Common Coaching Questions

November 19, 2008

Common Coaching Questions

Over the past year a lot of people have asked me about various aspects of coaching. I’ve compiled some notes from different threads and private messages I’ve received and thought it might be interesting to address some of the most common questions.

How often do you have a session?
While Entity and I have put out a series of videos as part of a DeucesCracked Season (RLMG Season 1 ran in DC Season 2, RLMG Season 2 ran in DC Season 4, and RLMG Season 3 is currently running in DC Season 6) we usually do about one session per week (unsurprising given our production schedule demands one video per week). During the off season times we have probably met on average every other week.

How long is a session?
I would say our average session has been ~1.5 hours.

What software is needed?
You probably already have a lot of it (a poker client, Skype, a database manager like Hold ‘Em Manager, and Poker Stove).

We use Mikogo as a screen sharing application.

For hand history review we use the Universal Replayer, but you can get by just using the HEM replayer if you would rather.

For recording, we use Camtasia Studio, and Entity runs Pamela, which allows him to sync up the audio later.

Do you have any other advice?
Put a lot of effort into choosing a coach as it’s a big decision. Try to get a feel for if their teaching style will work for you – watch their videos, read their posts, talk to other students they have, etc. And make sure they’re available! Not just that they’re accepting students – make sure your schedule aligns with theirs so you can get regular sessions in. For example, I’m three hours ahead of Entity, which is occasionally an obstacle, but not really a problem. I imagine that being on different sides of the pond may make scheduling difficult.

Figure out what kind of coaching you think would be best for you, and discuss it with your prospective coach. This is where your friends can help – try doing sweat sessions and / or video swaps with them and see what techniques really benefit you.

Consider recording your sessions (of course get the okay from your coach first). Preferably a full recording, but I think even just audio would be valuable as a reference.

Lastly, get coaching assistance as often as you can. Besides the above, one of the most common questions I heard was something like, ‘I can only get coached once or twice a month – is it still worth it?’ Absolutely it is. Coaches are coaches for a reason – they’re very good at what they do. That said, realize that if you were getting coached once a month I think that bumping that up to twice a month would be more than twice as beneficial to your poker game.

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