After giving it significant consideration for the past few months, I have decided to take on a limited number of students for private coaching. While I have immensely enjoyed some time away from poker, I realized that I do miss being involved with the game of poker in some capacity. So I have decided to dedicate 2 days a week to coaching poker.
I have also decided to drop my coaching rates to a level that is more affordable for the small and mid stakes players looking to take their game to the next level. In the past I have charged anywhere from $750-$1,000 an hour. But now that I am not playing online right now due to Black Friday, I no longer have a huge opportunity cost associated with me coaching. As a result, I will offer my coaching services at the following rates:
No Limit Holdem Cash Games Coaching Rates:
One-on-one coaching Hourly rate: $300
Group Coaching (parties of 5 or less) hourly rate: $500
Day Fee: $2,000. My day fee includes 8 hours of one-on-one poker coaching (4 hours of coaching, then a 1 hour break, followed by 4 more hours of coaching).
Packages: 1. One-on-one packages of 10 hours – $2,750
2. Group coaching packages (parties of 5 or less) of 10 hours – $4,500
Create your own coaching package: If you have any ideas on how I can assist you in a way not already mentioned, don’t hesitate to write me. In the past I have given live coaching seminars, speaking engagements and even instructed folks who have purchased golf/poker packages because they were looking to get better at both golf and poker. However, please do not contact me about any revenue sharing based coaching as I will not give those types of arrangements any consideration.
My poker resume’:
*Arguably played more hands of mid to high stakes no limit holdem of anyone in the world
*Profited over $4,000,000 in online cash games in my career which is arguably more than anyone at my stakes in online poker history
*The highest win rate in mid to high stakes games on Poker Stars in 2007 and 2008
*Poker Stars Team Online pro from 2010-2011
*Among the first Supernova elites to earn that status exclusively through no limit holdem cash games (2007)
*Author of Treat Your Poker Like A Business and Don’t Listen To Phil Hellmuth
*Produced over 100 coaching videos for various online training sites
*Written over 50 published articles, most of which appear in Card Player magazine
*One of the first poker professionals to be featured in Sports Illustrated as part of a 6 page spread
*Competed in and served as a color analyst for the PartyPoker.com Big Game IV and V
*Earned over $1,000,000 in online cash games from 2009-2011
*My story has been written about in Golf Magazine, Fairways and Greens, Golf Week,Golf World and the Portland Oregonian, as well as on ESPN, cnn.com, wallstreetjournal.com, forbes.com, fortune.com, espn.com, golfdigest.com and golf.com, among many others
What will a coaching session with me look like?:
If you are interested in just an hour or two of coaching, my main priority will be to make sure you get plenty of value out of our lesson. How I accomplish this is to spend the majority of our time together going over Holdem Manager or Poker Tracker 3 statistics in great detail. I will match your numbers with mine, and go over every important statistic line by line and give you a framework for what you need to adjust and the direction I would like to see you take your game.
If you are able to spend 10 hours or more together, then a typical 10 hour series will look something like this:
- 30 minutes reviewing your Holdem Manager or Poker Tracker 3 results.
- 1 hour watching you play at the tables where I will be spending the bulk of my time answering your questions and taking extensive notes on your play as well as the thought process I perceive that you have.
- 30 minutes to 1 hour reviewing the main things I want to work on in your game based on what I have gathered from the first 90 minutes of working together.
- 7 to 8 hours of a mixture of watching you play, reviewing hands that you have saved from sessions, using various tools to teach important concepts that I would like to see you work on, Q and A time as well as simply spending time “talking poker” in a way that is helpful to the student.
How Important is your Red Line (AKA W$w/oSD) and can you help me with it?
It is HUGE. There are an incredible number of professional poker players who struggle to win money when the pot does not go to showdown and it is probably the number one reason so many players stay at the same limit longer than they would like. For example, if you are losing $200 or $300 a day playing 1/2nl, then your success each day is entirely dependent upon how well you run when the pot does go to showdown. And not only do you become too dependent on how well you run when the pot does go to showdown, but you have to win back the $200 or $300 a day you are getting outplayed, simply to break even.
Another way to look at it is that day after day, I can mostly control how well I do without showdown. If I play 5,000 hands in a day, I can win money when I see a flop between 48 and 52% almost without exception. But what I can never control is how well I do when the pot does go to showdown. Some days I lose $15,000 and some days I win $15,000. There is a huge amount of variance associated with how well I do when the pot goes to showdown since after all, we are playing a card game. So I like to try and focus on what I can control. I can win money nearly every time in non showdown pots which then reduces the impact of how well I run with showdown. The more you play a style of poker that you can have a greater amount of control over your results day after day or week after week, the less variance you will have. And not only will you have less variance, but better results too because the plays you are using to win money in non showdown pots are profitable additions to your arsenal.
All that being said, the non showdown statistic is somewhat complex and can give you misleading results. For example, I would never recommend playing a style that won too much money in non showdown pots. Some of the biggest losers in poker history are ones who have simply tried to run people over and win every single pot. To use an extreme example, if I shoved all in preflop with my entire range, then I would crush non showdown pots, but eventually go broke. So the main objective is balance.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Do you consider yourself a full ring expert as well as a 6 max expert?
