Sometimes in life you have to say having a wonderful family is enough. Not everyone with a dream has that dream come true. In poker, as most of us know all too well, dreams are in fact seldom realized. The cards have another dream for most…failure.

Josh Arieh is no failure. I’m sure if he’d been asked (when he started out) would he take the career he’s had? He would have said ‘absolutely.’

An email from Brian Heptinstall:

>>The glaring problem with Mr. Arieh is that he's not the "bad boy" that he was portrayed to us after the '04 ME. Everyone knows that if you are making news, whether it be good or bad, then you bring in the money. I personally think that it's sick to know that some of the well-known players are only that because of the demeanor they bring to the table. Arieh seemed to shake off his negativity from the WSOP and is now a great player and he will be rewarded for this sooner or later. The problem is, who will do it.?<<

I agree with you, Brian, someone will pick him up. He's tainted now by being dropped, but one of the newer sites that want a 'name' to get some exposure will give him some kind of package. Depends on how strong his agent is.

An email from James Guill:

>>While Bodog didn’t lose any money on Josh Arieh, they really didn’t make any either. If you look at the list of the tournaments he has cashed in since finished 3rd in the Main Event, how many of those have been televised? One. The event in which he won his PLO bracelet was televised, back in 2005. Since then, he hasn’t really been a major factor at the WSOP or any significant tournament. Yes, he finished 2nd in a Circuit event, which to a lot of us is the equivalent to being runner up for a minor league baseball title. It was a nice payday for him, but that was really about it. When you watch TV over the last 2 to 3 years, you don’t see a lot of Josh on there. When you do, it usually is watching him hitting the rail. From the time he won his PLO bracelet until the time he finished 2nd in the circuit event, his biggest payday was 34k. That’s fine if you're a low-tier star trying to make his way on the scene, or maybe if you're a member of Full Tilt, but when you're supposed to be a big name spokesman, that just doesn’t cut it. <<

There’s no place to run to, baby. No place to hide. A rock lyric sums up the new poker world where players try to find agents THEN sign a deal. All the agents know everyone who is valuable. Just like pro sports and Hollywood, it you can’t get an agent to return your phone call, that tells you your worth in the marketplace.

What do you think?

Love

Mike Paulle

Email: mikepaulle@aol.com

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