30 Apr 2024 mental game moving up stakes studying A-game As practice shows, most players can not realize their potential. It happens due to the lack of infromation / application of existing knowledge and unprofessional approach to the game. Many players can not correctly prioritize the game skills and spread themselves on unimportant nuances of the game. Some of them are unable to independently organize quality work on the development of basic skills. In addition, most players do not know how to take a comprehensive approach to the learning process. In these conditions, their growth is very slow. One of the most useful and effective ways to get up-to-date knowledge, fill the existing gaps, structure the accumulated information and correctly prioritize further development is individual training in the format of 1 on 1 Poker Coach. Its benefits we will consider in today's material. Individual poker training formats Individual one-on-one training can be conducted in a variety of formats, both universal in structure and dealing with more specialized topics of interest to the student. Let's briefly look at all possible options of training with a coach. #1: Cash-game breakdown The most common training format is a detailed analysis of the student's hand database, for example, accumulated in Holdem Manager or Hand2Note poker statistics programs. The purpose of the analysis is to identify the weaknesses (leaks) in the student's strategy. Using various statistical indicators and filters, the coach quickly finds the most critical deviations from the optimal strategy preflop and postflop in the student's game, gives recommendations on how to eliminate errors, as well as homework to consolidate the information obtained. Qualitative analysis is possible at a distance of 10,000 played hands, but it is better to rely on a more solid base of 50,000-100,000 hands. #2: Tournaments breakdown In such a case it makes sense to analyze not an abstract database of hands, but an entire tournament played by a student. This kind of analysis gives an idea of the correct strategy of play in different stages of the tournament and at different stack sizes, the influence of ICM and bubble factor on decision-making, mathematical components of poker, etc. It may also emphasize the optimal work with statistics, mistakes in determining the ranges of opponents and the sizings used. Deviations from optimal lines of play on the postflop should also be analyzed. #3: Finals breakdown Playing in the late stages of tournaments, pre-final and final tables, is a stumbling block for many beginners who lose a lot of profit at this point. Often players notice that their style of play in the later stages of a tournament can change beyond their control. Players narrow their opening ranges, have more doubts about their decisions (even in obvious situations), and generally become more passive, resulting in missed opportunities and lower profits. Specialized training helps to understand the reasons for such negative changes, as well as to identify and eliminate psychological flaws in the game in the late stages of the tournament. It may provide a strategy for playing at tables with an incomplete number of participants (3- / 6-max), explains the differences of the game in the final stage with chip leader, medium and short stack, as well as ICM-adjustments at the pre-final and final stages. #4: Heads-Up MTT Being a natural end of a long tournament road, this game requires specific knowledge and maximum concentration. During the coaching session, both global concepts of one-on-one play and special adjustments that will be useful in practical play can be studied. The student's mistakes in this stage of the tournament are analyzed. You can get more information about poker coaches and their terms of cooperation here. #5: Analysis of eliminations from tournaments A specialized training session (or part of it) is aimed at analyzing reasons why student's were knocked out from tournaments. The situations in which eliminations occur are deeply analyzed. Also the most typical mistakes in the hands related to playing for big pots are discussed beetween a player and a 1 on 1 poker coach. It can also reveal the hands where the student makes decisions rashly, on emotions or under the influence of some kind of tilt. There's still a lot to be learned, even if you think you're good enough. #6: Marked Hands Analysis A separate training session or part of it can be devoted to the analysis of marked hands, i.e. the analysis of situations that the student specifically marks in the course of the game (or independent analysis). Often players face situations in which they make decisions without being sure of their correctness. It makes sense to mark such difficult hands for later analysis with the coach. Such a review is useful also because it reveals the student's thinking and allows the coach to diagnose and correct errors in this area. #7: Mental Poker Coaching For professional poker players, it is no secret that the optimal mental attitude during a tournament session is no less important than the constant work on the strategy of the game. In one way or another, the work with psychology is touched upon in all types of training sessions. However, if necessary, a training session can be entirely devoted to the psychological state of the student, to work on emotions during the game, to analyze the causes of tilt and methods of getting out of it. The student's level of motivation and discipline are analyzed, and advice is given on how to organize an optimal working process. How to choose 1 on 1 Poker Coach? With the rapid development of online poker players are increasingly facing the question of training, because the independent mastering of all the tricks can take quite a long period of time. In this case, working with a coach can be a great solution to most problems. How to choose one? There are certain criteria for this — let's list the top 5. Coach must be a current player Poker is developing at such a fast growth that for a modern player the knowledge of 4-5 years ago can be completely useless. Of course, the mathematical foundations of the game cannot be changed, but new solutions in tactics appear almost every month. That is why a coach must constantly improve his own skills in order to pass on the most up-to-date knowledge to his students. Financial results A very important criterion! The private poker coaching market is full of scammers who have not beaten any more or less decent limit. In the provided link we introduced only the reliable and trusted ones. Also the teacher must demonstrate a good profit on a long distance — at least on 100 thousand hands. Coach shouldn’t play high limits Every beginner dreams of becoming an apprentice to a legendary high roller who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars every month. Unfortunately, playing at high limits is very different from what you see at the start of your career. High roller skills will not be