With so much going wrong for so long, I decide to take a break. I will get some reading done, watch the million-dollar cash game commentated by Charlie, and think about what I need to do.
When I was in a different sphere, one of my instructors said something that appealed to me: don’t dance when you’re not in the mood. I think in part that this advice is good, but it also appeals to the retiring side of the mind. Sometimes you should just press through. It stings that I have let this otherwise good advice guide me too much in life. Playing poker when you are not in the mood can be a miserable experience but has likely put me in this financial spot.
Another thing that unites all performance fields that I have been in – one that is especially true in the entertainment industry – is the necessity of flattery. I have never flattered the right people. It sounds principled, but it’s not really been that great of an experience. In poker circles and media, it has hurt me quite a bit. (Even recently, one important podcaster went out of his way to be sure my thoughts on his podcast were not distributed.) It’s one reason I isolate myself from other poker media: I need to be frank but it upsets some people, which I understand. And even here, on this hidden isle of poker reflection, occasionally someone will cross the waters of normalcy to drop some objections to frankness or leave a comment celebrating flattery.
On the other hand, if you do come here regularly, you deserve certain things, in my opinion. For instance, I can’t believe it, but somehow Advanced Poker Training, one of our most historically beloved products, is still taking in noob money. It is software from two decades ago. They had that quiz that captured everyone’s imagination for a while. I think APT has its place, even now: the idea of playing to learn is good, and against realistic opponents is nice.
Still, something is funny about electronic teaching which was surpassed several generations of tech ago. It’s a hard question for any industry. Is APT like an elementary school that simply will include some information that is historically dubious? Or are their claims themselves the problem; for instance, APT simply can’t be “the gold standard” when they are behind by about a decade in teaching. What truly matters?
Now, I know the existence of such a product is a good thing for keeping the games soft. Moreover, goofy industry rags still promote APT, eager for their piece of the affiliate pie. They do need the money, so I don’t blame them, but I don’t admire them: I guess that’s one way to handle those on the make in an industry itself on the make. (Is everything a war of all against all or not?)
Is APT a grift or a scam? I don’t think so, but there are hints. Grifts are always comical to the experienced eye and yet appear so serious to the novice. It must look cool that you can train for “high stakes” when all that happens is that you change the play-money blinds and play for more pixels. To keep this amazing money-printer around, Steve Blay added some sort of “GTO-style” “frequency-based” mode, as if the Scotty Nguyen mode (still available, I’m sure) wasn’t already based in frequencies. In other words, by signing up for a monthly fee that can buy you an equilibrium trainer in two months, you’re overpaying to learn against long-surpassed technology. I’m sure the 2022 updates helped but it’s 2026 and you can play against solvers, even AI. These are based on max-EV equilibriums, not stylistic imitations or echoes of Ed Miller. Various unscrupled coaches to this day leave their names on certain very outdated modules; like fleas hidden in the mattress, are they still taking small bites?
None of this is a problem if the idea is that everything in poker is a hustle. In fact, one counter-argument is that you have to start somewhere, and APT is like a classic toy: why not give the Big Wheels a spin when you aren’t ready for the bicycle? Why deny novices a homey atmosphere, safe from the cruelties of the online games and their overwhelming Discord shop-talk?
As I said, I know it’s good for the game that APT drags in fish and fries them. I actually benefit from this arrangement, as any regular player does. I have said little about APT for a long time, respecting the hustle: Caveat Emptor, muthafuckas. So, there’s that side of it. In fact, there are many dubious figures in poker education and it’s not always my place to call them out, especially when even some of our most beloved personalities are the ones selling you shit. I remember when Alvin warned against an especially feeble J. Little book, only to be swarmed like hornets by his outraged minions. Alvin’s tough but he pulled the video: no one likes hate mail.
Still, I have regrets about withholding certain warnings. So, since few listen to me, I can reason that it won’t hurt to warn my readership about certain problems. When the cancer-scammer guy came out a couple years ago, I recognized the lie immediately but only told my friends and poker zoo community to watch out, when I should have warned everyone. He went on to steal from many.
It’s always been a balance. The more I think about it, the more it’s fine that APT sells you yesterday’s goods. I also know I’m supposed to flatter everyone and only be positive and never judge anything et cetera, but I am an adult, not a child. Maybe you are, too.
-2706
Everything in poker is a hustle.
lightning36