Lee Davy shares his view on the Ivey League in the wake of a new discount offered by the brand in a bid to attract more custom.
‘Phil Ivey Wants You!’
The e-mail greeting me when I woke this morning.
“Does he want me to write for him?”
Not today.
Ivey didn’t want my creative writing skills.
He wanted me because I’m a fish.
He wanted my money.
“Exciting times in the poker world these days! New players are entering the fray, and poker rooms are growing with more tournaments, cash games and opportunities for you to win. Will you be among those that are honing their poker skills and developing their winning strategies?” Wrote someone who does get paid to write for Ivey.
The scribe is spot on. These are exciting times. There is a large contingent of the poker community who fear where the next poker boom is coming from. They needn’t. It’s around the corner; smoking cigarettes, and talking shit with a new kid called Twitch.
The Internet video game live stream platform has taken poker into its bosom. It’s milky-milky time. Jason Somerville is leading the way. He is not alone. Jaime Staples is proof that you don’t need to be a ‘name’ to create an organic following. Online poker players are licking their lips. There will be hundreds of poker channels on Twitch.
So where does this leave the Ivey League?
“Phil Ivey’s poker training site has some of the top coaches in the world and offers you the latest techniques and strategies to help you stay in the game, and get ahead of your opponents.” Reads my e-mail.
I’ve searched for answers in the Ivey League. I haven’t found many. I don’t agree that the Ivey League has the ‘top coaches’ in the world. They have the ‘top players’ in the world.
There is a big difference.
It’s like comparing PLO with NLHE.
People who never made it to the peak of their industry are guiding some of the greatest sportsmen, and women, in the world. Golf, tennis and boxing are three that immediately spring to mind. Diego Maradona, was the finest footballer of my generation.
Was he the greatest coach?
Online poker training sites are built for one reason: to make money. It’s all about the bottom line. It’s not an industry based on delivering value to the players. That’s not the foundation. The lack of innovation and creativity is testament to that fact. Interaction is limited to Q&A sessions at the end of each video. The monotony of which starts to get a little debilitating.
The online poker training site model is a simple one. Attract some of the smartest poker minds, and give them a cut for every video they create. Some of the top dogs may even get a slice of the company. Then they let rip. Hours upon hours of pre-recorded videos showing someone multi-tabling, whilst trying to explain thought process.
I recently watched a 40-min training video created by one of the best players in the world. I was excited. I was about to improve my game. The only thing I learned was to fold. The ‘coach’ spent 50% of his time folding, and apologizing for the lack of action.
Lazy.
Unimaginative.
Unoriginal.
Demeaning.
I have a novel idea.
Why doesn’t a player record their grind and then watch it back, thoughtfully? Pick out a particular theme. Create a series based on a few fundamental points.
Human beings love a good Breaking Bad.
Extract critical hands. Use a hand replayer. Go through the math. Go through the mindset. Remove the folds. Edit the content. Cut and splice. Be innovative; introduce different training concepts and ideas. Add different formats, other than video.
When they orate, try not to make your customer feel like shit by continually referring to them as ‘fish’ or ’clueless.’ Did it ever occur to you that the player you are ripping apart might be a customer? You could even be interactive. Run a live webinar. Deliver value.
Value.
Value.
Value.
Or
Record a random 40-min session. Slap it on the site. Move on to the next thing on your to do list.
“Phil Ivey and his team plan on releasing many new training tools in the coming months too! Start today for only $9 per month.” My e-mail ended.
I want to Phil.
I really do.
I don’t have faith.
I’ll stick to Twitch.
I’ll watch Jason Somerville play a hand, and then ask him why he took the line he did? He will respond, and I won’t have to pay him a dime. I will also be entertained in the process.
If Somerville and the rest of the Twitch gang want to become better streamers, they need to work on their delivery of product. They need to become better entertainers.
They will do this.
They understand value.
If an online poker-training site wants to deliver the best coaching, they need to become better coaches.
Who is coaching the coaches?
Figure that out and you find your value.
Then come knocking on my door, and tell me you want me.
I might come running?
