Since the end of the 2000’s there has been a resurgence in the popularity of the game of poker, particularly among young people, and consequently a phenomenon of poker coaching. This is largely due to the emergence of online poker, which has made it more accessible, but also thanks to the tournaments that bring together more and more players.
Faced with the potential of winning, many players have decided to turn poker into a source of income, whether as a professional or an amateur. For this reason, the phenomenon of poker coaching is becoming more and more common.
What is poker coaching?
First of all it is important to define what poker coaching is and its basic concept. Taking poker coaching means taking poker lessons with a professional in order to understand the basics and improve your performance. Whether it’s just for the sake of it, to generate income or to become a professional player, it’s an important and necessary step to progress quickly and maximise your chances of winning.
Why use poker coaching?
The phenomenon of coaching appeared recently with the advent of contemporary poker, particularly among individuals. Indeed, apart from practicing, playing and learning from your mistakes on your own, there are better ways to reach your goal faster.
Coaching provides the right tools and knowledge to progress quickly and become better at poker. To do this, it is advisable to have a clear vision of what you want to do: learn the basics? To progress in your strategy? Learn to play difficult hands? Know when to fold? By identifying the problems you are facing, you will be able to know if you really need a poker coach and what you need to work on.
This will particularly help you to develop your game and strategy in a personalized way according to your assets and ways of playing. Indeed, your coach will be able to give you several feedbacks specific to your game. He will give you his point of view on the way you play and on the points of improvement. He will also give you the benefit of his experience, particularly during the various situations encountered during games or tournaments, to help you make the best decisions about your game.
Finally, poker coaching should be considered as a long-term investment. It will start a virtuous circle: the more competent you become, the more likely you are to win and thus make the costs incurred profitable.
The cost of poker coaching
One of the biggest obstacles for people who want to hire a coach is the cost of the training. Indeed, it is an hourly rate that is applied, and this can range from 10 to 20 euros for the basic and little known coaches to 1000 euros for the best of them. Indeed, the cost can vary according to the formula, the budget but also the seriousness and popularity of the coach. For example, a new coach who has not yet made a name for himself will offer lower rates than an experienced coach.
Some may be offered as a package deal which is particularly interesting as the price per lesson is lower. There are also group coaching sessions which significantly reduce the price of a lesson. You should also know that the price of a lesson includes: email exchanges (question/answer), the preparation of the sessions and the extra time for each session.
The cost per hour is not representative of a good coach. It is recommended to do 1 or 2 sessions to be sure that the coaching meets your expectations.
A poker coach will determine his hourly rate according to his own win rate. This means that the more he earns, the higher his rates will be. That’s why it’s advisable for beginners to start with sessions to learn the basics of poker such as rules, combinations or hand selection. The price of a poker coaching session can go up to 200 euros per hour or more for the best experts. They will provide you with a precise and strategic analysis of your game to advise you on how to improve your performance;
Finally there are two different ways to pay for a lesson:
- Pay per hour: the player pays his coach on a fixed hourly rate
- Pay for profits: coaches take a % of the profits made by their players
The advantage of the second option is that it is ideal for players with a small budget who need to ensure good bankroll management.
The poker coaching program
There are many different types of poker coaching programs. The formulas and their content are developed by the coaches according to their specialization and interest. Nevertheless, we will always find more or less the same type of format, only the content of the program may vary from one coach to another.
Here, we will see the different formats that can exist. Of course, it is possible to have several types in a single session or programme.
Direct coaching
The coach observes the player during a live game session. During the whole game, the coach helps the player with decision making and how to play the current hand.
The downside of this type of live coaching is that there is very little time for discussion and questions. Moreover, it is possible during the session to not come across any interesting hands. Finally, there is also the risk of letting the coach make all the decisions and, so to speak, play in the player’s place, which will not really help the player progress.
Hand history
It is possible for a player to record his playing sessions when he plays online. In this way, he can send the recording to his coach so that he can analyse them and give the necessary advice for each hand.
This type of format is very interesting because it will allow a detailed and in-depth discussion of the player’s actions and the strategy he followed. This allows the player to learn from their mistakes and play better in the previous session.
Video review
In the same spirit as the hand history analysis, the player records his sessions on video and reviews them live with his coach. The coach can pause the video in order to properly analyse the situation of each hand.
