Veteran Poker Pro Gives Advice to Younger Colleagues

Mike Sexton advocates a more professional image for poker This week, veteran broadcaster and poker pro Mike Sexton decided to give a piece of advice to his poker colleagues, telling them to smarten up and fly right. Namely, on his blog, Sexton said the scruffy appearance and unprofessional conduct of so many poker pros is no good. “I feel many have no vision for the future or an understanding of the present," he said. "They don't see the big picture - growing our industry and making it a better place to play and/or work in and doing what it takes to bring sponsorship into the poker world. They just live in their own little worlds.” As a solution, he recommended that professional players should comport themselves responsibly in both public and media encounters, to be courteous and cooperative with fans, other players and support staff at tournaments, to be punctual and show when in the public eye, to join charity initiatives and dress smartly when playing before television cameras. He explained: "At a recent WPT final table, I looked at the six finalists and saw four wearing T-shirts and another in a sweat shirt. At other final tables this season, I've seen players wearing shorts and flip-flops. Look, I played poker for a living for a long time. I understand wanting to be comfortable while you're playing, etc. Is it too much, however, to expect players to wear collared shirts, long pants, and shoes and socks on a televised final table?"