What I Learned At Camp (WPT Boot Camp, That is...) – Part 1
I have gambling in my genes. It must be so. My father was a poker player, having played in home games with his buddies since his teen years. He also loved to play the ponies at Fairmount Park in Illinois, just a short drive from our home in St. Louis. When he decided to become a stockbroker at E.F. Hutton, it was the most natural career move for him. Some of my fondest memories are visiting his office and reading through his stacks of racing forms that he kept in his desk. My loving father, Richard, died when I was eight years old (he was only forty) of heart failure, but if he is somewhere in the universe watching over me now, he is smiling from ear to ear because I'm writing about poker.
I am much like my father, and I think his gambling genes were passed on to me. I played cards as a child - gin rummy with my grandmother for pennies - among other games, though I never took the art of gaming seriously until adulthood. When I first traveled to Vegas, I felt at home in the casinos, and when I first began working at the World Poker Tour offices, I knew that my future was in poker. Now that my passion for writing has made its home in gaming world, nothing could be more appropriate.
Trust me when I say that I know the basics of poker. I understand betting fundamentals, which hands are better than others, etc. However, I had never taken the time to learn about pot odds, the importance of position, and the vital role that emotion plays at the table. Needless to say, I didn't play much, and when I did, I didn't win!
When the opportunity arose for me to attend a WPT Boot Camp at Commerce Casino for American Poker Player Magazine, I knew that I would have good material for an article and that my game would benefit greatly. The two-day class would be taught by Crispin and Jules Leyser, and Chip and Karina Jett, and it was geared toward all players - beginners and experienced players alike. Perfect!
The Teachers
Crispin and Jules Leyser originally hail from the UK and are well-known online poker players who currently live in Hollywood. The married couple has had so much success in online tournaments that they were asked to be guests on National Public Radio's program, The Day Today. Finally, through a friend at a home game, they were introduced to Steve Berman and Ron Reubens, the founders of the WPT Boot Camp, and asked to help develop a structure and teach the classes.
As gamers and risk-takers all their lives - Crispin was a chess champion in his youth and worked for a bookmaking company to mark up odds for horse races, Jules always enjoyed games like chess and backgammon - they both understand the nature of gaming and have a profound passion for it. Crispin’s college background in social psychology gives him extra insight into the minds of poker players.
While both still pursue interests such as television production, acting, and writing, Crispin and Jules thoroughly enjoy playing and teaching poker, which was evident in the WPT Boot Camp that I attended. The excitement that they brought to the room was undeniable, and it was clear that they were incredibly dedicated to making sure that their students learned as much as possible throughout the weekend. They were available during breaks, as well as before and after the days' activities for questions and conversations about poker.
"Since my wife and I come from a background of communications and media, as she worked in advertising and as an actress, and I worked as a tv producer, I think we are able to combine our expertise with the ability to communicate complex ideas in an understandable way," Crispin affirmed. And he is confident that class attendees are learning a great deal through his and the other instructors' teachings. "I'll have e-mails on Monday morning [after a Boot Camp weekend] that people have paid for their Boot Camps three times over by winning their first tournament."
Each WPT Boot Camp has a special guest instructor(s) to accompany the Leysers, such as TJ Cloutier, Mike Sexton, Clonie Gowen, or Linda Johnson. On the particular weekend that I was in attendance, poker powerhouse couple Chip and Karina Jett were teaching alonside Crispin and Jules.
The Jetts have a long history of playing poker, as Karina grew up with parents who were avid players and Chip began dealing in his late teens which transformed him into an accomplished player. Karina has always specialized in cash limit hold'em, while Chip has become a successful tournament no limit hold'em player. Their combined experience and expertise in various levels and varieties of the game made them ideal instructors. Adding Chip's wit and the couple's fun interaction with each other, the lessons were even more interesting.
"I never imagined myself as a teacher," said Karina, "but I really love doing it. It's so gratifying to take something that I love and teach it to others."
School is in Session
The class was made up of about 50 students and two members of the media, myself included. There was an extensive variety of people enrolled in the seminar - young and old, male and female, novices and experienced players - all of whom felt that they could gain something from the class.
Some students came to Los Angeles from Georgia to participate, a gentleman from Michigan with his family in tow for a vacation arranged around the class, and local Californians attended as well. One of the attendees, Faith, whose children paid the Boot Camp fee for her recent birthday, came to improve her online poker skills and learn more about playing live games. It seemed that everyone had unique reasons for being there and different goals that they hoped to achieve.
Everyone was extremely attentive during the lectures, taking notes and asking questions as time allowed. The lectures were broken up in order to incorporate live labs at the poker tables, giving everyone the chance to play with one of the instructors and learn as the action was takin" place. "People gain so much information from the direct one-on-one teaching that we can do in real situations,” Crispin affirmed. "There is a logical flow of information that you can give, from the very beginning before you ever get your cards."
The entire outline of the lecture is reinforced in a workbook that is given to all of the students, with enough space provided for note-taking and problem-solving. There is even a live tournament at the end of the first day for students to compete for prizes, the biggest of which is a paid entry into a $1000 satellite for a major WPT event. Besides giving students a chance to play in a real tournament environment, it is the time for them to put into practice the lessons from the day and for the instructors to watch the progress, all of which is discussed and anaylyzed the next morning.
Class Dismissed
Wait, what? I'm on my own? Eeek! While I had just absorbed a great deal of information and feel that I had a better grasp of the game and its intricacies, I was nervous about putting it all into practice.
Going out into the wide world of poker, I had a few things on my side. I had knowledge, more than I ever had before, about betting, pot odds, position, and tells. And these important lessons came straight from the pros - people who make a living from the game.
I also had the workbook containing notes that I had taken to which I could refer back and study. But the one thing that gave me the most confidence was what I mentioned earlier - the genes. Thanks to my father, I have that basis upon which to build. And Crispin agreed, saying, "There is, in my opinion, what I call a games gene. Some people can almost pick up any game, whether it's backgammon or chess or other strategic game, and they can almost immediately be an expert at the game because they just have an understanding of games theory and complex strategies. As long as they've got that gene, then you couldn't have a better student in that regard."
Okay, I was ready. Let the games begin!
In the next issue, I will discuss some of the things I learned at the WPT Boot Camp in greater detail and whether or not I was able to use those lessons to improve my game. Stay tuned!
Written by Jennifer Newell.
Printed with permission from American Poker Player Magazine.
Click here to read about
WPT Boot Camp Part 2.
WPT Boot Camp : Poker Player
