Advice on Basic Coaching? (1 Viewer)

[card_shart]

Happy weekend, everyone! While I'm waiting for my chips and chairs to get here, I thought I'd ask about another aspect of poker play - coaching.

When I started taking poker seriously, my dad bought me Super System 2, and from there I read whatever else I could find - Grinder's Manual, Mental Game of Poker 1 and 2, etc., while watching whatever I could on YouTube. When I got a 50% off code for Upswing, I signed up for that and have been watching the lessons whenever I have the chance to.

My only two issues are this...

1) Am I really applying the concepts I'm learning? Preflop is relatively simple, but am I applying any real flop/post-flop strategies well? Looking at my stats, my red like is through the roof but my blue line is negative. Have I become an aggro-lag?

2) Am I a bad player, or have I not put in enough volume (with a tracker) to tell?

At this point, I think the only option here is to find a coach willing to go through some hand history with me.

So I go on the various sites and forums, and it's expensive! One hour for my entire current bankroll. I also see some offers on other sites, but I'm just not sure about them. I try to really think things out, play well, play when I'm feeling good and quit when I think I'm going to make poor decisions, but I just can't place where I am in the game so I know what to focus on going forward.

For reference, I play NL25 on Bovada. Over about 10,000 hands since I bought PT4, I'm down ~200 BB and running fairly low below EV (I'm guessing that's how I interpret winrate vs. EV adj. winrate?) but I know that <10,000 total hands at ~3,000 per stake isn't enough to really tell, but I was hoping to find some direction towards someone willing to take a look at some of these things.

 

[moechar]

@Senzrock

 

[Senzrock]

PM sent

 

[allforcharity]

My best basic coaching advice is to never take coaching advice from me.

 

[card_shart]

@Senzrock

PM sent

Thank you both! Will answer.

 

[card_shart]

My best basic coaching advice is to never take coaching advice from me.

You could also do honesty lessons. I'm sure a lot of card players need it.

 

[Stufflymcstuff]

first thing, you shouldn't be paying much for coaching. there're an enormous number of people who are competent enough to be able to help a beginner and there're tons of discussions forums out there with people who're happy to answer questions who are more than qualified to offer good advice.

does paying more mean you get better advice? no. it means almost nothing until you're in a position where you actually need midstakes grinders (which is primarily relevant for bigger/tougher games) whose time is worth a lot to critique your play, and you're nowhere near there.

what podcasts/channels do you watch and/or what forums do you post in?

 

[XBobdog]

with all that you have read, I wouldn't classify you as a beginner

maybe a beginner pro, but not to the game.

What is your goal?

 

[card_shart]

first thing, you shouldn't be paying much for coaching. there're an enormous number of people who are competent enough to be able to help a beginner and there're tons of discussions forums out there with people who're happy to answer questions who are more than qualified to offer good advice.

does paying more mean you get better advice? no. it means almost nothing until you're in a position where you actually need midstakes grinders (which is primarily relevant for bigger/tougher games) whose time is worth a lot to critique your play, and you're nowhere near there.

what podcasts/channels do you watch and/or what forums do you post in?

with all that you have read, I wouldn't classify you as a beginner

maybe a beginner pro, but not to the game.

What is your goal?

For channels, I bounce around between Jonathan Little and Bart Hanson. There are a few others here and there, but for free content I find myself going back to them the most.

As for forums, I started trying to post on Reddit and 2+2, but the main reason I meandered here besides chips is that the r/poker subreddit is... Interesting. Maybe it's the trend of being a snarky jokester for karma rewarding unhelpful behavior, but I found myself getting critiqued more for non-poker related things than actually getting my question answered. That's just the internet, I fuess.

2+2 was slightly better but I haven't spent too much time on there. Maybe I should utilize them more.

The big draw here, for me, is that everyone is genuine, kind, and actually explains things well. Maybe I'm a bit of a softie - maybe it's karma biting me in the rear for always being the matter-of-fact smart alec I am in most cases, but I digress... I felt much more welcome here.

As a player my goal is to get up to at least NL100 in the next year or so and grind in my spare time between playing live. I enjoy online mostly for practice, but I was hoping to use it to build a live bankroll (and even that's looking like it would take an eternity even under ideal conditions!) but at the bare minimum, the most accessible way to learn and develop my skills. I'm trying to get a friendly game started with my buddies, but for real competitive poker I'm still trying to get my toes in the water and maybe make a monthly drive out to Cherokee for now and hopefully Danville when Caesar's opens. I'm also closest to Two Kings, but last I heard their card room is over a year out.

The only reason I was thinking for a coach isn't for long term coaching at this point, but to see where I am and if I'm correctly applying the fundamentals and to identify any other major leaks.

I've really enjoyed Upswing and I feel like it's definitely improved my game, but I'm sure there are things that I get in my head and not exactly applying correctly. Besides that, I really love the game and it's definitely the only thing close to a sport I've ever enjoyed. I've never been super competitive, but poker scratches an itch that I can't get the fix for anywhere else. I know it would be a huge investment compared to the stakes at this point, but I'd like to be the best that I can as quickly as I reasonably can.

 

[XBobdog]

go to Cherokee and play a few times. If everyone at the table knows each other, be aware of that. If a drunk guy named Rob (drinking miller light) bets all in, he is bluffing.

 

[allforcharity]

You could also do honesty lessons. I'm sure a lot of card players need it.

I've changed my mind. You should pay me handsomely for every bit of poker advice that I give, as well as any advice you get from anyone else, since that's what I would have said, anyway.

As you can tell, I'm an excellent bluffer.