Note: Not at the old Poker1 site. A version of this entry was first published in Poker Player newspaper in 2006.
This is part of a series by Diane McHaffie. She wasn’t a poker player when she began writing this series. These entries chronicle the lessons given to her personally by Mike Caro. Included in her remarkable poker-learning odyssey are additional comments, tips, and observations from Mike Caro.
Diane McHaffie is Director of Operations at Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy. She has traveled the world coordinating events and seminars in the interest of honest poker. You can write her online at diane@caro.com.
Lessons from MCU
— With bonus content by Mike Caro (pending) —
Lesson 67: An interview with The Mad Genius
I discovered an old column in which Mike Caro interviews himself, as The Mad Genius. Those of you who are wondering about the nationally advertised book, Caro’s Professional Hold ’em Play-by-Play and why it hasn’t appeared in bookstores should find the following reprint of the interview self-explanatory. It should also and make my frustration clearer, demonstrating the difficulty of my job as director of operations at MCU.
Below, Mike Caro (MC) interviews The Mad Genius (TMG) back in early 1995, eleven years ago and yes; he’s talking about the same Professional Play-by-Play series we expect to see at the bookstores in 2006.
His opening remarks included: “When you’re interviewed, you get to say what you think, and you’re quoted verbatim. Trouble is, you don’t get to pose the questions. Since many people accuse me of having a split personality, insisting that the Mad Genius and Mike Caro seem like two different people, let me use one to interview the other.”
MC: Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed.
TMG: I agreed out of respect for you.
MC: You’ve announced a series of books and videos for years called Pro Poker Play-by-Play. You even had a conspicuous ad running for a year shouting that the series is coming soon. Some people started to laugh after a while, saying you’ll never put out any more books or videos. Your ad got everyone excited by saying, “You’ve never seen anything like it before.” Well, we’ve never seen it period. What happened?
TMG: Nothing happened.
MC: Obviously nothing happened! That’s the whole point. Is anything ever going to happen, or is this series just a publicity stunt?
TMG: No, it’s not a publicity stunt. But I wasn’t expecting that question. This project, which will completely and permanently redefine the standards by which poker literature and instructional material is judged, will begin to appear in the near future.
MC: Well, you keep saying that, and you convinced everyone by your “Coming Soon” ads, but where are the products to prove it?
TMG: If I really convinced everyone by my ads, then I don’t need any products to prove it. But I do need products to make money, and so you’ll see the first of the Play-by-Play series real soon.
MC: What about your latest Power Poker Seminar Video?
TMG: What about it?
MC: You’ve been advertising it, but nobody’s seen it yet. Is that just a publicity stunt?
TMG: Ah, get a life! No, it’s not just a publicity stunt. I’m actually taking orders. The ad is for advanced orders, and it says so. The target completion date is November 30, 1995 or shortly thereafter, and we’re in final edit and right on schedule. Didn’t you see the stupid cameras at the stupid seminar?
MC: Yes, I saw the cameras. No need to get so defensive, Mad Genius. I was just asking.
TMG: Well, what kind of an interview is this, anyway. I didn’t think you were going to ambush me. I’m about ready to walk out of here. Can’t you ask about topics that are less aggravating?
MC: Sure. How come your newsletter is consistently behind schedule. You announced it as a monthly publication, but it seems to come out a lot less often. Is that a more acceptable question?
TMG: Sure, that’s a great question, you sonavabitch! I’ll tell you straight out: We’re not taking any orders beyond issue number 14. We’re just now shipping issue number six, and each issue is going to be a little better than the last one.
MC: How come you can’t get anything done ahead of schedule? You’re not the only one with a lot of projects to juggle. Other people seem to manage.
TMG: Sit on it!
The video that Mike talks about did get published. The Newsletter went quarterly. His columns in Poker Player are always late, since you would expect nothing else from a professional procrastinator. We’re still holding our breath on the book. — DM
Love your self interviews MGOP. Always entertaining.