Poker Coach Traits
Poker, an exciting and engaging game, has the potential to win you loads of cash. Whether you’re a student trying to arrange pocket money, or a looking to cushion your salary, poker earnings can help you out. The only pre-requisite is to have the skills and knowledge to get ahead in the game and make the most of your cards. However, for many beginners and even some experienced players, getting a grip of all the nuances and strategic rules of poker can be a bit challenging. In such instances, it’s always a good idea to take some additional help from a poker coach.
Yes, even the world of poker is teeming with experts who are great at explaining the game and giving you the foundation needed to become a better player. These coaches are well-equipped and have huge amounts of experience under their belts. With these experts acting as your poker guide, you can get farther in the game that you could have imagined. When you’re looking for a poker coach, there are some poker coach traits you should keep in mind which will help you in finding the perfect person to guide you along on your poker journey. They are as follows:
1) Experience: not only should your coach have a decent amount of experience to be able to teach you aspects of poker, they also need to have the right kind of experience. You can’t be learning about Texas Hold’em from a player who is not well-versed with that poker game but is an expert in Lowball. It’s like trying to learn English from a person who knows only a few words of the language. So, it’s always better for you to pick a poker coach who has played the game of your choice for several years, is also in touch with the new developments and practices it quite often.
2) Accommodating your skill level: the best of teachers will be unable to push you to the top of the poker ladder if they’re not taking cognizance of your skill level. A good poker coach will take into consideration how much you already know about the game and how much they can expect from you. Their teaching plans have to be designed to keep these aspects about you, as a student, in mind. Just like a math teacher wouldn’t be teaching you algebra before you’re already good at basic addition and multiplication, as good poker coach will also approach the coaching according to your skill level.
3) Mathematically Sound: it might sound a bit intimidating, but poker is a game built around math. A lot of the game rests on odds and probabilities. A good poker coach will not only know this but will be able to explain it to you. When they want to convince or dissuade you from making a particular move or playing a certain hand, they will have the required mathematics to back them up. These mathematic proofs will also teach you to think of the game in these terms and avoid silly mistakes.
4) Cares about your success: you should always look for poker coaches who aren’t simply doing their job but are invested in whether or not you learn and achieve your goals. When teachers are invested in their student’s success, they ensure that every possible avenue that can help you is explored. Besides, their emotional investment, will lead to disappointment if you fail or elation if you succeed. These emotional reactions are great motivators and can push you to ensure that your teacher also experiences pride and joy in your success.
5) Track Record: it is also important to look at your coach’s history. You need to pay attention to the kind of students they’ve coached and what has been the result of their coaching. If a poker coach has a string of successful students who have made vast improvements to their game, then you can be rest assured that the coach is a good teacher. It also instills you with confidence in your coach’s abilities.
Best Poker Coaching Programs
If you’re enthusiastic about learning the wonderful game of poker, there are several avenues where you can get the coaching you need. The advent of the internet and a large community of poker lovers have led to the creation of several spaces just for poker coaching. The top three poker coaching programs are as follows:
- Raise Your Edge: while this training site is new on the scene, it has produced some prize-winning poker players. Some of the courses are also curated and created by these expert poker players. They have a Tournament Masterclass, where you’ll get the best guidance to make it big in tournaments in a methodical and organised manner. While this paid course is for more advanced students, it has great reviews and can be extremely beneficial.
- Upswing Poker Lab: Coming from a very well-reputed poker website, this educational venture is a great one. Started by the experienced player Doug Polk, they have courses that are specific to certain variants, and also are very consistent and easy to understand. Plus, Doug is an extremely entertaining and engaging teacher, and they also have a very active social media community.
- Poker Nerve: Started by professional tournament player Kelvin “Acesup†Beattie, this website covers the basics of MTT play and also has wonderful courses on softer games and the basics of poker. Plus, they also have free trials so you can test things out before you commit. The content of this website is lighthearted and engaging, and that makes this a great coaching program.
While you can learn the game through poker books and magazines, getting personalized coaching or joining a specially created program can do wonders for your game. So, don’t waste your potential and sign up for the programs mentioned above and take a step towards becoming a winner. Get learning and get playing online poker on Spartan Poker now!
