Poker Articles

Death in the Families
By Mike Paulle

Poker writers are intentionally upbeat. There is enough bad karma out there; we don't usually have to dwell on the dark side. Our focus is helping players rise above all the negativity that the bad beats and bad apples bring.

Occasionally, however, something happens in the 'real world' that gives one pause. Each of us has two families. As poker players we've added a new family, the people we play with regularly. Then there is the family that includes the friends and relatives we have outside of poker.

Death touched both my families recently and I think it's worth talking about.

In poker, death took someone I knew well for his tournament play.

A popular Southern California player, Brandon King, is a reported suicide. Death is usually tragic, but suicide is especially appalling. Brandon suffered a stoke last year and was crippled by it. This powerful young man had to walk with a leg-brace and cane. My conjecture is that the worst part for Brandon, however, wasn't the physical damage. I think Brandon felt he lost some of his mental acuity from the stroke. That would be very tough for someone like Brandon to take.

Brandon's loss was compounded this week by a death in my other family, the one outside of poker. And it made me think about life.

Most of you don't know the name Malik Sealy. He was a starting guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball League. Malik died this week at 30 years of age from an auto accident. The reason I knew Malik so well is that he and my son played on the same High School basketball team for three years. In their senior year in 1988, Malik and my son Bowen were on the team that won the USA Today's #1 ranking for the National Champion of High School basketball. Of all the High School basketball teams in America, for one year, this one was the best.

What was common about Brandon King and Malik Sealy was how fiercely competitive they were. Now, suddenly, they are both gone.

The meaning I get from the passing of these two great guys is that you never really know how long you will be here.

Having someone close to you die can make you think that playing poker is trivial. That's absolutely valid. It is trivial in a cosmic sense. But love isn't. And if playing poker is something you love, doing what you love isn't trivial.

If playing poker is a passion, pursue it like it's the love of your life. Don't put off the pursuit until you have more time. You may never have more time. I'm not trying to be morbid here. I just am trying to help you think about what's really important to you.

The effect that the loss of Brandon and Malik in my two families has made me want to do more of what I love, playing poker. I don't know how long I have to live. Neither do you.

Do what you love!