I'm sure I'll get flamed, but does anyone believe in hiring a coach?

KKsuited · #1 12-01-2004, 11:18 PM

I play anywhere from $10-100 tourney's as well as NL cash games. I've played in some of the smaller events in Vegas (Orleans Open) and AC. I've had some decent success, but want to take my game up a level.

Josh Arieh offers 5 nights of lessons for $1,500. Please don't bother bashing Josh, he is a great player whether you like him or not. I figured advice from a WSOP bracelt holder, several WSOP final tables, a WPT 3rd place, ect. for $1,500 isn't really to bad.

Does anyone think these "coaches" help?

Annie Duke sure did a good job with Brett Youngblood (Gank) and Ben Affleck.

lady4luck · #2 12-01-2004, 11:56 PM

WHY NOT, I SAY. I THINK IT SURELY COULDN'T HURT AND IF IT HELPS IT WOULD PAY OFF BIG TIME..IF I COULD GET ONE WHERE I LIVE I'D DO IT IN A MINUTE. I THINK A COACH WOULD SPOT LEAKS THAT MYB YOU DON'T SEE?

MHarris · #3 12-02-2004, 12:41 AM

How many hours do you get total for the $1500? By comparison, Ciaffone is like $50 (?) per hour and Barry Tanenbaum is $100/hr, so it you get anything near a $100 hourly rate, it's a steal.

I'm all for getting all the additional instruction you can get your hands on, so if you have access to it, you ought to take advantage.

TomCollins · #4 12-02-2004, 06:58 AM

I don't think his lessons are a good idea. From what I remember, these were more like clinics with a ton of people who shell out the cash.

I don't have anything against coaching, I'm sure there is a more cost effective way to get the same, or at least closer results.

Oblomov · #5 12-02-2004, 07:08 AM

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WHY NOT, I SAY. I THINK IT SURELY COULDN'T HURT...

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LOl. $1.500 would hurt my bankroll.

If you have the cash lying around yearning to be spent, then by all means do. I wonder though, if taking $150, buying a few books, studying them thoroughly (and I do mean thoroughly), and taking the rest of that $ 1.500 to put the theories in those book to the test in real life, wouldn’t be a better way of spending a sum of money like that.

Surely none of these coaches have a magic formula that they can impart upon you in a few sessions.

grandgnu · #6 12-02-2004, 07:28 AM

Dude, do you realize how many asian triplets you can get for that kind of money???? It's a lot, lemme tell ya.....

Equal · #7 12-02-2004, 08:05 AM

Ciaffone is $50/hr? lol

I charge more than that, and I suck! In fact, I would suspect that any good 15/30 pro should be charging more than $50/hr.

fnord_too · #8 12-02-2004, 10:46 AM

I think getting a coach is a good idea. I know that Matt Lessinger charges $50/hour, and he is a pretty good tourney player from what I have seen.

I think that 300/night for 5 nights from Arieh is probably a good deal, too (assuming you get at least an hour or two a night of one on one instruction). Everyone seemed to agree that, despite his lack of grace at times, he was playing extremely well in the WSOP main event. (Raymer said in his interview with Andy Glazer that the person he least wanted to end up HU with was Arieh.)

kalooki45 · #9 12-02-2004, 11:15 AM

I think it would depend a great deal on the format of the instruction.
If he simply advises you how to play certain hands during a live game, I say keep your money. You won't really learn anything from this.
What you need to learn are the PRINCIPLES he applies, and WHY, WHERE, and HOW he applies them. If he can teach you this, and you have the $, I think you'd benefit a lot from that.
As a side note, I think a lot of pro players could make a nice side income from one-on-one or class instruction of newbies. They have free classes at OK Bridge, which are pretty well attended..(and they are great for practice, but DO NOT substitute for personal study)
however the format at bridge allows observers to see ALL the hands--which can't be done on poker sites for obvious reasons.

TStoneMBD · #10 12-02-2004, 11:43 AM

i think personal classes are a good tool for a certain group of people. knowledge is invaluable so the price is irrelevant if youre serious about becoming a better player. some people learn things in different ways and if you are more capable of learning under a 1v1 lecture/discussion environment then this may be the right route for you. some people learn best by experience and some people learn best by reading. i happen to be in the latter 3 category, so these sessions with arieh may prove to be less valuable to me than they would be to you.

also, sometimes it takes a little inspiration for a player to reach new levels in his game. an encouter with a professional such as arieh may help reassure you of your capabilities while encouraging you to learn at a faster pace.