First, I was recently given a copy of the very cool HEM app LeakBuster. While I don't have a ton of cash hands in my HEM database, I agreed to check it out, and was impressed with the charts and recommendations it quickly output from my hands. Check out the software here.

I've also recently been using the Merge hotkeys program MergeKeys in my BCP games; I'd strongly recommend this great freeware for anyone playing on there. Check it out here (and please donate to the guy who created it if you start using it regularly, it's amazing he's not charging for this).

So, on to the topic of today's blog. A few bloggers I like such as Verneer, Gakn29, and others have recently posted some really interesting takes on the poker coaching market. A lot of the writing has stemmed from the current 2+2 NVG debate. I'll weigh on a few aspects.

Is it unethical to coach a player who's a reg in games higher than you've beaten?

It depends. If the coaching is misleading potential students about his results in any way, then yes. If not and the player still wants the coaching due to other accomplishments, the coach's knowledge of theory, a low hourly rate, or anything else -- then there wouldn't be anything wrong with that. As an example at the far end of the spectrum, a top pro beating $10k live MTTs and $300-$600 mix game could hire a coach to help with tracking software leak-finding or deep-stacked no-limit game theory, even if that coach has never played those levels. TM manager Simon has a quote that sums it up very well, which is that even Tiger Woods has a golf coach.

What about for a player who was flat-out not a winner to offer coaching ?

Not unethical if the coach was completely upfront about this fact, although in this case I think there'd be a very limited market for such a coach unless it was a specific niche like mental game coaching. In practice I picture a strategy coach with losing results trying to hide this fact, which would of course cross over into unethical territory. But if he didn't hide it and people still wanted him, to each his own!

What is the problem of incentive alignment in poker coaching?

If you pay a coach $100 for a one-hour session, his incentives to provide you with the best possible instruction include: his reputation, and psychic utility from doing the best possible job. One disincentive would be if he thought you were likely to play in his games in the near future.

No matter how valuable the info he gives you, however, he's still collecting that $100 for the hour of his time. That's one reason why Team Moshman coaching deals are all in the for-profit model. The better the student is playing, the more the coach earns. Now I'm not in any way saying that coaches who charge an hourly won't given exceptional coaching, I'm confident that many are fantastic coaches. I'm only saying that from the student's perspective, it is important to consider what incentives your coach has.

What hourly rate should a coach charge relative to his hourly rate playing?

There's been some debate about what an hourly rate coach should charge relative to his playing hourly. Like any other service, there will be a market rate for a particular type of instruction such as coaching from a very winning $5 9-man SNG player with good references. This rate will be based on the supply of similar coaches and the demand for them, and may result in a rate that is more or less than that coach's hourly playing.




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