With so much of the recent talk in the poker world centered on legalization and regulation, now might be a good time to kick back and engage in a little gossip. Something light. Something like, is Daniel Negreanu (pictured) in a cult?The shorter answer is "probably not." But the topic, first broached by Bryan Micon on his website DonkDown, has been drawn to the forefront as members of the poker community have been trying to dissect exactly what has been going on with several poker pros, particularly Negreanu.
The discussion has centered on Negreanu’s involvement with Choice Center Leadership University, which says it “specializes in experiential education and leadership training designed for the successful person,” all of which takes place over a 100-day period. The program costs $2,700 and, according to Negreanu, while there are additional opportunities to spend more money, he has never been asked to open his pocketbook past the initial course.
However, the Choice Center could be “Large Group Awareness Training,” or LGAT. According to Wikipedia, LGATs are “activities usually offered by groups linked with the human potential movement which claim to increase self-awareness and bring about desirable transformations in individuals' personal lives.”
Picture a roomful of people with speakers telling everybody that they can empower themselves to “make their own future.” Participants often get broken down emotionally and end up sharing very intimate details of their lives with complete strangers. They are then built back up and instilled with hope, all the while forming emotional bonds with the other participants as they identify with the larger group.
As poker player Nick Binger (pictured), who also joined Choice Center, put it, “The techniques and games employed tend to make people introspective and often very uncomfortable.” Some researchers have drawn comparisons between LGATs and cults, namely when discussing training or thought-reformation techniques.The criticism of Choice Center in the poker community stems largely from people’s distaste for its methods, the cost and potential ongoing money-grab, the organization’s push for members to recruit others, the lack of credentials of its instructors, and the general notion that it has no academic foundations and is essentially just a big cheerleading session. At worst, it’s a cult that takes people’s money and causes some to make poor life decisions that result in losing employment, friends, and family.
On his website, FullContactPoker, Negreanu answered people’s questions about the Choice Center. In one response, he assured people that the Center did not have its tentacles in him: "For 10+ years in this community, I've done nothing but live in integrity and call 'em like I see 'em. This 100-day course, and make no mistake that's exactly what it is, is something I think is really beneficial to people and I recommended it to many friends who shared that same view."
He added. "People who are throwing the term 'cult' around are totally misinformed as to what a cult actually is. You can't just leave a cult! This is a course. A course where you learn stuff and you leave when you are done. I have graduated and am not 'in' anything."
Binger, who is thought of as a very intelligent person, one who looks at things from a logical, scientific angle, had this to say about Choice Center on Two Plus Two: "Going into it, I knew that there was a broad spectrum of LGAT-type trainings that range from the craziest cults imaginable to really boring mainstream business development courses. The type of training regimen in LGATs can be used for positive or nefarious purposes and can be very effective at both. From the beginning, I was on the lookout for violations of integrity that would signal time for me to go, but I never saw anything that would qualify."
Binger summed up by saying, "I personally found it to be very interesting, fun, and generally a catalyst for positive life changes."
He did not like Choice Center’s urging of its participants to get their friends and family to sign up, but also understood it was a business that needed to make money. He was particularly impressed with the ability of the participants to band together to raise about $280,000 for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Negreanu raised almost $180,000, $50,000 of which was from his own pocket.
Some readers may remember that Negreanu posted a YouTube blog in which he got emotional when explaining why he decided to pass on this year's NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. He explained that he had made a commitment to spend time with friends and that he was re-evaluating how he lives his life, particularly when it comes to relationships.As it turns out, those “friends” were his fellow Choice Center participants; he was attending Choice Center courses during the event. Upon realizing this, some members of the poker community became more skeptical of Choice Center, as it struck them as odd that Negreanu would hide the real reason for skipping the Heads-Up tournament and get so emotional talking about it.
Others, after hearing Negreanu's and Binger’s reviews of the program, are taking the “live and let live” attitude; it’s their money and if it was a positive experience with no further pressure for involvement or monetary commitment, then more power to them.
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