When I was in college I went to Texas Tech and was taught probably by one of the slickest poker players in West Texas. For years I would hear stories about his class and one semester I had the balls to take it. He strictly forbid tape recording of his class, because “he was going to tell stories that one day he would compile in a book”.He did and he wowed me with stories of playing with Doyle and Amarillo Slim , mere characters to me, but made more than life in the stories by this professor. He told me that if I was ever at a game and a friend ran his finger across my back to collect my chips and leave, because something fishy was up.
I will always be honest with you, the listeners. It’s who I am. I drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t raise as much hell as I used to.
But I always run a fair game.
Recently a listener called me up and wanted to take me to the mat for the rules of a contest that we were running. The first freeze contest.
“Why four days in advance Sean, that’s kinda shitty,” the male caller started off with his rant. “I should be able to put my guess whenever I want.”
“Well, it is our contest and in the interest of fairness and not allowing people to snipe a trip we put these rules in place,” I replied.
“I think that it’s unfair. F&^*( you, Sean” and he hung up on me.
That was juvenile I thought and then I thought some more. I wanted to *69 him back and say “Hey %$*#()@#(), just because you tried to angle-shoot me and it didn’t work, don’t be ticked at me.” But I didn’t because no matter what happens he will have my opinion and I will never be right in his world.
That’s beyond my control.
What is my control is providing rules that are fair, explaining them and posting them on this website and also at our studios during contest periods for people to check. I always try and let someone pick the name , if it is a drawing, for I would rather not have everyone in the contest looking at me and saying ‘You didn’t draw my name you SOB.” I strive for fairness and honesty. When I make a mistake, I make it good as best as I can and try my best to make everyone happy, knowing however that I will be unable to.
For example, I know that in the morning that I will be surrounded by people that waited until after the First Freeze happens that people will put contest entries in and say that they are the winner, and I will be the one to disappoint them with the rules with the 4 day window rule.
Nothing is ever fair in life and there is nothing I can do, nor say that will please these people.
But the same people who complain, didn’t want to play fair in the first place.
It is time for me to start writing again.
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