Fishing, poker, TV and digital community building
Just bear with me, we'll tie these together to better understand a modern phenomenon
No, my Substack hasn’t been hacked. Yes, I’m sort of obsessed with analogies. I thought of another fun one for you, but I’ll let you think about the answer first: what do fishing and poker shown on TV have in common with something we all work on, building digital communities?
Answer: fishing and poker on TV show the results, but not the work that went into achieving them. The same is true with any successful efforts that involved building a digital community. The results are on display publicly, but only those behind the scenes know what went into it, and any talented fisherman, poker player or digital creator will tell you the same thing: there are no shortcuts despite glamorization by media. And all media do is glamorize.
On a typical fishing show it’s constant, fast-paced action, at least the parts shown on TV. They show fish after fish being caught and the fisherman/crew celebrating the whole episode.
What don’t they show? The hours of research and previous trips to learn the terrain before heading out to sea, gathering of live bait, exploration using a fish finder to find the perfect spot, the team waking up at 5am to gear up. Oh, not to mention the years of effort to become a skilled fisherman and learn the craft. Of course they don’t show that because that’s not entertainment: it’s just instant fish zen.
It also sets the completely wrong expectation for any new fisherman. They are taken out on a boat and expect to be constantly catching fish. They don’t realize the waiting and hard work that has to happen before you actually hook one.
One of my friends has a pretty good joke about the reality of fishing: they shouldn’t call it fishing they should call it waiting. As a note, a committed fisherman enjoys the whole process, even the waiting (being on the water is enjoyable on its own).
Similarly, on a typical poker show: it’s also constant, fast-paced action, again at least the parts shown on TV. They show hand after hand of bluffs, bad beats and the players celebrating success or agonizing in defeat.
What they don’t show? The hours of folding/stolen blinds, years of effort analyzing pot odds on the fly, and a lifetime spent studying psychology/body language to read opponents not savvy enough to cloak emotional responses. Not to mention the years the top players have played to gain enough confidence to be able to compete in tier-1 tournaments. Again, poker shows don’t show this part because it’s not entertainment: what people will watch are the highlights.
This also sets the completely wrong expectation for any new poker player and why a lot of amateur players go to Vegas and are dominated by pros. They watch poker on TV and think every hand is an exciting, all-in showdown because that’s all they show on TV or YouTube, so they act accordingly and without restraint. New players don’t realize the skill set the pros have is one that takes years to refine, one which balances psychology, statistics and personality.
There’s a great quote on poker credited to 2006 World Series champion Tom McEvoy: “No Limit Hold’em. Hours of boredom followed by moments of sheer terror.” Indeed, this is a more accurate description of a real tournament than what is shown on TV. But reality does not make for as great entertainment as clips. Especially in a world conditioned to skim. Although again, similar to fishing I think the passionate poker players who have a genuine love of the game don’t mind this time in between. It’s an organic element to the process which breaks up the action.
For digital professionals, it’s really not so different. To those on the outside looking in at your successes, they only see the results, the large subscriber counts and followings, the engagement and sponsorship dollars. This creates many false expectations for people new who haven’t gone through the process themselves. Like someone who has never played a poker game or gone fishing yet watched it on TV, because of TikTok videos promising viral success, they come in expecting excitement the whole time and instant results. But like the nascent player or fisherman, they have to be ready for the long term and have a true commitment if they hope to even have a shot at making it.
I especially like this analogy because I fish, play poker and have built digital communities since the 90s. I see not just how poker and fishing are portrayed on TV, I see how this influences new fisherman and poker players. New fisherman get bored and give up before trying enough spots. New poker players lose all their money going all-in too soon, not having enough patience to play data-driven cards infused with the right amount of psychological insight.
For online work, I see how case studies, LinkedIn posts and conferences which showcase success have instilled the wrong mindset in many artists and business leaders. They see results from others, want the same thing for their brand instantly and/or have expectation it’s easy, glamorous and going to be a short-term savior. Of course, experienced digital pros know better and do their part to manage expectation and guide their company or client in the right direction, at a pace that makes sense.
This phenomenon is widespread, as rarely do we get narrative in media showing the ‘boring’ parts of life, the slow, daily effort that compounds over time. But it’s exactly this ‘unsexy’ work you need to be prepared for. Very few are willing to go the required lengths. If you are serious about winning, you need to ignore any highlight reels and just keep putting in the work.
My father-in-law was the guest on a bass fishing show back in the 80s. They fished sunrise to sunset Fri and Sat, and most of Sunday, to end up with 22 minutes of footage for the TV show.
Another example is the overnight success band or musician...that has been practicing every waking moment since they first picked up their instruments at age 11.
Nice write-up. I think that quote re: boredom and terror, actually originates from the trenches in World War I, as a description of combat. But, yes, to be good at almost any pursuit takes a lot of time, mistakes and working up to proficiency. Something that media rarely shows!