Over the past 30 years, I have been involved in all facets of the poker industry, ranging from playing professionally, hosting tournaments, and presenting seminars, to publishing
Card Player. Although it has all been thrilling and fulfilling, I think my favorite poker activity is teaching WPT Boot Camp. Spending an entire weekend teaching important poker concepts is fun, and I really enjoy getting to know each student personally. Students and instructors are together literally from 8 a.m. until about midnight on day one, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on day two. We eat together, share "war" stories from the green felt, and cheer on great plays or criticize poor decisions observed during the student tournament, live labs, and sit-and-gos. The only thing I don't like about Boot Camp is the hours; breakfast starts at 8 a.m. and the first session is at 9 a.m. Anyway, I guess that's why they call it Boot Camp.
I recently had the pleasure of instructing a sold-out class of 50 students at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut during a two-day Boot Camp. My co-instructors for the weekend were Crispin Leyser, Jan Fisher, and Nick Brancato; each has tremendous teaching abilities, great people skills, and a remarkable passion for poker. The student-to-instructor ratio is about 12-to-1, ensuring that every student gets lots of attention and personal instruction, one-on-one interaction, and immediate feedback.
As is usually the case at Boot Camp, I tend to make some friendships that last far beyond the weekend. It is very rewarding to get follow-up e-mail from students, telling me about their post-Boot Camp poker successes. Although all of the attendees were enthusiastic, there were a few people at this Boot Camp who really caught my attention.
First, there was Carol and her grandson Robert Latham. As a gift to her grandson, Carol had bought Boot Camp tuition for both of them, and they flew to Foxwoods from California. Carol started out being reluctant to play a pot, but by the time the weekend was over, she was "moving her chips" well. She proudly watched as her young grandson made it to the final table in the student tournament.
Then there was Mona Montal, a mother of 10 with a huge desire to start following the professional poker tournament trail. Mona listened attentively throughout the weekend and asked a lot of good questions. It's no wonder she made the final table!
My favorite tale from the weekend involved two remarkable students: Steve Levy and Stu Conboy. The student tournament is set up to award three prizes. First place is a $1,000 satellite seat for a
WPT event, including travel expenses, second place is a beautiful 1,000-piece chip set, and third place is a jersey or a smaller chip set. At one point during the final table, Conboy was down to one chip. He illustrated the concept of "a chip and a chair," as he came back to take the lead at one point. Ultimately, he had to settle for second place.
When the tournament ended, Stu and his delightful wife, Shana, who also was participating in Boot Camp, wanted to talk to me privately. Stu told me that he had heard about the death of Paul Hannum (a beloved
WPT cameraman), who, at 45, recently passed away unexpectedly from complications following an appendectomy. At the time of Paul's death, his fiancée, Sarah Percy, was seven months pregnant. Stu and Shana wanted to know if it would be appropriate to auction off the chip set he had just won and donate the proceeds to Sarah and baby Hannum. I was extremely touched by their offer and told them we would indeed be proud to hold the auction.
The next morning, we told the class about Stu's generous deed and began the auction. The chip set, valued at $399.95, had reached a bid of $350, when all of a sudden Steve Levy raised his hand and bid $500. To make it even more touching, Steve said that he would send the check, but would like Stu to keep the chip set. What a class act! Two days later, a check from Steve, made out to Sarah for $500 arrived at my house. That same day, Sarah gave birth to 9-pound, 8-ounce Cameron Faith Hannum Percy. (You can see pictures of Cameron on www.babyhannum.com.) On behalf of Sarah and Cameron, thanks so much to Stu and Steve. Your generosity is truly awesome.
There were too many other wonderful Boot Camp stories to mention, but suffice it to say that I will be looking forward to teaching my next Boot Camp at Commerce Casino Jan. 20-21. If you are interested in attending, go to www.wptbootcamp.com. See you there!
Now, let's play poker.
Linda is available to teach seminars and host tournaments and special corporate events. She can be reached through her website at
www.cardplayercruises.com.
