As avid readers of PocketFives.com know, David The Maven Chicotsky works hand in hand with Ari Engel grooming students in their Las Vegas training center. Chicotsky and Engel churn out some of the brightest minds in the game, but not everyone has the resources or the time to head to Sin City in order to be taught by poker’s finest. Accordingly, Chicotsky has used his PocketFives.com blog as well as a variety of feature articles to help impart some of his poker knowledge on others. We sat down with Triple Crown winner and participant in the recent Bluff Online Poker Challenge to learn more about his poker blog.Chicotsky’s Blogs provide a rare glimpse into his life as an instructor and student of the game. In a recent post, he noted that he still finds time to watch his business partner hit the virtual felts: “I've spent the last couple of nights railing Ari. He's on an unreal winning streak and I don't expect it to subside anytime soon. The constant pressure, professionalism, outright aggression, and finesse are at the highest levels I've seen.” Engel is fresh off a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event in Las Vegas, taking down eight heads-up matches en route to a $22,000 payday. Chicotsky told PocketFives.com, “If I hadn’t met Ari and laid out a game plan, I don’t know where I’d be as a whole. Now, I have my finger on the pulse of the online poker community and am in tune with what it takes to be motivated and succeed.”
His blogs dive into his love for martial arts, his passion for embracing a healthy lifestyle, and his development of an online training course called TheMavenVT.com. He explained, “When I write, I want to make sure that people read it and change their lives. I like to make things more esoteric and try to motivate people. I’ve been really happy with the quality and quantity of my blogs. These were the main ideas that had been circulating through my head for years and years. Now, when I write, I’m pulling from niches of my brain.” A recent blog entry outlines a bevy of traveling that includes a trip to New York to catch up with fellow PocketFiver Nachman thelandlord Berlin, a visit to Costa Rica (where he plans on moving to one day), a cruise out of Miami that stops in The Bahamas, and the 2009 WSOP in his hometown.
He’s profiled his experiences playing in Dream Team Poker’s Caesars Palace tournament last month and the Bluff Online Poker Challenge on Lock Poker, in which he finished fourth. He uses his blog, in part, to help promote companies that have helped him spread the word about his poker training outfit in Las Vegas. Chicotsky told PocketFives.com, “The blog creates a platform to promote things that I like. I was very happy at the way that Lock Poker treated me. I felt like it was an opportunity to scratch their backs. When I’m treated properly, I’m more than happy to espouse what they’re promoting.”Many PocketFivers have begun blogging on the site, writing about anything and everything, whether poker-related or not. The topics run the gamut, from recaps of $0.25 sit and gos to trip reports from European Poker Tour events. Chicotsky encourages others to take a shot at writing about their experiences: “I would encourage even a losing player to start writing a blog, especially on PocketFives.com. It’s a very informal community. You might get a little resistance here and there, but the administrators are keen on making sure it’s a psychologically safe environment. When you write, you are going to be surprised at how many people are in the same boat as you.”
Chicotsky has dabbled in a number of different activities. From running his training center to writing blogs and articles, his free time is extremely limited. However, his disciplined nature has allowed him to thrive in this environment. He commented, “There is never enough time. I might have an hour or two hours per waking day that I’m not answering e-mails, talking over the phone, playing poker, improving my game, or teaching. I have a high-intensity lifestyle and I’m in Las Vegas, so I’m getting offers to do other things around town.” He recently played in a high-stakes cash game with Josh Arieh and Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu (pictured at right).
He’s made a habit of quoting celebrity books in his blog, from real estate mogul and “Celebrity Apprentice” host Donald Trump to Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell (pictured at left) He also expresses a deep understanding of the greater industry, noting in a December blog entry, “Poker is going to be one of the businesses that has the ability (if given true free market conditions) to continue to expand. Markets like Central/South America and Asia are almost completely closed to poker and a poker boom in these regions is a great possibility. We all need to try and do our part to expand the poker economy in any and all ways. Remember, poker isn't just a game, it's also a business.” He has truly taken that statement to heart.Check out some of the most popular and recent blogs here on PocketFives.com. If you’ve ever felt the urge to write your own material, visit the “Blog Editor” in your profile and do what a bevy of other PocketFivers have: blog.
Canada
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Australia
Mexico
Denmark
Russian Federation
Sweden
Brazil
Germany
