Once upon a time, in a land, far, far away, Dutch Boyd was cool. And, so was I.

He saw Rounders and wanted to be a star of the poker world. The similarities between the silver screen and his real life are compelling. A law school student more intrigued by a turn of the card than a twist in a case. More apt to pay attention to a ruling from a tournament director than a ruling from the Court.

I saw Rounders, and enjoyed it as well, but it didn’t have such a profound impact on me. Hell, I also liked Star Wars. The fondness for the movie, however, did not inspire me to get a light saber and confront evil throughout the universe.

Yet, there he was on TV, sporting the bandana and aviator glasses. He was wearing my uniform. I, too, wore the white bandana. It helped to keep the bushy mane of hair out of my eyes. I, too, wore the aviators. As a nod to Hunter, but, mostly, to conceal my bloodshot eyes and the dark circles surrounding them.

Chris Moneymaker receives most of the credit for the explosion of poker popularity, but, for me, it was Dutch. Moneymaker was a geek. The type of guy that wears socks with his sandals. A genuine, bean-counting tool. I wanted to play because of Dutch. I wanted to play to make people like Moneymaker cry.

Today, as the poker community begins to plan for the 2009 World Series of Poker, I find myself rooting for a Dutch Boyd Redux, and a New Crew, that, once again, shows up in Vegas on a simple mission: to take over the world.

Time changes everything. But, I still wear bandanas and aviators. And, so does Dutch. The bandana has become a way to conceal my rapidly receding hairline and the aviators protect me from my irrational, media-induced fear of the evil UV rays.

MikeShayne
But, distant youth could be recaptured, greatness could be reborn. This hope can be realized by Dutch once again ruling the world. Because, if he can do it, so can I.

Russell "Dutch" Boyd was cool once. And, god damn it, so was I.