Joe Rogan: "Well, its nature... It's like a moose having a giant set of antlers. All the other moose are just like ugghhh look at those antlers; It's a thing that exists in all different species. There's no denying that when a guy pulls up in a rolls royce and he fly's in his own private jet and he does a bunch of things that nobody else can do then people just go awwww. And women automatically genetically get attracted to that guy for some strange reason...
There's you... there you are buddy. Balling. Balling out of control.
How did you get all of your money originally?" (24:00-27:00)
Dan Bilzerian, a man who flaunts his wealth and his lifestyle proudly and justly, sits across famed host and comedian, Joe Rogan, to discuss his beginnings in poker and transitions throughout his life.
Like many poker fans and players, I've seen highlights of Dan's life and have had to remind myself that I am ok with the life that I am living- whether this is a lie or not, I repeatedly tell myself this. It seems Dan Bilizerian's aim is to project a lifestyle that goes beyond the "American Dream" in ways ordinary people can never really relate to but are secretly inspired by. I see no malicious intent in his approach in front of the camera, however, one may be left to wonder just how much of this guy's background is genuine and can be accounted for.
Can we as fans of poker idolize Bilizarian in the same ways that we do a Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, or other high rollers/respectable players? I'm sure most of us can agree that a majority of poker celebs do a good job at salvaging (for the most part) their reputation as good humanitarians and all around easy people to feel comfortable around and maybe relate to (anywhere but the poker table that is).
But does Dan do this? Does it matter?
In the interview, Dan spiels over many of his poker stories where his brothers taught him to play, how he eventually went broke, and then gets lucky around the time of the new poker gold rush (after the Money Maker boom) and never looks back. Typical? Or are there more to these stories? For the more experienced ear, one could speculate that there are indeed some holes and inadequacies in some of his stories, particularly in how he started and where he got most of his fortune from.
Below are some comments from other viewers / "hater's" who all did some digging on Dan Bilizarian and what they find may be all too revealing or old news to some.
Joe Rogan: "...you're famous in a really confusing way...
you're famous just for being a baller... It's an interesting kind of fame. It's different..."
While I implore readers and poker fans alike who are interested to do their research to form more of an educated opinion on this guy, I won't urge those to ignore that at the end of the day, Dan Bilizerian is human like the rest of us.
Whether or not Dan got the majority of his riches from playing poker, we must admit that he does a good job at maintaining his image, wealth, and women (at least from the outside looking in); he is known as the instagram king (too pg-13 for some so no hyper link) and it probably took a lot of smart marketing and strategic connections forged for him to get where he is at today.
I'm sure there are many people who, if fortunate enough, were in his position of power for even a day would have probably blown it by now. There's gotta be some smarts and some amount of good character that comes with this guy than meets the eye. Or perhaps this is just me being naive and having too much faith in humanity again.
Regardless, as I've preached before in some of my earlier works, it takes a person of high understanding and compassion to look at people and stories from all different angles. As for me, I'm also a man of perspective. Whether or not I respect Dan Bilizerian has no bearing on my own pockets and my own goals in life.
Thanks for the read.
Extra:
Phil Ivey hashes over stories that highlight his early beginnings, which many can attest to and actually verify. There's even mention of Dan Bilizerian calling him broke at one point. Lol.
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