There is a quote I love which says, "Sports do not build character. They reveal it." Think about what makes a truly great sports star. Is it a perfect record of runs or world record-breaking times? Or, at the end of the day, as with so much else in life, does it come down to personality.
Great talent can make a champion, but great charisma is what truly makes a star. The greatest sporting heroes, those who have won a spot in the hearts and minds of the nation that lasts well beyond their time actively competing, are those who have a charm that extends past the finish line.
Muhammad Ali, Don Bradman, Tiger Woods and my good mate Shane Warne are all personalities that you cannot ignore. Whether it's a quiet calm, a fiery competitive spirit, the larrikin or the all-round good guy, we relate to their public persona, we see them as our friends, our representatives, or if they're playing for the other side, our villains.
These characters are the true stars because they make a sport great to watch as their personality helps to weave the rich tapestry of the sporting stories. Tournament poker is no different: there are great technical players and internet wunderkinds who have won millions and achieved huge success, but the players I love to watch, and play against, are the real characters.
There are the jokers who try to put their opponents off with a comic aside; the brooding, aggressive players who hide behind their hoods and try to get the whole table on tilt; and the old school gentlemen of the sport who can charm their way through any hand.
These characters and their richly varied style of play are what make watching tournament poker exciting and elevate it beyond just a game of cards. I truly believe that to be a success in poker, and to help grow the popularity of the sport, a competitor needs to be a personality, not just a player, which is why my last test for the contestants of The Poker Star was all about finding who had that charisma.
But charisma is a hard thing to test. How do you define character, or map out charm? In the modern sporting world, great personalities are revealed and delivered to every fan's lounge room by the ever growing media machine, so what better way to test how the contestants would perform than by throwing them right into the deep end with a full-on media conference.
I knew putting my final three contestants in front of a media pack with no warning would be overwhelming and intimidating but I also knew it was essential that whoever I chose as The Poker Star could keep their calm and handle themselves in that situation. My memories from the first few days of winning the World Series of Poker are filled with flash bulbs and cameras, as I ran the press and PR trail and had to do my best to represent my own sport.
The Poker Star winner will hopefully one day need to do the same, and I'm proud to say I now know they will handle it with charm and ease. Because the person I've chosen has revealed throughout the show that they are not just a great sportsperson, but a truly great character.
Until next week, pass the sugar! (Credit: Joe Hachem, Fairfax, Google News)
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