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Dara O’Kearney displays on the World Poker Awards after his second win. [Image: Global Poker Index]
Out of nowhere
It’s early 2018 and I’m in London visiting pals. My customary indifference to award reveals is for as soon as overridden by the actual fact of being up for one: “The Chip Race” has unexpectedly been nominated for Podcast of the 12 months within the first ever GPI World Poker Awards. We had been the one (some would possibly say “token”) Europeans within the class (the opposite 4 nominees had been all American). If I’m sincere, I used to be stunned we made the lengthy listing, much more stunned we made the nominations shortlist, and each David and I assumed we had been principally drawing useless to win the award. At any time when we had been requested if we had been going to the awards, we each joked that we weren’t flying all the best way to Vegas to see which of the 4 Individuals gained.
Sadly, nobody from ‘The Chip Race’ is right here to simply accept the award.”
David was so satisfied we had been drawing useless that he didn’t hassle staying up for it (or no less than that was his excuse: copious consumption of alcoholic drinks on the event of his son’s second birthday might also have been a contributor to his heavy evening’s sleep). My host was eager to look at although, so watch it we did. That meant that at a while round 2am I used to be staring incredulously at Ali Nejad on a laptop computer display screen saying: “Sadly, nobody from ‘The Chip Race’ is right here to simply accept the award.”
David has a equally jaundiced view to mine on awards, however he wrote an uncharacteristically soppy weblog the following day thanking everybody who ever helped us with the present (though once more, that may have been hangover sentimentality). As a lot as folks love a protracted listing of credit on the finish of a film (as in by no means, except you’re in them), they love a little bit of controversy much more, and on this event our outdated pal Daniel Negreanu offered his. His expression of disgust at us successful the award on the evening was chronicled on the PokerNews Instagram story and drew sharp condemnation as bitter grapes from far and broad.
Why the hate, Daniel?
He reacted to this a couple of days afterward his personal unnominated podcast by doubling down, saying he had each proper to be disgusted (although in response to his co-host Terrence Chan singing the praises of “The Chip Race” paradoxically stated we is perhaps good for all he is aware of, however he didn’t know by no means having listened to a single second) as a result of we had been, in his phrases, “not good dudes” as a result of we assault him consistently. Clearly, now we have totally different definitions of regularly, because the so-called “assaults” amounted merely to us writing precisely one weblog every important of his comparability of sure participant sorts to most cancers, and his protection of unpopular PokerStars insurance policies, and a few tweets forwards and backwards across the time of the weblog.
After his podcast drew additional outrage, he doubled down once more in an expletive-laden trade with Lappin on Twitter with greater than a powerful whiff of racism (referring to us with the charged “you folks”) and misogyny (when he dragged Lappin’s girlfriend into it). I just about sat this one out, however Lappin loves Twitter barney as Negreanu shortly discovered when he was put again into his field and returned to tweeting about hockey, veganism, and the scale of part of his anatomy he seems unusually happy with (no pics Daniel, please, for the love of God, no pics).
listeners had been fast to defend us and the present even within the face of seemingly extra highly effective voices
I don’t need to harp on about Negreanu and the tiny handful of others who solid shade on our award: folks have a tendency to point out their true colours in these conditions and there are unhealthy losers in all walks of life, however I desire to deal with optimistic folks. Most of our rivals for the award had been extremely gracious and complimentary, and lots of of our listeners had been fast to defend us and the present even within the face of seemingly extra highly effective voices. I’ve all the time most well-liked high quality to amount and whereas we would have however a tiny fraction of the followers of a Negreanu, our tribe of “you folks” is sharp, dedicated, engaged and never afraid to make their voices heard.
How did this occur once more?
Flash ahead to 2024, nearly six years to the day from when Negreanu inadvertently did us an enormous favor booing as we had been introduced as GPI winners, successfully placing us on the map for lots of Individuals from whom we moved from being two Irish guys they’d by no means heard of who did a podcast they’d by no means listened to, to 2 guys Dnegs hated for some purpose.
This time, I’m at house grinding on-line, maintaining a tally of the awards on my laptop computer off to the aspect. As soon as once more, we’re nominated, as now we have been yearly besides the one after we gained, however as soon as once more we’re not anticipating to win. As soon as once more, we’re the one European podcast on the listing, and two of the others nominated are the 2 most up-to-date winners: “Solely Pals” and “Poker In The Ears.” Our tip to win is the OG of poker podcasts, “Considering Poker,” hosted by our pals Andrew Brokos and Carlos Welch, cruelly ignored till now (that is truly their first time to be even nominated).
As soon as once more, I’m surprised once we are introduced because the winners (the primary two time winners). Jeff Platt reads out a brief speech we despatched him during which we are saying we predict “Considering Poker” ought to have gained, and hope they do subsequent yr.
This time there aren’t any boos or ews (Negreanu was not in attendance this time), and the response from the opposite nominees to our victory was annoyingly gracious. What’s even the purpose of successful if no one goes to throw a hissy match over it?
With honest thanks
It’s conventional, although, after the awards for individuals who had been nominated however didn’t win to ruminate over how the awards may very well be improved, and this yr was no exception. I tuned in to take heed to Berkey and pals dissect what the awards have change into, which is actually a bunch of business awards with some gamers (few of which flip up) awards and a few awards for content material creators. This makes for lower than compelling viewing as we marvel which award Jack Effel will settle for on behalf of WSOP, and who Adam Pliska will thank in his speech this yr.
I’ve raised my very own strategies previously, and the truth that books are drawing useless within the Written Content material part towards extra simply clicked and consumed articles (this yr it was the flip of my pal Alex O’Brien to lose out in that class together with her wonderful debut e-book The Reality Detective) and that technique content material has by no means as soon as gained an award stay a frustration, however I gained’t dwell on these.
we owe an enormous gratitude to Eric Danis and the remainder of the GPI crew for giving us these awards
I agree with most of what Berkey and pals stated. There have been complaints that not one of the European winners confirmed as much as accumulate their awards, however so long as they’re all the time in Vegas, that’s more likely to proceed. I, for one, am not flying 14 hours each methods to take a seat at a desk trying awkward when another podcast or author is named out because the winner. In the event that they need to make these awards actually international, it is perhaps an concept to have them exterior the PokerGO studios in Las Vegas some years. That stated, I feel we owe an enormous gratitude to Eric Danis and the remainder of the GPI crew for giving us these awards. It’s a largely thankless job, notably whenever you’re coping with poker gamers who by no means agree on something. In case you ask six poker gamers what they consider one thing, they’ll discover six other ways to criticize it.
I’ll finish by thanking everybody who works on the present. It’s an actual ardour undertaking for David who places within the exhausting yards prepping and enhancing our interviews. Barry Carter is our secret weapon, remodeling what has traditionally been the dullest phase (the Information) together with his wit. Saron does all our graphics, and my very own spouse Mireille was the only largest drive in steering the present out of its preliminary mediocrity together with her fierce constructive criticism. I’d particularly wish to thank all our listeners: with out you we’d have stopped a very long time in the past.
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