RIP DAVID SKLANSKY
It seems like a lot of players who write/wrote a lot of books or make a lot of videos are not big winning players. Examples are Little and McEvoy.
Little has almost $10M in results on Hendon Mob. Seems like he's doing rather well. Hard to imagine he's burned through anywhere near that much in buyins.
Little has almost $10M in results on Hendon Mob. Seems like he's doing rather well. Hard to imagine he's burned through anywhere near that much in buyins.
How do you know what his buyins are? I wouldn't assume that at all.
These lifetime earnings figures don't mean much for anyone without buyins. There are cases like Hellmuth, who obviously has to be hugely $ROI+ at the WSOP. However, in most case you can't tell much from Hendon Mob totals.
OK, Little markets his two WPT wins in one year and does a lot of beginners videos and books, so I assumed to worst.
Little has almost $10M in results on Hendon Mob. Seems like he's doing rather well. Hard to imagine he's burned through anywhere near that much in buyins.
Shows 201 cashes on Hendon Mob - assuming a 15% ITM - 1340 tournies played. 1340 times average buy in - hard to say what this is.
Yeah I was just about to post that obituary. It was a lot more in depth than I was expecting.
New York Times David Sklansky Obituary:
Nice, thanks for posting it.
I also sensed David was generally averse to using computer software algorithms for developing strategy. He would often fall back to reasoning to defend a position in contrast to using software. In contrast he did have his name attached to a set of push-or-fold tables, which almost certainly were calculated via software.
As someone who promulgated an objective, rational process for playing poker, I would have thought he'd be generally supportive of where the game has progressed IRT solvers and such.
I also want to praise David for perhaps his single greatest achievement: producing an effective all-in-or-fold strategy so simple that Bob Stupak and his daughter (a poker novice) could understand it. Although the basis of the strategy was somewhat flawed (and later improved upon), it had a lot of "expert" players asking all-in opponents if they were using Sklansky's "system".
Little has almost $10M in results on Hendon Mob. Seems like he's doing rather well. Hard to imagine he's burned through anywhere near that much in buyins.
How do you know what his buyins are? I wouldn't assume that at all. These lifetime earnings figures don't mean much for anyone without buyins. There are cases like Hellmuth, who obviously has to be hugely $ROI+ at the WSOP.
I don't know what his buyins are, you are correct. But since I don't recall ever hearing about him playing higher than 10K, maybe some 15K, and *maybe* the occasional 25K, it is rather hard for him to have paid over 10M in buyins from the majority of what he plays. Which is 10K and below. I would be very surprised if his total tournament profit is below 4M.
RIP
I have been reading all things DS since the old "Gambling Times" days. I have advocated for his induction in the Poker HOF for years. I hope it happens sooner rather than later.
In his book Geeking, Grifting and Gambling Through Las Vegas he states that he refused invites to be in the Poker HOF because many inductees were cheaters. He explicitly names Chip Reese.
There aren't invites for the HOF. I don't think he has been nominated. He definitely belongs.
That is an excellent obituary and typical NY Times styles, discusses what he did in terms of taking a mathematical approach to poker. He used his study of math and business at U. Penn and for actuarial exams.
I looked for the NY Times obituary on Brunson, but I couldn't read it without paying. There is a long Times of London obituary on Brunson though.
I passed some actuarial exams. Sklansky was found it not creative, but he was sort of the type for it, good communications skills and could be cold and calculating.
I guess his father got him the actuarial job. It is unusual though that he got hired without a college degree, and I maybe shouldn't say, but it is also difficult for certain demographics to be hired initially in insurance.
This is hilarious.David had a really interesting and unique mind. Years ago I mentioned in some thread that I collect 1st printings of books, and he DM’d me about a cool copy of one of his books—I think it may have been Theory of Poker (not sure if it was the OG version or an updated edition) but not positive. It may have been a copy that
I think those were the three mint copies his father sent him that he’d saved all those years; mentioned Grifters.
There aren't invites for the HOF. I don't think he has been nominated. He definitely belongs.That is an excellent obituary and typical NY Times styles, discusses what he did in terms of taking a mathematical approach to poker. He used his study of math and business at U. Penn and for actuarial exams.I looked for the NY Times obituary on Brunson, but I couldn't read it without p
How many living people from the poker world would merit a full length NYT/ToL obituary? Jack Binion. Probably Moneymaker. Would Hellmuth, Chan, Seidel get more than a paragraph? Grinder, Ivey, DNegs maybe a couple sentences? Road Warrior Animal got a decent sized one so who knows.
I have been reading all things DS since the old "Gambling Times" days. I have advocated for his induction in the Poker HOF for years. I hope it happens sooner rather than later.
In his book Geeking, Grifting and Gambling Through Las Vegas he states that he refused invites to be in the Poker HOF because many inductees were cheaters. He explicitly names Chip Reese.
That’s why I asked Mat & Mason if David respected him. Certainly, Chip by all accounts was an extraordinary player, regardless of what went on in 70s.
Through the years I only recall him mentioning Doyle & Bobby Baldwin by name. I believe he & Mason recommended Ciaffone’s Omaha book.
Did anybody else first learn from David in the book Super system? He provided expert strategy on seven card stud hi/lo in that book.
He certainly did, though it turns out he was wrong about his final hand against Brunson at the 1977 WSOP.
Spoiler
However..
Not posted as a dig, just to show how difficult it was back then—any old timers remember the Chan-Frenchy hand?
There aren't invites for the HOF. I don't think he has been nominated. He definitely belongs.
Read the book dude. He discusses how he he was approached and his reasons for never being willing to be inducted. That.s the point. Again try reading the book instead of being a super nit. It’s free to prime subscribers.
That's why I asked Mat & Mason if David respected him. Certainly, Chip by all accounts was an extraordinary player, regardless of what went on in 70s.
Through the years I only recall him mentioning Doyle & Bobby Baldwin by name. I believe he & Mason recommended Ciaffone's Omaha book.
David was very clear about all that in the book.
Anyway condolences to Matt & Mason too.
David’s death was a gut punch. A larger than life person with all his writing and ideas which I learned a lot from. Yeah I know the negative stuff but I he explained himself.
I reread the stories in Geeking, Grifting and Gambling about some of the gambling opportunities he exploited last night. Good reading, enjoyable, he was partly responsible for those opportunities going by the wayside.
How many living people from the poker world would merit a full length NYT/ToL obituary Jack Binion. Probably Moneymaker. Would Hellmuth, Chan, Seidel get more than a paragraph Grinder, Ivey, DNegs maybe a couple sentences Road Warrior Animal got a decent sized one so who knows.
I would assume Hellmuth, Ivey, and Negreanu would get something. Bobby Baldwin, also, but not mainly as a poker player.
I saw the long obit on Doyle in the Times of London, but apparently none on Sklansky there.
