After making that post, I was given an enormous amount of positive feedback. A lot of people left very nice replies in the thread, and I also received a number of thoughtful PMs, IMs, and even messages at the tables from players who had read it. It really made me feel good about what I had done. However, the comments that really stood out to me were the ones from people who felt I could/should have done more for Larry.
At first I couldn’t help but get a little defensive about these people’s observations, especially after I had received mostly pats on the back. But after thinking about it more, I realized these people were exactly right. Sure, I helped out a stranger and maybe even encouraged him to feel good about himself, if even for just a short while. But it was only a small gesture that clearly didn’t cost me much money or time. And while I haven’t forgotten Larry, for all I know he’s already forgotten me. When it comes down to it, what I did for him, while nice, was more or less forgettable –and that doesn’t sit well with me. This may just sound like a guilty conscience, but I think it’s beyond that. I feel as though this decorated Veteran truly deserves more out of life, and I might be the only person out there that would take the time to try leading him towards happiness. If I don’t, who else will?
I’ve seen Larry a few times since the day I bought him dinner. He seems to hang out in the same area every day, or at least every time I’ve happened to drive by—so at least I know he’s still around. I’ve thought about other things I could do for him. Some of the people who sent me PMs mentioned that I could help him try to get a job (this is certainly a big one). Others pointed out that I could help clean him up a bit (i.e. some new clothes). With these things in mind, I sat down the other day and thought about what seemed like the most important items this homeless man would need to really help kick-start him towards a better life. Before long I had a list of probably two dozen things –things I felt were “musts” if he was going to be able to actually turn things around. Then, after estimating what all these things would cost, I realized there was really no way for me to afford everything he needs. I’ve been fairly successful at poker—which has allowed me to use it as my sole form of income—but I’m also a college kid with a lot of bills to pay!
So how could I come up with a decent amount of money to help this guy out and maybe give him a second chance at life? I thought about that question for a while, and being the competitive, slightly degenerative poker player that I am, I came up with this: I’ll play a 24-hour long session of small/mid-stakes MTTs, where all profits will go to Larry. Of course, not all of my sessions are profitable, so I decided that if I finished in the red, I’d set aside $250 that he’d get no matter what. I also decided to play this session on a Sunday. Sunday tourneys mean bigger fields, bigger fields mean bigger prize pools, bigger prize pools mean greater potential for Larry to really clean up. I’m actually getting pumped just thinking about it! In addition, I’m also excited because this might be a Sunday that I actually feel good about afterwards! (note: I’m half-joking when I say this)
So that’s the plan. On October 5th, I’m going to play NLHE MTTs on both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker from 12:00pm Sunday to 12:00pm Monday. The tournament buy-ins will range from $10 to $50, and I plan on playing as many as I possibly can (I’m sure I’ll miss some of FTP’s somewhat random $10 freezeouts that I can’t register for in advance, along with a few others that I know will have relatively small prize pools). All profits will go to helping my buddy Larry. As I mentioned earlier, I have a good list going of things that I think would really help him out, but I’m sure I’m missing a lot. Please feel free to PM me with any ideas/suggestions and I’ll be sure to consider them.
Now it’s time to go relax and rest for Sunday. See you then!
-Shanetrain22
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* shanetrain22, a student at the Ohio State University, has been a long time member of PocketFives and active member in the forums. Read more about his thoughts on poker here: http://shanetrain22blog.blogspot.com/ .
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