| 12 Sep | Poker - get rich quick?Posted by PokerBarney on 10:56AM, 12th Sep 2006Permalink |  Send to a friend |  RSS feed |
There is another side to poker, that isn't just about playing the game and being a better player. The other side is becoming more and more prevalant, and harder to escape from. Want to get rich quick?
I'm talking about the get rich quick fiends that are moving into poker territory, and starting to pray on us. Here's an example: The Micon System. Now, Bryan has undoubtedly had some success, but can he really guarantee that following his guide will provide the same successes?
He provides lots of "proof" of his capabilities by listing the tournaments he's had big cashes in, but he gives no details of his ITM or ROI figures, or how many hours a day he plays, or other income from cash games etc. He talks of using a cheat sheet for starting hands and position, then bangs on about "little known" secrets of how to be a player, as if it's as easy as making a really tasty apple pie.
Finally, he charges $127 for his eBook guide, and even has an affiliate network selling his guide for him. I'm not sure why, but I don't like this cheapening of our art. Poker is a skillful game, and takes years to master, and yet is being sold as a way to get rich quick with promises of $30,000 a month. I feel sorry for the people buying this system, when they could be buying Harrington's entire series for less than half the price.
But the get rich quick wagon doesn't stop there - you've probably heard of bonus whoring. Sites are enticing players in with promises of free bonuses, only to sting them with the rake they charge. Bonuses are effectively rakeback schemes, where the sites give you back 80% of the rake you pay. While you can come out in profit from "earning" these bonuses (as long as you break even on the hands you play), the sites do profit from your rake.
A better option is to play on rake free sites, like WSEX (it's not porno...). You get to keep ALL your rake, not just a little bit of it back, so you should come out even more in profit, without the need for silly bonuses. Again, it's the principle I don't like - sites luring in unsuspecting punters, promising them seemingly free money, when really it isn't. Bonuses aren't as objectionable though, because they are immediately and tangibly beneficial for the players, whilst allowing the sites (as businesses need to) earn some income.
Lastly, what's up with the world of affiliation at the moment? I was trying to search the web for some poker related information the other day, and all I could find was affiliate links encouraging me to sign up with poker sites so that the affiliates earn a tiny fraction of any rake I pay. With so many affiliates, is anyone actually playing poker anymore? There are many many eBooks promising riches through these affiliate schemes, without any work.
Even worse, I was watching Dragon's Den (an English program where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a board of investors) and a guy came on pitching his "pub poker league" business. Not a bad idea, but then he mentioned how his website had affiliate banners on, meaning the business could start earning tons through other people's rake. The Dragons went mental, and loved the idea. The guy forgot to mention that most online players play for fun, and probably generate $1 in commission each month. Pittance.
Anyway.. I don't like the idea of poker being marketed and sold to newcomers and veterans as a means to get rich quickly and easily. It's a game of much skill, and players still aren't getting the respect they deserve from the general public and media for being world class sportsmen and women. The impression of poker is still a bit seedy, and a bit dangerous, and now it's going to get a reputation as a scam when products like "The Micon System", and the affiliate eBooks fail to deliver.
To anyone thinking of taking up the game to earn money, here's the low down.
- Learn the rules.
- Read lots of books - Harrington etc.
- Practise.
- Practise some more.
- Get really good at the game.
- Profit.
In the famous words of the WSOP, "Shuffle up and deal!"
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Comments (6)
2. Yorkshire Pudding ()
Wed 13th Sep 2006 12:49
too many people are duped by these silly ebook things when you can buy the same info in many bookstores for 5-20 times less than they are selling their drivvel. buy some well reputed books, join a good forum (texasholdemforums, internettexasholdem, pocketfives, twoplustwo) ask questions, practice, re-read your books, practice some more, review your play and learn from mistakes. join one of the learning sites, ie cardrunners or poker x factor, run by pros and take on board what they are telling you.
also learn that poker isn't about making money it's about making the correct decisions that maximise your expectation. if you always put yourself into +ev situations then "in the long run" the odds will be with you and you will become profitable.
Wed 13th Sep 2006 12:49
too many people are duped by these silly ebook things when you can buy the same info in many bookstores for 5-20 times less than they are selling their drivvel. buy some well reputed books, join a good forum (texasholdemforums, internettexasholdem, pocketfives, twoplustwo) ask questions, practice, re-read your books, practice some more, review your play and learn from mistakes. join one of the learning sites, ie cardrunners or poker x factor, run by pros and take on board what they are telling you.
also learn that poker isn't about making money it's about making the correct decisions that maximise your expectation. if you always put yourself into +ev situations then "in the long run" the odds will be with you and you will become profitable.
