I'm among those that do not believe you can be coached to win at poker so I agree with Trooper on this one.

Yes, you can learn position, pot odds, wet/dry board, aggression, etc... but for the most part you have the mentality for the game or you don't. I don't. Yes, I have taken lessons in the past, had people look at hand histories, etc... and I am just as bad as I was before.

A losing player will likely always be a losing player even if it's just the rake that causes it. We play a game that involves a lot of luck, you can put yourself in the most +EV situations time after time, but that's all you can do and sometimes it isn't enough.

When you get it all in pre with AA and lose, do you need a coach to tell you how you should have played it differently?

You can't teach luck and I can already hear the argument of (self proclaimed) winning players...."You think I'm just luckier than you?". No, not really, but I think you have been more fortunate in spots that matter than I have.

I don't play much anymore, but even in my most recent trips to the local room I see players who are respected and thought of as among the best players in the room make plays that make you shake your head. One supposed respected/winning player got it in on a flush draw when he had nowhere near the pot odds to do so on the river when he was up against top set, he hits his flush and someone says "that's why he's the best".

I'm starting to agree, catching that card when he needed to for a big pot didn't necessarily make him the best, but it made him a winner that night.

Teach me to make flush draws?

I don't think it was Boski, he offers coaching (according to his website) for $100 an hour.

And I think Boski's advice would be better than "Just open with $8, no matter how many people limp in front of you." I have to agree with Trooper that that advice, if that is indeed what the coach told her, is atrocious.

This is the point of a coach. Most players are not putting themselves in +EV situations time after time, which is why they lose money. Given a certain situation, a bet amount of X is more optimal than a bet amount of Y, but many players don't know what these amounts are for each situation. A good coach will help these players understand that.

Can a coach teach a player to make more flush draws? Obviously not. But a good coach can teach a player how to play his hands in such a way that he makes the most when he hits them, and loses the least when he doesn't.

Fwiw, I thought the same for many years..then about 2 years ago I 'bit the bullet', hired a coach and have gone from a breakeven 1/2 player, to a consistently winning 2/5 player.

The key is finding the right coach..

Just got around to watching the highlights of the Boski online score. For someone like him who's no stranger to tourneys, he was playing like scared money at the bubble and seemed a bit more nervous than I'd have expected once it got down to the final nine. Still, I'm happy for him that he had a nice score. Too bad he could ladder up a few more spots.

Poker is a skill that can be learned by almost anyone. Sure not everyone can be a top 1% player but with enough skill and experience anyone can become profitable at low stakes.

Trooper saying you can't coach poker sounds like he's projecting the fact that he has been playing for years and is stuck as a slight winner and wants to make excuses.

This really is the truth at 2/5 and under.

I 'took a shot' a few times at 5/T, but being a 'weekend warrior' type poker player, with a regular job and family to support, etc. I couldn't really play my best, with the big money on the table.

'Scared money don't make no money'..or however the saying goes, sure is true with poker..a man needs to know his limitations..

It amazes me how many players don't think a coach can have a positive effect on their game. That's a good thing for the longevity of winning poker. I don't know if people are saying becoming good "comes from within" as a troll, but I used to think I was a good player until around 2010 when coaches turned my game around literally. I probably have the most coached hours itt by far (which was funded by poker profits). No offense to Mat or David but you can't learn the concepts which are needed to be a top winning player from books alone. However, there are very few good live poker coaches that are able to take a player from break even/slight winner to a total crusher and a lot more people offering coaching who aren't remotely qualified to take money for poker advice such as the one who coached Trooper's friend (I'm not going to mention any names : / )

I'm going to still disagree and no, I'm not trolling (though I don't understand the "comes from within" **** either). I think winning at poker is more a matter of the mindset you are born with and how large your bankroll is.

If you are risk adverse OR not comfortable with a lot of variance I don't think you will be able to win at this game no matter how skilled you become at other aspects of it.

More times than I can count when I watch Andrew's videos and he gives commentary on what hands the villain is likely to have or not have I think to myself "well, Andrew doesn't play in my games because they can show up with any two cards where I play" and they do. I certainly understand the value in hand reading skills, but when your opponents are just as likely to have AK as 2-4 on an A-3-5 board I'd like to meet a coach that can teach you to discern between the two.

If you don't mind tons and tons of variance and have the bankroll to ride it out then I suppose a coach could possibly teach you to find all the +EV situations and exploit those to the best of your ability, but I just don't think so.

I got to agree with Trooper 100% on this one. While I do think expert coaching can help in certain situations, one of them is not when you are new to poker. $200 for an hour long coaching lesson is a waste of money if your still at the "learning the ropes stage".

Can I make back to back final tables?

Try putting the online poker seshs in the 2p2 twitch forum

Not even sure where to begin... Of course you can't teach luck, but a good player gets into +EV situations more often and those little +EVs add up.

[ ] Understands sarcasm

You really, really lack basic understanding of EV and mathematics.

If players can show up with any two cards, you value bet your strong and medium hands more because your *RANGE* is stronger than theirs. It's not about trying to figure out their exact holdings but the range.

Carl, what are your thoughts on coaching? Do you have/had a coach?
Also, got to give it to the heroes putting you through the court system. Truly protecting the citizens of LV.

Yes I have had a coach and it can be extremely beneficial, along with books, hh review, strategy forums, poker buddies. That being said raising to 8 from every position regardless of limpers is just straight up bad advice. I do agree with Tim that people should probably utilize free resources to get a grasp of the basics before paying a coach that could help an intermediate player plug leaks.

You don’t think people can be coached to win at 1-2 NL?

What can he do? Gotta lose that money.

Not everybody is cut out for poker but anyone who thinks coaching is useless must not know this story:





Novice Maria Konnikova was coached by Erik Seidel and some other top poker pros and then she won enough to quit her real job and turn poker pro in less than a year.

Neeme can teach you how to be good at sets. Andrew, why are you holding out on us buddy?

Jaman too! Please teach us some rungood. I will wear a Justin Bieber shirt if necessary. But I will not get the license plate.

Luck is definitely a bell curve and some people are on the right side. Consider how all of us who are lucky enough to live in a rich country like America are already on the extreme right of that bell curve in terms of life luck.

California?

Regarding coaching:

If you don’t have a good understanding of game theory and how to adjust it to your game situation you’re going to struggle regardless of coaching. If you struggle with math concepts or how hand ranges and hand combos work you’re going to struggle regardless of coaching.

I would recommend that all novice and/or losing players get an online download of “Let There be Range” and learn the concepts found in that book. If you can understand and apply those concepts that’s a great start to playing and winning at 1/3, 2/5 in. Vegas and through 5/5 in Southern California.

The thing about coaching, is that a better more experienced and more skilled player than yourself can teach you things/concepts you didnt even know excisted.

Basically you dont know what you dont know-until someone teaches you.

Coaching is absolutely valuable (no doubt, if the coach is actually several levels above the student in skill), but it requires that the student actually listens and applies correctly what the coach teaches and put away their own ego that too often plays the role of a roadblock for learning.

The problem with Trooper is that he's a tilt monkey......he's needs coaching and a therapist lol!