Is Coaching Worth It?

Posted by icemonkey9 on Dec 19, 2008 in General | 5 comments

As many players at the 100nl and 200nl levels will typically tell you, getting a 1-on-1 coaching experience can be the best investment you can make in your poker game. Getting key concepts (even complicated ones) is best learned by joining a site like StoxPoker where they make the presentation and show you real hand examples of what they are talking about. However to plug those small leaks a personal poker coach can mean all the difference in the world.

I've finally jumped into the poker coaching arena and had my first lesson last night. Before getting this first coaching session I had finally gotten myself to breakeven for the month, and last night I just shot through the moon while being sweated. Here are some thoughts about my coaching experience ....

- For someone who is overrolled at 50nl I understand that paying for coaching at 50nl might not be worth the $/investment it would be at 100nl or 200nl. However the coaching last night really helped me out and will lead to tweaks in my game I will want to master before moving up a level.

- The cost of the session was reasonable in relation to the buyin of the level I got coaching for. I think that's an important key selling factor for people.

- I'd easily make this a once a week regular regiment of my poker life ... forever. I think this could really prevent downswings from getting worse due to tilt / bad habits cropping up.

- I was very impressed with my coach's ability, communication, and approach to the whole experience.

I haven't released my coach's name for a few reasons and I am sure he understands. Once a few things fall into place I'll reveal the total details of the experience but for now I'm tremendously happy with the investment I made. There are a lot of guys that are super hesitant about paying for a coach but there is a different feel than a simple sweat session and at the worst you pay for one session and stop it there if you don't like the experience.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents about coaching for now. I was glad to hear the feedback I was hearing about my game - basically I was making the right bet sizes, had a good pre and post flop game, and just had about 2 or 3 things to work on (basically opening up my game a little bit) overall.