Hi and thank you for allowing me to clarify what has been posted on here about Poker Player Academy.
Poker Player Academy was set up by a Canadian by the name of Mike Helm who was the principal shareholder and Founder. I was approached via a mutual friend to help get the business started and to ensure that the right people were involved so that the training material would be entirely relevant. The business model did involve an affiliate/referral plan however there are a multitude of business that use this type of marketing method. It would be totally unfair to describe the business as a scam based on the method of marketing and I was present when advice was taken from lawyers and other industry experts to ensure that the business operated within the relevant laws.
As the project started to come together, it became apparent that Helm had underestimated the level of capital required and as a result the business was undercapitalised. Blair Rodman, Kathy Leibert, Bruce Buffer, Antonio Esfandari and Scotty Nguyen were recruited to provide the training content and participated in a promotional video. In the case of the players that had a management agency, the agents were fully briefed on the project. Clearly they would not allow their players to enter into an agreement to promote a business that had less than honourable intentions. All were paid for their services with the exception of Blair and Kathy, Helm had run out of funds by the time they were due to be paid.
The business conducted a 'pre-launch' which I was assured is a standard practice within the affiliate/referral industry where members could reserve their place in the business by paying $15. A total of 235 people globally paid the $15 fee before the project was abandoned. I returned to Australia when the company could no longer afford to pay me and saw an email set to go out asking anyone who had paid to contact the company regarding a refund. I understand that some people may not have received this email, its even possible that it was not sent but I did view a draft of what Helm was intending to send out. Any email addresses that I was monitoring whilst working for the company had the passwords changed immediately by the company when I left. Had anyone attempted to email me from that time on, I assume someone else at the company would have received the mail.
Despite the fact that the 235 x $15 did not go to me personally, I am more than willing to refund anyone that had paid from my own pocket. Several weeks ago upon learning that some people may not have received the refund email, I posted this on Facebook and in fact refunded some money to Australians who were effected. Anyone wanting a refund only need send proof of payment to
chris@chrislevick.com and give me either banking details or a PayPal account. An alternative is that people can simply go to their bank and do a charge back.
In regards to the players involved, these people are of the highest integrity. Despite my now dislike for Helm, I can say in no way did he set this business up illegally or with the intention of creating a fraudulent scheme.
Anyone requiring further information can feel free to contact me via email.
Chris Levick