How much to invest in coaching?
 

How do you go about or recommend going about figuring out how much coaching is appropriate for a player coming up the ranks? I know this is incredibly open ended. Let's assume a decent grasp of ABC play and a modest winner over >100k hands.

I imagine that the incremental benefit of coaching decreases the more coaching you get, and that you should have a certain play volume in order for coaching to pay off, too. That is, if you are coached 1 hour for every 100 hands you play, you are getting over-coached, but if you are coached 1 hour for every 100k hands you play, you are under-coached.

Also, what if a student has a coaching budget and a choice between a good coach and a great coach, but if they went with the great coach they would have to settle for less coaching time? Does the answer change for small stakes, mid stakes, and high stakes?

Re: How much to invest in coaching?
 

I'll try bumping one time. Sorry if the question is too broad/general. Thanks.

Re: How much to invest in coaching?
 

Coaching can help any one, from the casual player to the experienced pro. Newer players get much more out of coaching because it greatly accelerates their learning curve but, everyone should be interested in coaching because it pays for itself and then some.

When it comes to how much to invest it really depends on where you want to take it. The players that really should invest more in coaching are the ones that really want to take the game seriously and move up the ranks or even do it for a living. Simply put the more you play and the higher you play the more your investment pays off.

On the contrary it is very important to find a coach/program that really fits you. For lower skill level or newer players this is easy because they can learn from about any one, but they are best suited for a program that is streamlined for new players. Seasoned players might be more acclimated for more customized coaching to address certain issues they need work on such as avoiding tilt or protecting the blinds.

Re: How much to invest in coaching?
 

Simple answer is:
Money invested should be some function of how much you play and how high you play(or plan to play) minus your skill level.

Re: How much to invest in coaching?
 

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Newer players get much more out of coaching because it greatly accelerates their learning curve but, everyone should be interested in coaching because it pays for itself and then some.

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I'm not sure I agree that newer players will reap the most benefits from one on one coaching. You need to have a certain level of understanding and skill to absorb what the coach is telling you and apply it without spending hours and hours with them. If you're Ben Affleck, then it no big deal, but for players with a limited BR there are usually books and video instruction sites to turn to first. Think of poker training like a college course: books are like a freshman lecture, videos are like junior level recitations, and coaching is like graduate work where you're working alongside the prof.