|
|
The Poker Gods
|
Echo - The Goddess of Distraction, Misdirection and
Incessant Jabbering
In Greek mythology, Echo was a mountain nymph who loved the sound of
her own voice.
She was employed by Zeus to divert his wife’s attention with lengthy
and amusing stories, overwhelming her with a steady flow of gibberish
and gossip. This left Zeus free to nip to the tavern for a beer of two
and take advantage of the local nymphs.
It wasn’t all good for Echo; when Zeus’s wife discovered Echo’s part
in her husband’s philandering, she punished Echo by taking away her
voice, except to let her speak in foolish repetition of the last
syllable of the most recent utterance.
Dan Negreanu is a famous disciple of Echo; he is well known for his
friendly banter at the poker table. While he cannot be accused of
‘coffee-housing’
(distracting table with misleading talk) Negreanu often asks his
opponents seemingly irrelevant questions while in a hand.
|
 |
With a board of A-K-Q suited, Negreanu may enquire,
“what’s the weather like outside.” The answer of course is immaterial;
the tone of the reply is what he is after. A confused, “er…I, I,
don’t know” may suggest the opponent lacks confidence in their hand,
while a “bright and sunny and on the money” could suggest strength.
Another follower of Echo would be Antanas Guoga, otherwise known as
Tony G. Notorious for his outlandish behaviour on the table, Tony G
verbally intimidates many opponents putting some on tilt, inviting
rash play against him.
One could conceive that Tony G would never bow to a deity, thinking of
himself as a poker god, but don’t let his table persona fool you. Away
from the game, many say he is one of the nicest people you’ll ever
meet… but I can’t get that in writing. |
Back to top of page |
