I've been a professional poker player for six years, and I currently specialize in live $5/10 and $10/25 NLHE. I also run a training site and have coached over 200 students. Ask me anything. I will answer the best questions, and try to help as much as possible. If you think my knowledge may be useful to you in any way, ask away.

Hello, I am an online grinder, thinking of going live full time on east coast USA. These are basic questions I have found online, but interested to hear from someone directly who also has students with sample sizes.

How would you describe the skill gap between live 5/10 and 10/25? What bankroll do you think is needed for 5/10 live for someone who can beat online 1/2?

What is a median hourly for you + your students who are playing => 2/5?

Thanks

Which training site do you run? Is it focused on live NLHE or online NLHE strategy?

Where do you play live 5/10 and 10/25 primarily?

Biggest downswing at each stake in buy-ins and hours?

Primarily at Encore Boston Harbor and Twin River Casino

9 Buy-in Downswing Live (450 hours) and 15 buy-in downswing online would be the largest at $3/6 NLHE

I run PTO Poker (pto-poker.com). It is focused on both live and online NLHE strategy and I work with both types of players.

There tends to be a lot of player overlap between 5/10 and 10/25. The biggest difference is often related to bankroll and mental game. Some 5/10 players have the technical skills to play 10/25 but they lack the funds or just don't want to endure the bigger swings emotionally.

I've ranged from 8-10 BB/hour depending on the stake in my career. My students have a large range of win rates. Some are small winners in the 2-4 BB/hour range at 2/5 while others are at 10 BB/hour and are building the skills to be successful at 5/10.

What do you think are the the live pro skill sets that have helped you the most to win at the winrates that you currently do?

Do you rely a lot on simulations? Do you focus a lot on compiling notes on your player pool and then plan max exploit strategies away from the table? Or do you focus a lot on developing reliable live tells to allow you to adjust your strategies versus various individual Villains?

Hey CoachJoel23, thanks for taking questions!

I'm primarily an online player transitioning more to live games. Hold'em is my usual game, but lately, I've seen some live tables with "boom pots" (also called bomb pots) in PLO. Do you ever play PLO live, and have you come across these pots? If so, any good resources (videos or articles) you'd recommend to learn the format?

Secondly, I have a bit of an etiquette question. There's a player who consistently delays showing his hand at showdown. Even when everyone else reveals, he takes a long minute (sometimes longer) to decide if he wins before mucking. It's slowing down the game. While not technically a rule break, is there a polite way to encourage him to speed things up?

Thanks for your insights!

does this seem normal or did something in my game change at some point?

1. If you are crushing the games, aren't you worried coaching will leak how you think and your opponents will take advantage of it?

2. How do you decide when to end a session?

3. What is the biggest single session loss you experienced? (In bbs). How did you keep playing through it or did you end the session because of the big loss?

4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how exploitative are you against regs?

I think my study habits and my mental game have always been major strengths, combined with strong math and logical reasoning. A lot of players struggle in at least one of these areas with mental game struggles being the most common.

I do run simulations sometimes and have used GTO Wizard and PioSolver. I believe that just important as it is to understand these tools, it's equally important to understand their limitations and to know when to ignore their suggestions completely. Live poker involves so many out-of-book spots where any GTO solution would be highly unstable. It then becomes more important to be fully present in the moment and trust your instincts. I do take notes on players which can include live tells on them as well. Ideally I'm able to come up with strong exploitative strategies at the table right away which can then be fine-tuned away from the table.

Sure thing, thanks for your question. I have not gotten into PLO yet, so unfortunately I won't be much help with your question. I have heard gone things from some of my clients about these JNandez materials though: https://plomastermind.com/

That's a common etiquette issue. I'd just politely ask him to please show his hand or muck so the game can continue moving. If it keeps happening and the other players at the table are also getting annoyed, you can say to the dealer that you don't mean to be rude but if you're paying time to play, this player shouldn't be allowed to keep delaying.

It's really hard to know for sure. Variance alone could be responsible, but there are often other factors too (your own decisions and whether the games have changed). I'd have to see some specific hands and understand how you have been approaching the last 400+ hours to answer with confidence.

1. I may be giving up some edge, but it's a trade-off as I'm also being compensated for that edge. Also, coaching is much more compatible with family life and living a balanced lifestyle. I'd like to transition to more coaching and less playing over time, so revealing some information to build my practice is just a cost of doing business.

2. When I'm no longer playing my best or the game is no longer good. Also, if I'm not enjoying myself or would much rather be doing something else, I try to honor that and leave.

3. I have never lost more than 600 BBs in a session (3 buy-in stop-loss of 200BBs each). Re-centering with various meditation exercises and taking breaks and using movement are always important during the tough sessions. Often these things enable me to make a comeback, but sometimes they are not enough and it's best to just leave and play for next time.

4. Maybe a 7 or 8

What are the top 5 most important live tells behaviors and how reliable do you find them to be?

What does New England poker need to return to its former glory? Do you think Twin will expand?

As someone who has been beating 2/5 and looking into 5/10 (limited sessions) it seems the higher you go the games get very hit or miss (again New England specific) and lots of games move private which carries its own risks etc etc. What is your outlook for the next few years in poker here in New England?

In no particular order: Eye contact, timing tells, ostentatious betting motions, giving a speech, and quickly glancing at someone's chip stack. Their reliability depends entirely on your opponent and the situation where they arise. These tells tend to be more reliable in recreational players than in professionals who tend to be more consistent in their behavior.

What does New England poker need to return to its former glory? Do you think Twin will expand?

As someone who has been beating 2/5 and looking into 5/10 (limited sessions) it seems the higher you go the games get very hit or miss (again New England specific) and lots of games move private which carries its own risks etc etc. What is your outlook for the next few years in poker here in New England?

A great question and one that seems to keep coming up. (I wonder if we have played together)?

I think we have hit a rough patch for New England poker with Encore devouring New Hampshire poker but then cannibalizing its own games through excessive rake (and putting in very little effort to improve the poker room and advertise for bigger games). As far as public poker goes, Twin River needs to expand and become a viable alternative to Encore for New England poker to make a comeback. A lot of things are in limbo now with the Maverick gaming rumors and with Encore's construction across the street on hold. Time will tell...

Could you be more specific regarding the eye contact tells and the ostentatious betting motions? What catalysts/related behaviors are you looking for with regards to the eye contact and the betting motions? And how are you interpreting them for weakness and/or strength? And what is the psychology behind the eye contact tells and ostentatious betting motions tells?

What has helped your students who are on the nittier side learn to open up a little? Thinking of players that enjoy strategy games, but for whom the gambling aspect of poker is an acquired taste. What strategies or techniques can help nits find enough of their inner degen to be successful at the tables?

That's an interesting way to ask the question. Yes, there's a certain amount of getting out of their comfort zones, and various mental game techniques can be used for this. But some of my more conservative students like playing the percentages and having an advantage. It takes a little convincing, but in many spots, the math supports the more aggressive, riskier plays. Once I'm able to prove this to them, either with a solver or an equity calculator or just running the EVs of different lines, they tend to be more open to these plays. You called it opening up to "inner degen" but when those who enjoy strategy games recognize that these plays are backed by solid strategy, there's no longer any conflict between the strategy side and what looks like high variance gambling on the surface.

I'm going to be making a YouTube video on this next month. I'll post it here once it's complete.