Yes. I have historically had a slightly higher win rate at full ring than 6 max, but I think that is mostly due to players being generally tougher at 6 max. I consider myself adept at both.
2. My red line (the line in a Holdem Manager graph that reflects how much you win or lose w/o showdown) trends negative. Can you help me fix this?
If there is one thing that I think I can help you the most with, this might be it. I actually struggled with my own red line last year and took a 1 month break from playing poker, instead spending my time away from the tables for hundreds of hours working on a resolution to this issue. I’ve done extensive work and analysis on this exact situation. After I returned to poker I had a positive red line and had one of the best win rates in mid stakes games on Poker Stars until I stopped playing in mid April.
3. Will you teach me a short stack strategy?
No. I am most proficient in 100BB and deep stack (250BB+) play. I think teaching short stacking is to do my students and the game of poker a disservice.
4. Are your coaching dates flexible?
Somewhat. I would like to do the bulk of my coaching on Mondays and Tuesdays, but can be flexible from time to time if needed. Since I am expecting most of my students to reside outside of the U.S.A., it is likely much of the coaching will be done during evening or night hours (morning for me, evening/nights for the international student) since it will be 8 or more hours earlier for me. However, if the student has a strong desire to learn, I am going to be inclined to find time for that student.
5. What do you look for in a student?
I am looking for students who have a similar passion for the game of poker as myself. I think if the student has a strong desire to learn, they will get a tremendous amount of benefit from my coaching because the more passionate they are, the better and better I will coach them since passion is infectious. I have no desire to work with anyone who isn’t going to take their games seriously. I have had a nearly impeccable track record of taking my students games to their desired levels and sometimes beyond. 3 of my students have gone on to make over $1,000,000 playing poker and several more have gone from micro and small stakes players to making over $100,000 a year on average.
6. I don’t have very much money, so how much do you think I can benefit from one or two lessons?
It is highly probable that even one session will be +EV for you in the sense that you stand to make more money as a result of the lesson than the cost of the lesson itself. And if that is all you have in your budget, then it will likely be worthwhile. However, I am most anxious to work with people who have a decent enough bankroll that they can participate in a more long term relationship between coach and student. When I was a small stakes grinder in 2005 and 2006, I took a portion of my bankroll and used it for private coaching. I recouped my coaching expenses in short order and it made an unbelievable difference in how I approached the game of poker. Since I have been on the other side of a student/coach relationship and seen how powerful an investment in my game with a top notch professional can be, I am a huge believer in that process.
If my coaching fees are simply too much money for you to afford right now, I would highly recommend watching my training videos as well as reading my books and contacting me at a later date when you feel you are in a better position to work with me.
7. What types of payment methods do you accept?
Bank Of America online transfer
Wire transfer
Direct Bank Transfer
Moneybookers
Mailed cashier’s check or money order (must be received before we begin working. I will split all mailing costs)
Chase Quick Pay
Pay Pal
8. How can I contact you about your coaching services:
The best way to reach me is via email at Leatherasscoaching@gmail.com. You can also reach me via Facebook.
9. What does “group coaching” mean?
Group coaching can be done one of two ways. The best way is for a group to come together and pool their money to make the coaching more affordable. Before our sessions, I would ask the group to get together and compile all of the things that they collectively struggle with the most. We would then go over the group’s most burning questions. After an hour or two of going over the group’s questions, I will then have a much better understanding of where their games are at and can put together materials that I can teach to the group that is custom fit to where their games are at. It is likely that I will be emailing the group from time to time to prepare for our next session together and be sure that I am going over the most pertinent information needed to take the group’s game to the next level.
Another way to do it is to email me and let me know you are interested in group coaching. Based on your win rate and stakes you are playing, I will attempt to pair together groups of people who seem to be of similar skill sets and design a course tailored for that group specifically prior to our session. This is not as good of an option in my opinion than coming to me with your own predetermined group, but at the same time, it is significantly cheaper for the student to learn this way. Groups of 5 would bring each student’s share at only $100 an hour which is 1/3 of the individual rate.
10. Can lessons be done in person?
Only in special cases. My aim is to conduct all lessons over the computer using Skype and/or Teamviewer.com. If you wish to meet with me in person, you must book at least 1 full day ($2k day fee) and you will be responsible for any potential travel costs. If you live in Portland, OR area, and you want to meet face to face, you must book at least 4 hours at a time.
11. What is the main problem most players have?
The abilities of my students range greatly. I have worked with some students who are simply trying to get started in their poker careers with the goal of transitioning from their current careers into a poker career. I have worked with students who are huge winners in poker who probably play 98% as well as me and are just trying to shave some of the small leaks in their game. Most students that I work with are pros or semi pros who generally struggle with their red lines (aka W$w/oSD) and approach the game from a perspective that is a little tighter than what I would like to see. Having a poor red line is something many pros struggle with and something that I am confident we can fix in 10 hours or less in most cases.
