put down Doyle, she just remarks that she would rather play against the old school players rather than the young internet players. She has played Doyle heads up before and he made several positive comments about her and her play.

7/6/09 8:56 AM  
Blogger dbcooper said...

I listened to it twice and what I understood she said was that she would rather play against Doyle than young internet guys because the young guys were tough. Not impressed. Doyle is a legend

7/6/09 2:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I disagree.
She sounds very centered.
Study that tape and learn from her.

She looks at and studies her opponents.


aki

7/8/09 12:36 AM  
Blogger Cardgrrl said...

@Aki: Which part should I learn from?

The part where she says that a middle-aged guy who gets a beer and is lively and sociable is obviously "not going to be a good player." REALLY?

The part where she says that when all she sees is a bunch of young kids she just assumes they going to be good because "most of them are." REALLY?

Joe Navarro: "Tell Guru To The Stars." I've read his books, and I've heard from people who've been to his seminars. Sure, some useful information... but is it really going to make you "a much better player" after an hour. REALLY? (In fact, she does go on to say that she confuses herself with trying to spot tells sometimes.)

She would rather play at a table of "Old School" players than the top online internet folks. I can understand that, as the internet style folks have learned to play against each other in a specific kind of way. She might find, however, that the best "Old School" players BECAME long-term survivors by learning how to adapt, and might not be the easy marks she seems to feel they are.

I was probably a little harsh on Annette, as what she has to say toward the end of the video is quite reasonable ~ particularly the part about not having to beat everyone in a huge field, just the people at your table, hand by hand.

7/8/09 3:39 PM  
Blogger Rakewell said...

Clearly the affable middle-aged guys who might have a beer while they play are NOT good. Y'know, people like Scotty Nguyen, Layne Flack, Johnny Chan, Ted Forrest, David Benyamine, John Cernuto, Eli Elezra, Lyle Berman, Steve Zolotow....

(Why is it that in the past several years I have found myself taking more affront at generalized swipes at middle-aged men than I used to? It's something of a mystery to me.)

7/8/09 4:42 PM  
Blogger Crash said...

Deep apologies. I called you Pokergrrl, Cardgrrl. Very sorry.

7/9/09 12:21 AM  
Blogger Tom said...

There's not much of a skill difference between the top 100 tournament players in the world. It's whoever runs the best over the course of a short-period of time. Old School, New School ... who gives a shit? To quote Chad Batista: swongs are swongs

Anyways, bottom line is it's pretty silly to get all worked up over the opinion of one person without much live experience.

7/10/09 3:13 PM  

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