An in-depth look at Poker Coaching Part 4: Expectations

Ok, we’ve now come to the final installment of this four-part series on poker coaching and this time around I’ll take a look at some of the red flags you should be on the lookout for when you hire a poker coach.

What to Expect From a Poker Coach

Before you even pay for a session or join an online poker training site you should have a very firm idea of what you are expecting to receive for your time and money. If you’re hiring a coach for a one-on-one session you should explain your goals right from the get-go, so both you and the poker coach what you are expecting to get –and the coach can then agree that your goals are attainable or he can explain why you are being unrealistic.

As I stated in Part 3 of this series, the first thing you should expect is for your coach to be on time and be completely focused no you during the session. Remember, you are paying this person to show you what it takes to be a professional, and if their idea of being professional is showing up late with lame excuses or texting during your session you obviously have found someone who is not “professional” themselves, so how could they ever teach you to think and act like one?

Additionally, your coaching sessions should leave you thinking, “Wow, I never thought of that before!” If your coach is drilling you with “this is what I do here,” and similar statements, you may want to reassess who you’ve chosen to guide you in the poker world. Your coach should be correcting mistakes and imparting knowledge, but they should also be doing so in a way that is both interesting and leaves you thirsty for more.

Red Flags

• Looking for heaps of money up front
• Unwilling to provide results or testimonials
• Missed appointments or late for appointments
• Unprepared
• Showing up for a session drunk, high, or tired
• Doesn’t pay full attention to the sessions
• Answers questions with talking points
• Has trouble explaining their thought processes
• Doesn’t listen to your concerns

What to expect form an online training site

Poker Training Sites don’t have to live up to the lofty expectations of a coach charging hundreds of dollars per session, but you should expect a certain level of professionalism from them nonetheless.

Your time at online poker training site should begin with a free trial of some sort. I have a simple rule for online training sites: No free trial, no membership. Additionally, an online training sites active roster (the people who are actually making videos) should match the people they are advertising as coaches on the homepage. It’s great that you had one of the best poker players of all-time as a coach back in 2008, but the game changes so rapidly that the strategies used by the best players in 2008 could be LOSING strategies in today’s poker world.

Red Flags

• No Free Trial offer
• Spotty content schedule or a lack of an upload schedule altogether
• Spotty audio/video that speaks to a lack of quality control
• Hard to find results for their coaches
• Marketed coaches are active

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3