Ayn Rand and Poker
With the year coming to an end along with my prediction that 2014 will see online poker legal across the USA . It is time to reflect on why it is so difficult to get Americans do what they are legendary supposed to do?
Ayn Rand would certainly in favour of making online poker legal, but apart from that she would not see the point of the game as it produces nothing but fun which she did not seem to be into.
Last Week Tonight – Ayn Rand
So why is this important for the poker player? Well a number of politicians and commentators are into Ayn Rand and her objectivist idea, and, poker is seen as the ultimate capitalist pursuit. Therefore, poker players should be natural Ayn Rand disciples. The only problem is that most poker players understand the nature of poker and society and see that there is no way a society can be run along selfish lines.
If society is run along selfish lines then it stands to reason that power and strength will win and those without power will lose or organise to oust those who want to rule on objectivist lines.
Basically being openly selfish is not a way to win friends and influence people. Look at Donald Trump! On the face of it he seems like a successful guy but deep down you know he has been brought and paid for and is a media whore who can be duped by random individuals. His business empire is a shell based on his name and nothing else, that is why he could not run for President he needed the money from the TV show ‘The Apprentice’ to pay the bills.
No one admires selfishness and therefore those that openly practice it will be sidelined unless they have something so wonderful that it will out bid anything on the market. There is nothing like that at the moment and the hopes of the Paul Ryans’ and the Glenn Becks’ have to be tempered by playing down the real nature of objectivism and rely on the low information followers not understanding what Ayn Rand is all about.
With poker you can be as selfish as you like. The only time you show mercy to your opponents is when they are you friend and it will create difficulty if you go for them or you already own them and you are looking for allies to get another opponent, which is a form of cheating and is called collusion.
So objectivism on the poker table, altruism in society and never the twain shall meet.