I was playing at the WSOP pretty much every day this year and I suddenly realised how unpleasant this particular group of mainly PS Pros have become. They were fine towards me personally because I've been around a while, but their attitude towards new players and what they consider to be weak or poor players was just atrocious.

They become extremely snide and self-important and it must make these new players feel dreadful; I doubt they ever want to return. They are just such bad ambassadors for the game and are going to cause untold damage without even realising it. The atmosphere at these events is being destroyed by these individuals and their self-importance.

It's a great shame really because I used to be a great fan of Vanessa Selbst and what she stood for, but I'm afraid that is no longer the case. The same applies to Negreanu and Bouree.

Guys get a grip and stop thinking that you're something special, you're not. You're exactly the same as the rest of us playing this game, but you've lucky enough to have been rewarded for your self-promotion. I used to criticise Laak and Esfandiari for their constant self-promotion, but I would take them and Hellmuth against any of you lot nowadays; at least they're amusing and have the humility to know why they are where they are. They also treat novices with respect. No one really takes Hellmuth's rants seriously.

I'd like to think that maybe someone from Stars could have a word with them and get them to curb this behaviour, but I'm afraid that Stars may indeed have created these monsters by spoiling them ridiculously and making them into these Prima Donnas in the first place.

Negreanu has been given too much power by Stars and they need to back off a bit because I firmly believe that he is ultimately going to damage their site unless he calms down and behaves with some dignity. Bouree, Selbst, Mercier, Rousso will all follow his lead.

All the people you mention, except for Selbst, I would name if someone asked me who were the best ambassadors. Vanessa can be easily annoyed and not to friendly at the table from time to time, but all the others have been extremely nice and fun at the table.

I've seen them numerous times in tournaments all over the world and those guys have fun at the table. New players can talk to them, laugh with them and just have a good time in general.

I can not imagine you mention those guys if you talk about bad ambassadors for the game, in my opinion they are the exact opposite. Maybe you saw them at a bad time because in general in my experience, they were great with new players.

Woe. Just wow. I have to say I had the pleasure of meeting Liv Boeree and she was quite friendly and pleasant, not at all holier-than-thou and I had no bad impression from our brief chat. Didn`t see her berating any players at the tables either, seemed quite down to earth in the face of some banter from the guys there.

My first experience with Liv Boeree was one where she berated me for a hand I played vs her. I would agree that she seemed very snide. Negreanu and Seiver both seemed interesting and friendly.

Pretty sure Fslexduck is exactly the same now as she was when she was a 2/4 reg so not sure why you used to like her but don't now

You think Daniel Negreanu is unpleasant to other players? Seriously?

He's pleasant to an almost annoying degree. He talks to every single person at the table if they will talk back and shows almost no favor whatsoever. Sometimes during bubbles and slow periods he signs autographs people hand him from the rail.

I've played with Mercier, Seiver and Selbst and found them all to be perfectly fine people to be around as well, but I suppose you could have caught them on a bad day.

InB4 Liv dumped a drink on OP's lap for being too fresh/forward.

I've never met any of those people in real life, and if I did see them at an event, I probably wouldn't even approach them unless they happened to be at my table. And even if those people spent the entire time I was next to them ragging on me, criticizing my play, and saying derogatory things about my mother, it wouldn't impact my love of poker.

Even if they are total dbags (not saying they are, as I said, I have no experience), it wouldn't be the first I met at the tables, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

If anyone really thinks anything these guys do is going to "kill poker", you're assigning way more significance to this group than they actually have.

Basically, sorry your idols blew you off OP. At least you found the right place to shed your bitter tears.

fyp

I think you're right, they used to be great individual ambassadors, but recently they've become something quite different and I think it's really important that they are made aware of this before they cause too much damage to the game and themselves.

It's not uncommon for people in the spotlight to stray into this egocentric behaviour especially when they become part of a troupe.

I wonder if Social Networking Sites are starting to actually have an effect on the attitudes of individuals. People seem much bitchier these days. Maybe it's a sub-conscious defensive response to being torn apart themselves on Twitter or FB... I don't know.

These were just my observations at this years WSOP over a number of weeks. Hopefully things will get better.

You missed the part where I said they were fine with me.

I hope I don't sound bitter because I don't think I am. I just want to try to highlight this behaviour because they are indeed ambassadors.

I really do think that they can damage the game, ok maybe not 'kill it' but make it unpleasant for new players.

Can you give more examples of how the people you listed behaved in such a way that made you make this thread?

Seriously having a hard time understanding what they all would have to do for me or others, for me to make a thread about all them.

Historically I have also found most of them great fun to be around, but just recently i.e. the weeks referred to at WSOP, their behaviour seems to have changed and there is this sort of bitchy derision towards others when they are together.

I really hope it's my own imagination, or maybe I'm just getting old and senile but they just weren't the same people.

Im kinda surprised seiver and negreanu is on that list as for the other 3 it doesnt surprise me 1 bit.

Liv has become very self-important since falling in with Selbst et al. FWIW Liv is the only one on that list I would suggest as a bad ambassador.