useful for yesterday's amateur. Your future online poker coach should play poker 2 or 3 limits above you — consider this. Ability to teach and listen Another important criterion that determines the productivity of the training sessions. Be sure to talk to the trainer before you start training and discuss the program with him. The coach should be able to convey his / her opinion to the student — both in writing and verbally. Also he have to listen to your wishes, even if at first they may seem inaccurate. Feedback from students Before agreeing to train, it is not unreasonable to study the feedback from past students and analyze it thoroughly. Did they achieve success? How quickly did it happen? What impression did the trainer leave? Answers to these questions will help you make the right decision. Profile forums are filled with suggestions from coaches, but only a small part of them can really make a beginner a professional player. For this reason it’s way better to look out for specialized training sites like Getcoach. Our coaching staff has ready-made solutions for almost all players. Results of quality personalized coaching What kind of results do we expect from a training session? How do we know if our money hasn't been wasted? As a result of a quality training session, the student receives: A comprehensive analysis of his / her game (within the framework of a general strategy or a given topic) with a list of typical mistakes. Recommendations on how to eliminate these mistakes (in writing form, for further work and control). Video recording of the training session for later repetition. Answers to all questions on the topic of training. Homework (in writing form, for follow-up and control), which is a plan for further independent training. Recommendations on choosing best training format A beginner will benefit more from universal training. More experienced players, who have both a long playing record and (possibly) training experience, can decide for themselves what topic to devote individual training to. A series of training sessions with one qualified coach will be most beneficial to a player's development. In this case, the private coach has the opportunity to more comprehensively assess the level of game and skills of the student. And it’s not only to identify leaks in his strategy and psychological countenances and give advice on their elimination, but also can accompany and control the great work on self-development, which the student, in any case, will have to do independently. Look what will be more profitable for you: payment for an individual coach or backing / education from the foundation (coaching for profit). Now let’s explain. If a player has absolutely no bankroll and the possibility of independent development with the help of an individual coach, then everything is obvious: the player goes to the fund to get the opportunity to play poker and learn. But if you have the opportunity to try to play on your own and learn with a coach, how to calculate what is more profitable? The math clearly says that trying to develop on your own with a coach will be more profitable both in terms of finances and professional growth. Let's take the example of a player who is going to play abi10. Here we don’t take beginners into account, because no one will take them into the CFP fund (Coaching For Profit) anyway. Let's consider this example of a player who has a choice of going to the fund or developing himself. Such a person should be able to play 500 tournaments per month with a 5-day weekly load. Let's take even a rather low ROI — the lower bar for this limit is 20%. Realistically it is possible to show 2 times more with good selection and discipline. 20% ROI from 500 tournaments a month with abi10 = $1,000 profit. That's $12,000 a year. Playing in a foundation a player will give him 50% — that's $6,000 for the year. At the same time he will get a mediocre coach with low experience and qualifications, because experienced coaches are for abi30+ players (the best ones are for abi70+). Playing on your own and paying with an individual coach with regularity of lessons once a month + self-study, which the coach will give as homework, and video courses, the player will spend a maximum of $2,000-$3,000. And that's with a full permanent load — in practice, it often comes out even less. At the same time to learn from an experienced, highly qualified coach, who would train the highest limits. Here is all the simple math: playing from yourself is much more profitable. But if you don't have that option, try to find the educational fund. Memo for students: Be prepared to work hard on your own; Training only reveals your mistakes, but you will have to work on eliminating them yourself; Choose a coach responsibly: gather information about the trainer and his activities, study feedback from other students. Carefully follow the recommendations and homework. Only in this way knowledge will be internalized and transferred into the category of game skills. Remember that individual training is the most useful format of coaching, which is focused on you! Final words on 1 on 1 poker coaching Constant training is an integral part of the development of a poker professional in modern realities. Not all players can develop on their own: to build a system of training, to determine the topics to work on in the first place, to separate valuable recommendations from unimportant ones in the flow of free information, etc. Individual training is the most productive, useful format of training, aimed at the student personally. Despite the fact that the price of individual training can be significant, remember that it is such investments that bring the maximum profit and pay off most quickly. Good luck at the tables, everyone! Don't forget to leave comments and ask questions below. FAQs Which is better: offline or online learning? Both learning formats have their strengths and weaknesses. When choosing, you should rather consider the course content, guarantees and price. 90% of students choose distance learning. How to terminate a contract with a trainer? Each project has its own terms of termination. As a rule, they are prescribed in the contract. How to choose 1-on-1 poker coaching? When looking for a trainer, you need to pay attention to achievements and reputation. You should also take into account the correspondence of disciplines — a cash-game coach will not suit a tournament player, and vice versa. Where should a beginner start: tournaments or cash? It depends on the number of hours a student is willing to devote to online poker: MTTs are long and require a lot of concentration. In a cash game you can play a few hands and have a rest anytime. Is there any point in taking free courses? Yes, if they are provided by a qualified school. They contain basic information that will be useful for further development. But first try to get too attached and stick to different poker coaching services. In 2024 you always have a choice!