Getting the most from your poker coaching

Ok, you’ve hired a poker coach, good for you. Now start the preparation to get the most out of your decision. So many poker students begin a session with absolutely no idea of what they want to get out of the session. If that’s the case, save yourself and the coach some time and drive down the interstate throwing the money you had budgeted for poker coaching out the window. Without taking the time to set goals and an agenda of what you want to accomplish, you are wasting your money.

Review your most recent playing statistics, maybe the last month, and compare it to your longer term statistics. Write down weaknesses that you spot, then go back over them and try and come up with solutions on your own. This exercise will give you a starting point with your poker coach.

Your coaching session is about you

Remember, your coaching session is about you. Take charge of your coaching session and get it focused on what you want from the session. As your initial goals are attained, new ones will pop up – new challenges, new perceived limitations along with new possibilities. Come to each session with a direction in mind, a list of issues, questions, and things on your mind right now. Know what it is you want out of the session and out of the experience. Be pushy, pointed, be direct, and be relentless in moving the conversations in the direction that best serves you. It’s very difficult for a poker coach to guide you when you yourself don’t know what direction you want to go.

Communicate with the coach about what is really going on, where you believe your poker game is right now, where your head is right then. Don’t put fluff on it, don’t sugar coat it, just be honest and direct. And make sure the coach is hearing what you are trying to say! An ambulance can’t respond to an accident without knowing the intersection, right? So, this is about speaking the truth and living with the results because you’re the one driving the session. It will make your connection with the coach a whole lot more effective and meaningful.