The coach can take notes and ask questions about each hold and review his notes for future reference. In this way, both coach and coachee can concentrate on each hand played on the 12 tables that make up a session.
Analysis of statistics
Before starting a poker coaching session, it is advisable to download and use some software that will allow to record the sessions and the data of each one. This database will allow you to analyse the player’s game, his progress and his mistakes. This is an essential basis for seeking to improve with the help of a coach.
Among these software you will find the best known such as Hold’em manager or PokerTracker. They provide a reliable analysis of the player’s sessions and overall play. The coach can access the player’s data and review specific hands with the coachee. But also the coach will be able to evaluate the progress of the player and his playing strategy.
Theoretical discussion
Theoretical discussions are often about the basics of poker such as hands and rules of the game, but also about specific questions. These questions can be, for example, how to act when a certain hand comes up, or when it is better to fold or go all-in.
The questions are either taken from a concrete case (review of a previous session or an important hand), or they can be the central theme of a specific lesson in which case it is a general strategy coaching session.
Indeed, these strategic points are very important during sessions. The coach will explain and detail the key poker concepts and points in a more lively format than simple online lessons. The player can ask all the questions he wants in order to understand easily and quickly the basics and strategies.
Psychological coaching
This last form is most often reserved for poker specialists. In the same way as a sports coach, it will allow to act on the state of mind of the player.
In this format, the coach will focus on a specific point that the player lacks. For example, if the player lacks concentration or emotional control, then the coach will take the time to help the player change their habits and improve their playing performance.
How to choose a good poker coach?
Now that you understand the benefits of taking poker coaching and the different formats. We will give you our best advice on how to choose the right coach to help you achieve your goals.
What is a poker coach?
A poker coach is usually an experienced poker professional who has acquired a certain knowledge and way of playing that allows him to help other players improve. During the poker coaching sessions, the coach will analyse the player’s game to find out what is going well and what is going badly and then suggest areas for improvement by providing personalised advice.
He will also help the player to develop the necessary skills to self-assess and analyse his game. But also, as we have seen above, he helps the player to improve his attitude and emotions towards the game.
What kind of coach do you need?
To choose your coach, you must first analyse your needs and choose the one who will be able to answer them best. You need to define your objective to guide your search, whether it is to learn poker, improve your game and move to a higher level or to address a specific area that you are lacking.
Once you have done this, you need to look at the coaches’ game and poker playing styles, as each one has their own speciality in the poker game, but they may also specialise in cash games, live games or online tournaments. It is therefore advisable to choose a coach who will specialize in the type of game you want to play.
Criteria for choosing a coach
We have now put together a list of criteria to consider when choosing a poker coach. First of all, you have to study the coach a little, is he known? Does he provide his results and his nickname? But also on which platform and how does he communicate (winamax, wsop…)? You should also
The most important selection criterion is customer satisfaction. If the feedback from coached players is positive then this is a good indicator of the quality of the coaching. Then you should look at his recent results, but also if the coach is still relevant. Indeed, it is obvious that you should use a winning player as a poker coach.
Another equally important criterion is the feeling and communication with the coach. Good communication is essential to have a good time and to progress quickly. The personality of the coach is also a criterion of choice. You have to be sure that he or she is a good match for you.
You should also pay attention to how the coach engages and answers your questions. Most coaches allow for communication outside of lessons if the player has any questions during their sessions. A good coach should be involved in your progress and answer your questions quickly.
Finally, you should look at the hourly cost of the lessons and the quality of the poker coaching packages offered. Pay attention to the program, the modalities and the masterclass formats.
Alternatives to coaching poker
Obviously if you don’t have the desire or the means to go through a poker coaching, there are other alternatives to learn and progress in your game and strategy. To begin with, there is a lot of content, videos, audios and articles available on the internet, some of which are free.
You can also find inexpensive training methods (on cash games or tournaments) to start training. Among the free alternatives you can find live streams of professional players on Twitch or TV shows. You can also memorize the pre-flop tables for different situations. Finally, we also recommend joining poker discussion groups on social networks or forums. The aim is to discuss hands with other players and learn more about each other’s games.
There are also paid alternatives, such as buying training programmes on the internet, or subscribing to training sites to access training content and regularly updated videos. It is also possible to buy poker books, but you need to make sure they are up to date, as the poker world is changing rapidly.
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