As a very avid poker player then I obviously read or make it my goal to read as much as possible. I do this for numerous reasons, firstly I love poker, secondly I want to educate myself and thirdly…….well thirdly I have no life. However post 2006 and the UIGEA then I decided to go into writing and coaching as I found that the more profitable games were happening at around what I call “nightclub hours” in the UK. This is fine when you are single but not so good when you have a partner who doesn’t get home from work until around 7pm.
Anyway back to the point, the latest book that I have been reading has been Don’t listen to Phil Hellmuth by Dusty Schmidt and Paul Hoppe. An eye catching title but a book that is so far proving to be a rewarding read. For those of you that are unaware of who Dusty is, he has won millions at cash games down the years on www.pokerstars.co.uk and earned the prestigious Supernova Elite status. In this book then Dusty and Paul point out how taking advice from too many different sources hinders your progress.
How true this is as I can testify based on personal experience. You read one author…….he says one thing…….you read another……they say something else…….you read a third…….they talk in riddles and so on and so on. So is it any wonder why so many players both live and online end up with a hybrid system mashed together into some sort of Frankenstein’s monster? Something that resembles a winning poker game but isn’t in reality.
How do we combat this problem? Well I can only tell you what I did (and what Dusty and Paul recommend in that book) and that is to reduce the number of people that you listen to. It is almost like learning to drive and taking instruction from too many different people each telling you something different. You wouldn’t stand much chance of making it through a driving examination would you? So if you take one thing from this article and only one then it should be to find coaches and authors who know what the hell they are talking about…….and then stick with them to reduce the number of conflicting voices in your head.
Carl – another, short, well written article with a very good point to make.
I am following an online poker coaching course and reading and have done some online coaching with Jared Tendler. In the age of Twitter, forums, blogs, books, videos, etc – there is certainly an abundance of information out there and a scatter-gun approach can very much serve mainly to confuse. I particularly find that while Twitter can be a source of filling in times of boredom it can be too much – on many subjects.
I think that one of the people I will be adding to those I listen to, based on the last few articles of yours I have read, will be you. Very concise and useful advice.
I also advocate reading both of Dusty’s books.