Old School Vs New School Poker
Old Education Vs New Education: If we consider the available methods for teaching today, the debate will definitely occur between the old and new aspects of teaching system. This isn’t to say that the old school pros are suddenly undesirable (well, they are if they have any connections with Ultimate Bet, Full Tilt Poker, or have outstanding gambling debts), but the. The Old School–New School Controversy was a schism of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America which took place in 1837 and lasted for over 20 years. The Old School, led by Charles Hodge of Princeton Theological Seminary, was much more conservative theologically and did not support the revival movement.
In the early-to-mid 2000s, professional poker players were larger than life. These titans of the game supposedly printed money on the felt, and for the most part we believed this because we only saw them through one lens — ESPN.
Were we duped? Sure, but the Worldwide Leader had a product to push, and we as fans welcomed it with open arms. For the first time ever, poker was widely accepted. It was almost considered a sport, and the players we saw on television practiced and trained the hardest, making them close to unbeatable.
Hell, if there weren’t luck involved, they’d probably win every time.
We knew very little about the first batch of televised pros aside from the fact that they were supposedly good at poker. If you read Super System then you knew a little about Doyle Brunson, but apart from Texas Dolly, we basically knew this:
We knew that Daniel Negreanu was “Kid Poker.” We knew that Barry Greenstein gave all his money away to charity. We knew that Mike Matusow had a big mouth. We knew that Chris Ferguson looked like Jesus and was good at math. We knew that Andy Bloch was good at math, too.
We knew that David “Chip” Reese was a legend, and so too was Stu Ungar, before he passed. We knew that Johnny Chan won back-to-back Main Events. We knew that Howard Lederer was a professor, and that Annie Duke was his sister. We knew that Jennifer Harman was a woman, as well.
We knew that Phil Ivey was one of the most feared players in the game (and a Steve Francis fan). And, most importantly, we knew that Chris Moneymaker was the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event champion.
Those of us outside of the poker industry — which was very small at the time — didn’t know about the negatives. We didn’t know about the drugs, the women, or the sports betting. All we saw were legends of the game, winning bracelet after bracelet.
Fast-forward to 2012, where social media is king. Phil Hellmuth has the most unique hits in the last seven days on Hendon Mob, but not because he’s an old-school player. It’s because he won a side event at the L.A. Poker Classic — which would’ve never been covered to this extent a decade ago — and tweeted about it to his 115,000 followers. Three weeks ago, when Jason Somerville admitted to being a homosexual, he too had the most unique hits on Hendon Mob. In fact, according to Wicked Chops Poker, the traffic to his page increased by 3,049 percent.
The times they are a-changin’.
Unlike a decade ago, nothing goes unnoticed in the poker world today. If you make a mistake, you’ll never hear the end of it. If you win, or do something positive, you’ll be showered with praise until you make a mistake. You can’t hide behind your results — the margin for error is tremendously slim, and we can always find new heroes.
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And we have. Just look at Tom Dwan, Phil Galfond and Jason Mercier.
This isn’t to say that the old school pros are suddenly undesirable (well, they are if they have any connections with Ultimate Bet, Full Tilt Poker, or have outstanding gambling debts), but the old school ways are no longer widely accepted. What used to be taboo is now standard, and vice versa. This holds true from complex issues like staking and backing to simple issues like showdown etiquette. Previously, nobody talked openly about who they were backing or how much makeup they were in. Likewise, in the past, when two players reached a showdown, if one player said something to the tune of “you win” or “you got it,” the other player would simply show their hand to be polite. If you showed your hand today, you wouldn’t be praised for being polite, you’d be flamed by your peers for (1) not protecting yourself from an angle, and/or (2) passing up free information.
Should every little issue become fodder for the forums? In a perfect world, no, but this is an imperfect world where information moves a mile a minute. Self-branding, image awareness, and damage control are more important than ever. Players who are more open tend to appeal more to fans. Look at Negreanu and Hellmuth. Nobody has transitioned as well as those two from the old school to the new, and neither player has won a bracelet since 2008. Results help (Hellmuth obviously had an amazing 2011 WSOP), but marketing is king. Negreanu's video blog is now a must-watch each week because his opinion really matters to us.
While the new-schoolers represent a more open and trustworthy future for the game, not all of them are perfect, either. There are a handful of very notable multi-accounters and scammers lurking around the industry — some of whom have been forgiven, while others remain shunned. Hopefully, as we move forward, these players will remain clean, and as they become old-school players, we won’t have to feel like we were duped again.
