GTO Poker Theories - Cunningham's Law

Don't ask questions, make incorrect statements. That's the best way to learn if you believe in this popular law of the internet.

One of the real gifts poker has given me is that it has been a great jumping off point to learn things from other disciplines like economics, AI, psychology and Game Theory. So here is a series of articles where I bring some of the most interesting things I have learned from other subjects outside of poker which are applicable in this game we know and love.

Cunningham's Law (named after Ward Cunningham) is a principle stating that "the best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question, it's to post the wrong answer." This law is often cited as a way to encourage people to actively seek out information and not simply rely on others to provide it for them.

The idea behind Cunningham's Law is that when someone posts a wrong answer, others are more likely to chime in with corrections and provide the correct information. This can lead to a more robust and accurate discussion, as multiple perspectives and sources are considered.

I saw a good example of this online recently where somebody wanted to know a good place to eat locally. He intentionally announced that he was going to get lunch from a notoriously terrible diner in the area. This brought his co-workers out in droves to suggest the places they actually liked and stop him going to the nasty cafe. Had he simply asked where he should go for lunch, he might not have got as many enthusiastic suggestions. 

Cunningham's Law is represented perfectly by the meme above, which shows how veracious some people are correcting others online. It is also reminicent of the French saying "prêcher le faux pour savoir le vrai which translates to "preach the falsehood to know the truth"

Get free coaching by acting like a donk

I think anyone who has posted a hand history on a poker forum knows this law all too well. If you have a thick skin, it might just be that the best way to learn from a hand history is to knowingly declare you played the hand perfectly. It's not just hand histories where we see this, watch any Twitch stream to see how quickly people are to point out errors and flaws in logic. 

There was a pretty good example of this last week online. In a discussion about GTO solvers, Daniel Negreanu made a lot of statements suggesting he knew how to beat GTO bots. This brought out a lot of solver advocates to point out how misguided KidPoker was being with his understanding of GTO. 

I'm doubt Negreanu was incorporating Cunningham's Law in any way, he is just wrong, but the enthusiasm with which people jumped to correct him proves the law. It's worth checking out some of the replies and quote tweets to the one below. 

3 very simple things I do not want to share because if I do they will all realize how it wouldn’t even be close.

I’m saying 99 perfectly balanced GTO bots in a tourney format- and me.

It would be a total massacre with 3 simple concepts.

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) December 30, 2022

I doubt purposely posting incorrect statements in order to be handed the correct one is actually the optimal way to learn. The problem with such a strategy is that invariably most of the people who reply to posts online are people with too much time on their hands, rather than expertise. I am mostly writing about this today because I suspect you will find it quite amusing. 

However, if you find yourself in the company of superior players and want to learn from them, acting the fool and knowingly making an incorrect statement about an area you struggle with in poker might actually be an effective way to learn. 

What theories from outside of poker have helped your game? Let us know in the comments.

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