6 Max Cash Coaching for FTRers up to 100NL.

1. General Introduction

Hey guys, many of you probably know me from years gone by. I took a little hiatus from grinding regularly as well as from FTR but am now back playing poker full time and trying to be an active part of this community. I've been an instructor on www.grinderschool.com for the last 3 years and have extensive experience making poker videos and doing private coaching with students working their way between 2NL and 100NL 6 max cash.

I thought I'd let you guys here know what I offer incase any of you have been considering hiring a private coach. I offer both single sessions and an all inclusive coaching package. I think the latter is definitely the better value for money and has helped many a grinder in the past move through the stakes. Please see below for details


2. My Coaching Package

The package usually runs for 8 weeks and is comprised of the following.

*5 one hour long coaching sessions: These are done via skype and teamviewer. These sessions take various forms as described in the next session and are chosen based on what we feel will best help your development at the time. Students take sessions as regularly or sparsely as they like while the package is running and space them out to allow time for implementing new ideas, digesting new theory and just discussing hand histories or theory with me in the meantime.

*A 30-45 minute consultation: This is our general overview before we get down to detecting your main specific leaks and addressing them. During the consultation we'll examine your graphs, results, stats etc and talk over where you feel less comfortable. We'll also look to address issues like bankroll management, tilt prevention and healthy grind/study habits.

*Constant HH review support over skype instant messaging: Reviewing hands is an integral part of a healthy learning curve. I urge all of my students to get into the groove of always reviewing minimum 3-4 hands from their sessions after they've sat out. Students send over HHs with their own analysis and I get back to them with my critique on their hand and their analysis of it. Response time is usually around 24 hours maximum and often a lot faster than that. If I'm at my computer and not in a session I'll get back to you right away.

*Mentoring and General Support: Feeling tilted, having trouble with a certain type of situation or just need a chat about how things are going? As your coach I'm at hand to talk through the good and the bad times of your poker journey. We can discuss stop losses, BR management, session length, optimal amount of tables and much more.

Homework: I send out homework exercises to my students regularly with a variety of themes/topics. I post back a review of how the student has done with scores for each question.

The coaching package is a progressive way of teaching. I have come to believe this is by far the most reliable way to improve results and build competent players. We set goals, target certain aspects of the game and direct your learning to where it's most needed.


3. Session Formats

Our live sessions are chosen based on what best suits your needs at the time. This very much depends where we're at and what leaks we've thus far identified.

Leak Finder: In this format we review a video of you playing your usual game and discuss areas of improvement. This format is great for pinpointing the every day leaks you might not have been aware of. Often these are the most severe if not for their magnitude then for the frequency at which they occur.

Live Ghosting: I watch over your shoulder as you play live. This helps with your in game thought process which should differ in character to analysis done off the tables.

Live Sweats: Ghosting in reverse. I'll play a session at your stakes and we'll discuss things I'm doing that you wouldn't, or things I'm not doing that you would. Another good way to bust leaks.

Themed HH Review Here we direct our attention to a certain spot you're struggling with or just want to build confidence in. We'll review a series of hands you've marked on the relevant topic(s).

Theory Session No hands or live play; we just go through a theoretical topic in depth.


4. Credentials

Please find my coaching bio page with graphs, win rates, etc. here http://www.grinderschool.com/about/Carroters

To check out a free sample video of mine, please have a look on the grinder school.com home page. The video is a coaching style format where I do a ghosting session with one of my students who plays 50NL 6 max. http://www.grinderschool.com


To get in touch about rates, availability, or if you have any questions at all please send me an email at [email protected]

Alternatively, send me a PM here on FTR.

Thanks for reading guys, see you all around.

I watched the video, pretty nice. I didn't know you coached.

I can personally vouch for Carroters, for what it's worth.

Originally Posted by spoonitnow

I can personally vouch for Carroters, for what it's worth.

yah +1 for sure

Thanks guys, means a lot to me.

Hi Carroters,

at what point do you think a new player would benefit most from coaching? For your input to be most effective, are there certain things that you like your students to already be familiar with (i.e understanding pot odds, bet sizing etc...)? Also, for your consultation, is it best that students have already played a certain number of hands, so it's easier to see where the leaks in their game are occuring?

I definitely think coaching is a great idea, but seeing as i am so new to the game, it could be more beneficial to wait a bit?

Originally Posted by VoktorBlim

Hi Carroters,

at what point do you think a new player would benefit most from coaching? For your input to be most effective, are there certain things that you like your students to already be familiar with (i.e understanding pot odds, bet sizing etc...)? Also, for your consultation, is it best that students have already played a certain number of hands, so it's easier to see where the leaks in their game are occuring?