There is no more hiding in the back of the saloon, or in the backroom at the Bellagio. Everything is public — the TwoPlusTwo police are on every corner — and players should always be wary of the decisions they make. One mistake can change everything.
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Matt Talarico, is a coordinator for the New York Yankees. He is an industry leader in base running. Years of studying the craft of stealing bases has led Matt to a system that has produced results. There are three styles in his system: Old School, New School and Hybrid.
Old School: The old-school system was developed from years of studying baseball’s great base stealers: Ricky Henderson, Vince Coleman, Lou Brock and Tim Raines – just to name a few. The old-school technique relies on getting a standard lead, getting a good jump and using your speed to steal bases. This method has been effective and has produced prolific results.
New School: The new-school system is based on momentum. The runner is asked to start with a smaller lead and quietly extend their lead as the pitcher releases the ball. “Tally” uses the reference of a parked car at a stop light vs. a car that has momentum as it approaches the light. The car that has momentum is able to get a better start than its fixed counterpart. This approach is different and can seem risky to those who teach only the old-school technique.
Hybrid: Matt’s hybrid system blends the two approaches to make the most effective base stealer. The idea is to put continuous pressure on the defense. By paying respect to history while also developing other techniques, the base runner is able to be a constant threat.
Old School vs. New School:
The present state of baseball is amazing. For years, baseball relied on non-objective information when teaching and evaluating talent. “He really hits it hard.” “His fastball gets on you.” “That is a sharp breaking ball.” Now, measures such as exit velocity and spin rate can help quantify these opinions. Many things are being challenged from the best way to optimize the batting order to defensive positioning (aka “The Shift”).
The stereotypical old-school coach feels threatened by these measures. People are trying to “reinvent the game” they will say. Some even feel the game is being ruined by data and technology.
On the other end of the spectrum is the baseball person that relies solely on new-school approaches. This person either disregards or doesn’t respect the lessons and history of the game. They believe that data and technology are much more important than the human element.
Hybrid:
I believe the elite coach or baseball administrator of the future is the person who understands the history. They possess the social agility to connect with people from all edges of the earth. The elite coach will be curious and constantly seeking ways to improve the organization’s performance, while also being acutely aware that the game is played by humans. This person has an understanding that the world is constantly evolving. To stay the same is impossible, you’ll either adapt or fall behind.
The future elite coach will be a beautiful compliment of old school and new school philosophies.
Real World Application:
As I travel and connect with organizations, one of the biggest challenges I witness is the Old School vs. New School approach. The more seasoned managers, partners and employees tend to value: hard work, dressing professionally, phone conversations over email or text, structured compensation packages, and long hours. The Old School was taught and rewarded for this type of work ethic. They believe everyone should put forth time and effort.
The folks entering the workforce tend to have a different approach. Many prefer more of a work/life balance, flexible hours, incentive based pay and promotion structure, and they communicate via technology (text, email, twitter). The New School workforce pushes the envelope and they want to find the quickest and most efficient way to get a job done.
The Competitive Advantage:
If you or your organization is experiencing this rub, you are far from alone. While most organizations spend time complaining about the issue it’s time to challenge yourself to be different. The old school values will always have a place in winning organizations.
On the other hand, you can’t “hack” the system; the work needs to be done. Standards need maintained with high level accountability. With that being said, the new school approach will keep your organization moving forward. The hunger to learn new data points and technology can be critical.
Just like in baseball, the elite leader of the future will pay homage to the past while seeking new and better ways of doing business or leading a classroom. They will have the ability to be a connector; being able to relate and pull together the unique skills of a diverse workforce.
Leadership Challenge:
Deep self-evaluation is critical. Before we can lead others, we need to understand our beliefs and biases. Take a moment and reflect on these questions:
Old School Vs New School Poker Games
- Is your default setting more Old School or New School?
- If you’re Old School, how can you become more open to change and technology? What are you potentially missing out on?
- If you are New School, what can you learn from the history of your industry? How are you limiting your growth potential?
- In what ways can you connect those you lead who have different default settings? Reimagine ways to bring folks together for the organization.
- Are you surrounding yourself with people who share the same default setting?
Old School Vs New School Poker Sites
To purchase Matt Talarico’s book, check out his website here: www.stealbases.com. Or, to chat about my personal philosophy, feel free to reach out.