MISSION STATEMENT

The hot new concept for enlightened companies is to generate mission statements for the various categories of people among whom there is interaction.

As in poker, the idea is that it is easier to get where you want to go if you know where you are going - and why.

There have been so many changes at Card Player lately that I thought we had better know our missions so that we can at least have a chance of accomplishing them. So, here they are:

TO OUR READERS

Our mission is to bring you a well-written, interesting, accurate, and informative magazine that will tweak your poker interest, knowledge, and comportment to make poker more enjoyable for you.

TO OUR ADVERTISERS

Our mission is to bring more players into your respective cardrooms.

TO OUR STAFF

Our mission is to provide an environment in which you will grow, prosper, enjoy, and fulfill your potential in order to accomplish our missions to our readers and advertisers.

TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

Our mission is to have a company that provides the very best product in our industry and elevates poker in the eyes of the general public.

Wow, that was fun. All of these missions work together. In order to do a great job on any one, we have to do a great job on all four. They are inexorably intertwined.

Stop. Before you call me a money-grubbing hypocrite, take a look. Of course I want income. It is the only logical flow from accomplishing all of the missions stated above.

When we have a tough editorial decision regarding an article, we simply look at our missions and see how it fits. If it fits, we print it. If it doesn't, we either edit it or don't publish it.

Perhaps you ought to have your own private poker mission statements. They don't necessarily have to relate to winning the most amount of money possible. There are many other factors that may help you choose where to play, what to play, and with whom. Money certainly is a major factor, especially if you play for a living. But some people play to spend an enjoyable amount of time out of the house. Others want the ego satisfaction of winning tournaments, while others want a poker room that makes them feel important.

Personally, I like to play where I am having fun. I enjoy nice surroundings. Availability of good food probably is more important to me than it ought to be. My ego forces me to want to be a winner, but, admittedly, that is not how I pay my rent. In tournaments, I have no choice, but in live action, I play many more hours when the game is fun. That probably is more true for many players than they realize. That is another pragmatic reason why both player and dealer abuse must not be tolerated. But, that is an article for another day.

By Barry Shulman
Publisher, Card Player Magazine