How do I know my coach is qualified?

[SparkyDog]

With all the different coaches out there, how do I know the one I get will be worth it? I'm looking for the most bang for your buck. After a few month hiatus I'm coming back to poker post-ban with a limited bankroll, so value is important.

[DeathDonkey]

I think the most common way people find a coach is through a personal recommendation from one of their students, that way you can hear about the coaching process that was used and how the student felt about the experience. I like to do a short session with my first-time students so that they can get a feel for how I present things and basically see if its a good fit for them. I certainly understand if a student doesn't want to schedule a second session - these things aren't cheap and you have to be 100% comfortable with the coach in order to maximize the experience.

-DeathDonkey

[Frond]

Long time 2+2er Bernie recommended Joe Tall to me. With that coming from Bernie I knew right away that it was a good idea. I believe he said that it would be "Golden" if I could get Joe to have a look at my game and coach me.

[fslexcduck]

To add to what Deathdonkey said, you should definitely do your homework. Ask around, see who has been coached by that person and what was good and what wasn't good. Asking for a short first session is all right (though I tend to do somewhat longer first sessions actually as I feel it's good to dive right in). Ultimately, you'll never be guaranteed an amazing experience, but with an open mind and a good attitude going in, you should be able to figure out if the coaching is helping you fairly quickly.

[Joe Tall]

[ QUOTE ]
With all the different coaches out there, how do I know the one I get will be worth it? I'm looking for the most bang for your buck. After a few month hiatus I'm coming back to poker post-ban with a limited bankroll, so value is important.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are many players like you and your question is very common. Beyond what has been said so far, W you could also do is try to get a "consultation" from the coach. Such that, you talk to them on the phone for 10 minutes or so before you go forward. I have have just started doing this with my new clients and it works very well. We break down the "ice" and once we are scheduled to go, the flow is much more fluid.

Coaching is a serious investment, plan accordingly and it can pay off in a huge way.

[Smurph64]

I haven't hired a coach yet personally, though I plan on doing so at some point when it makes financial sense for me, more on that later.

On a trip to a local casino where I met one of the forum moderators,I got some semi-coaching time for the cost of a few wobblies. I hammered him with questions and we talked poker for hours. Out of respect to him, as he is a coach (at least he had coached) I differed to ask him specific questions about my play but I did get excellent pov analysis of his play that I watched. In fact this is very similar to the experience I get watching the videos on Deuces (though a little better because its interactive)

The boards are good, but personal conversations are hugely helpful even from an indirect standpoint.

From his conversation with me he did strongly recommend getting lessons from Joe Tall stating, "With your style I think you will get a lot of help from Joe Tall"

I take that advice to heart.


Even that has proven extremely helpful. I took time off and reassessed what to study (namely Joe Tall posts and joining Deuces cracked) and came back and I am playing much better than ever.

Now of course the question comes when is it a financially feasible time.

Well that is the dilemma I am faced with now. I know I want a coach, I am pretty sure I know what coach I want to get help from but when is the quesion.

From a practical point of view, the sooner the better as logically if the coach is good its +ev to your bottom line. From a bankroll point of view however, it becomes a little more complex. If it takes me at my current rate of 'income' playing poker of 3BB/hour and I typically can play 10 hours
a week, I need to play at 5/10 for the week to justify an hour's lesson.

At the same time I am not sure I can beat 5/10 for 3 bb/hour like I have up to 1/2 6 max. But looking it at it from the other point of view, if I get coaching now and in fact while I am going up levels, the coaching is able to help with the transitions then the 'cost' of the coach is merely the same 'cost' one has when one goes to get a degree.

In other words, it opens doors you would have a hard time going through without it.

[KRANTZ]

Talk to them first. See what a coach's plan is like for his students. How much experience does he have? Can you speak with some of his former students and ask them about the experience?

Is the coach in tune with the current poker climate? A good teacher 1 year ago is probably out of touch with a lot of what goes into beating today's games. Also, what is his workload like? How much time does he spend out of session helping his students? Does he have enough time to individually devote to you?

Training sites are helpful if their instructors coach, so you know you're getting top quality. 3-bet.net (I suppose you could call us a training site, but we're technically a poker coaching center) is a great place to go because we've taken care of quality control for the student: we only hire and promote the best coaches.

Something to also keep in mind: just because a coach is a terrific player does not mean he is a good coach or is even suited to coach. His results are important, but even more important? His students' results.

[RoundTower]

If you don't already know a student of your coach, ask him to put you in touch with one of his students. Nearly every coach will be happy to do this (obviously they will put you in touch with their happy customers, but it's still something) and you get to hear first hand information on the coach. Unless someone is completely new to coaching I would definitely do this before setting up anything.

[TheWorstPlayer]

A coach should easily be able to provide at least two CURRENT (or at least recent) references. If they have trouble doing this - beware.

[Joe Tall]

[ QUOTE ]
A coach should easily be able to provide at least two CURRENT (or at least recent) references. If they have trouble doing this - beware.

[/ QUOTE ]


Thats an excellent point. WP, I saw in that you have been coaching a long time and was wondering when you got started?