Negreanu is certainly not sympathetic with how he bets. He's trying to win, and when he does win he's often trying harder than everybody else.

In fact, Negreanu purposely uses a friendly image to his advantage. Does that mean his friendliness is fake, entirely cultivated? No. It means he's a serious competitor though, using every edge he has and giving none. I'm sure Negreanu is aware he regularly plays with people who patronize him too, or will try to act like they're his biggest fan right before they try to make their biggest score off of him.

Treating people is different from how you compete with them, that's still off the felt. Even if it is between hands that's still off the felt. Between downs is off the field. Every athlete has that on/off switch. For some, it's very quick.

It's why I feel it's good to have a mortal competitor archetype in your mind in competitions that you take seriously. You can dissociate between your competitor and your competitor the person. You have to always visualize the worst that can happen to you in any competition going into it. Your opponent is the personification of the intent of that possibility.

So in the movie, if Ivan Drago had run over with real concern on his face for his fallen opponent, then your point would be the same? That defeats the entire point of including that clip, in my opinion.

No because he's staring down the champion at that moment after defining himself as the #1 contender.

If you were 3 handed in the Main Event, knocked someone out, and then turned to your heads up opponent and started talking about how bad it feels to have ruined someone's shot at a bracelet and winning more millions, what kind of image would you think that sends.

Haha, OK, maybe I don't know the movie that well. I thought he was staring at the dude he knocked out. Haven't seen this movie since it first came out. In my opinion, only the original movie is good.

All the same, I agree with your views as you have elaborated them. You started out, I think, in the "stomp their face into the dirt after they drop" camp. But it turns out you are just talking about what competition involves in the moment of of that battle. I suppose there could be some readers here who do not understand that.

True dat

the wrong one. which is what I prefer to project.

I haven't seen the movie. How did the tough a*hole image work out for drago?

i vill break you.

People are going to self-destruct in any matter they choose. It's not your responsibility to feel bad about it.

Sounds like an awful time though. I play in the same style as you, and for the same reasons...but if there is a Bob in the game he is my instant target.