3. PokerBarney (contact [at] allinpokerblog [dot] co [dot] uk)
Wed 13th Sep 2006 16:06
thanks for the comments guys.
i hadn't thought of "pay to learn" sites like pokerxfactor. do you subscribe to any of them? if so, do you find them useful? it might be worth seeing if i can get a free peek inside one of them to do a review... :)
Wed 13th Sep 2006 16:06
thanks for the comments guys.
i hadn't thought of "pay to learn" sites like pokerxfactor. do you subscribe to any of them? if so, do you find them useful? it might be worth seeing if i can get a free peek inside one of them to do a review... :)
4. Yorkshire Pudding ()
Thu 14th Sep 2006 12:47
i've not subscribed but i know people who have and they all say it has improved their game by quite a degree. the only problem is they all assume that you're playing against people who know what they are doing and not the donkeys we play against at the buyins we can afford! it is actually very counter-productive to be thinking on the second level when the retards are only bothered about what cards they have, ie zeroth level.
once i get onto my bankroll building and bonus whoring in october i'll probably join up to eith cardrunners (for cash games) or poker x factor (for mtt and sng). at the moment the price of these training sites is a huge part of my bankroll. by end of october i fully expect to have at least doubled, if not more, my starting bankroll of $500 and will be in a position to start looking at paying for training more seriously.
Thu 14th Sep 2006 12:47
i've not subscribed but i know people who have and they all say it has improved their game by quite a degree. the only problem is they all assume that you're playing against people who know what they are doing and not the donkeys we play against at the buyins we can afford! it is actually very counter-productive to be thinking on the second level when the retards are only bothered about what cards they have, ie zeroth level.
once i get onto my bankroll building and bonus whoring in october i'll probably join up to eith cardrunners (for cash games) or poker x factor (for mtt and sng). at the moment the price of these training sites is a huge part of my bankroll. by end of october i fully expect to have at least doubled, if not more, my starting bankroll of $500 and will be in a position to start looking at paying for training more seriously.
5. Aidan Finn ()
Thu 14th Sep 2006 18:08
i haven't tried any of the poker learning sites. i also never tried any ebooks. given the large number of high quality book available much cheaper, i can't imagine they are providing any more useful information.
i also bought a copy of poker-academy(standard edition). i found it a good way of practicing offline and testing different strategies. also, it allows you practice at a much faster pace than you can get in an online game.
p.s. - any chance of getting an rss feed on your site?
Thu 14th Sep 2006 18:08
i haven't tried any of the poker learning sites. i also never tried any ebooks. given the large number of high quality book available much cheaper, i can't imagine they are providing any more useful information.
i also bought a copy of poker-academy(standard edition). i found it a good way of practicing offline and testing different strategies. also, it allows you practice at a much faster pace than you can get in an online game.
p.s. - any chance of getting an rss feed on your site?
6. PokerBarney (conctact [at] allinpokerblog [dot] co [dot] uk)
Thu 14th Sep 2006 21:12
yorkshire - i entirely agree. the "zeroth" level can be a right old annoyance at low stakes. people see ak and decide they've already won before the flop is dealt.
aidan - you've no idea how good that question sounds to a brand new blogger. someone wants to read what i have to say! :)
i actually thought the same thing the other day. since i built this blog software myself doesn't come built in and i'll have to put it together. it won't take me long (i suspect), so hopefully it'll be around in the next couple of weeks, when work lets up.
cheers!
Thu 14th Sep 2006 21:12
yorkshire - i entirely agree. the "zeroth" level can be a right old annoyance at low stakes. people see ak and decide they've already won before the flop is dealt.
aidan - you've no idea how good that question sounds to a brand new blogger. someone wants to read what i have to say! :)
i actually thought the same thing the other day. since i built this blog software myself doesn't come built in and i'll have to put it together. it won't take me long (i suspect), so hopefully it'll be around in the next couple of weeks, when work lets up.
cheers!
Tue 12th Sep 2006 12:05
great article, i was watching that episode of dragons den - i was really surprised at how excited they got about the affiliate links. the guy pitched it as having made agreements with online poker sites for a percentage the rake generated by referrals from his site. i think they made thought it was some sort of exclusive deal. if anyone of them were familiar with online poker, they would have recognized it for what it was immediately. surprising given that one of them is involved in real-world casinos.
i also agree with your points about trying to become a good poker player without putting the work in. shortcuts don't work out over the long term. i have a big stack of poker books that i've been working through for the last year - the more i study them the more i realize how little i know.