I definitely think coaching is a great idea, but seeing as i am so new to the game, it could be more beneficial to wait a bit?

Good question. As much as I'd love to say "COACHING IS GREAT FOR EVERYONE GIMMIE MONEY" the truth is that complete beginners are definitely better off learning the bare fundamentals before making an investment. While having a coach will probably help you grasp stuff like basic pot odds, and the very most basic frameworks of the game more quickly and easily, it's not to say that you can't learn this stuff on your own just fine. Everyone hits a wall at some point, for most it comes really early in their poker career because, let's face it, it's a tough and fiendishly complicated game. Other more lucky ones cruise through some stakes before encountering this. Some rare ballas only encounter it at $25/$50.

There are two reasons to get coaching. The first is when you feel you've hit some what of a wall and your independent study just isn't propelling you at a satisfactory rate any more. The second is just to greatly accelerate your crusade through the stakes. In the case of both reasons, coaching is an investment and one you should expect to be +EV if your coach and your attitude are good enough.

In your case I'd wait until you've digested the fundamentals and are ready to get the most out of a mentor for what follows. The right time to hire a coach is when you think it's the most +EV way to continue your poker learning.

Best of luck.

I wish I had the roll to take advantage of this.

Originally Posted by Carroters

Good question. As much as I'd love to say "COACHING IS GREAT FOR EVERYONE GIMMIE MONEY" the truth is that complete beginners are definitely better off learning the bare fundamentals before making an investment. While having a coach will probably help you grasp stuff like basic pot odds, and the very most basic frameworks of the game more quickly and easily, it's not to say that you can't learn this stuff on your own just fine. Everyone hits a wall at some point, for most it comes really early in their poker career because, let's face it, it's a tough and fiendishly complicated game. Other more lucky ones cruise through some stakes before encountering this. Some rare ballas only encounter it at $25/$50.

There are two reasons to get coaching. The first is when you feel you've hit some what of a wall and your independent study just isn't propelling you at a satisfactory rate any more. The second is just to greatly accelerate your crusade through the stakes. In the case of both reasons, coaching is an investment and one you should expect to be +EV if your coach and your attitude are good enough.

In your case I'd wait until you've digested the fundamentals and are ready to get the most out of a mentor for what follows. The right time to hire a coach is when you think it's the most +EV way to continue your poker learning.

Best of luck.

Cheers Carroters - some days it feels like i'm hitting that wall at 2NL...!!

Will definitely be interested in some coaching down the line. In the meantime look forwards to reading your posts\replies on FTR. Ta.

imo the best way for absolute beginners to get on track fast is to post up hands you think you made mistakes in for review in the forums. depending who chooses to respond, you may have to deal with some overly-abrupt, sometimes straight-up assholish responses, but if your skin's thick enough to handle it, the act of talking about poker strategy with poker players is a great way to get up to speed with the concepts/theories/game tendencies etc.

Originally Posted by rpm

imo the best way for absolute beginners to get on track fast is to post up hands you think you made mistakes in for review in the forums. depending who chooses to respond, you may have to deal with some overly-abrupt, sometimes straight-up assholish responses, but if your skin's thick enough to handle it, the act of talking about poker strategy with poker players is a great way to get up to speed with the concepts/theories/game tendencies etc.

I second this.

I have been here just over a year and the amount I have learnt from just posting up HH has been unbelievable, the posters here give some really great advice and some posts are just pure gold.

I am hoping to take Carroters up on his offer at some point, just taking another shot at 10NL so if things go well, I will be looking him up.

Just a little bump. Currently got a private skype group going which is a new addition to the package. It acts as a real time private forum with loads of poker discussion currently going on between myself and my students.

Just wanted to give this a bump for my coach. If any of you guys are struggling I'd def recommend hitting up Carroters. I was a FR player at 2nl a month ago and now I'm comfortably playing 10nl 6-max. Don't get me wrong, poker forums, videos, etc. are all decent learning tools but nothing speeds up the learning process like having a good coach. His track record should speak for itself and he hasn't asked me to bump this, but I figured I'd squeeze in a few good words for him. Srsly, hit him up.

Seriously, until today I had no idea only his pickle has legs.

Haha, yep. Just noticed that too.

Wtf since when has the pickle had legs???

Thanks for the bump TN.

So you guys think the pickle is the only one with legs?

Arms too.

Pepper definitely has legs

The pickle is definitely the only one with limbs.

[Carrot/Pepper/Banana] (to Pickle) - "You don't know man, you weren't there"

Originally Posted by TNreg

The pickle is definitely the only one with limbs.

Convinced me.