When we think about coaches we usually associate them with a sport. There have been some famous and colorful coaches in many sports like Yogi Berra, Vince Lombardi, and Bobby Knight to name just a few. Poker, however, is also a sport. It is an intellectual sport and therefore means that players compete against each other and must constantly be trying to improve their play.



A good coach can help you to be a better player in several ways. The first way a coach can help you is by giving you feedback. Without feedback you won't know what you are doing wrong and how to correct it. That means you will just repeat the same old mistakes over and over again. Instead of correcting the problems you actually keep practicing them and make them habits.









Maybe you think you know every mistake that you are making and don't need someone to point out your weaknesses to you. But here is a shocker, you probably do have weaknesses like tells, or other problems that you are unaware of. Think of the people you know in your life. Are they all aware of every weakness, bad habit, flaw that they have? Of course not. Then why do you think that you know every way in which you could improve your poker playing? A good coach can point things out to you that you didn't notice.



Another benefit of a coach is that he or she can also inspire you. A coach must know human psychology and how to motivate you. He or she must also know how to push you when you need a push, whether you want one or not.



Does a poker coach have to be a better player than you? Not really. A good coach just has to have the following attributes, a. he or she must understand the intricacies of the game, b. a good coach must have your best interest at heart, c. a good coach must know when to get tough and when to back off and give you space or a chance to learn on your own.



So what if you can't find a good coach or don't have the money to hire one? There are several solutions. 1. Form a poker club and help each other to become better poker players by critiquing each other's play. 2. Read good books and watch other good players and see if you can spot their weaknesses. Make a list of their weaknesses and then watch yourself closely to see if you are doing the same things. 3. Use motivational tapes, cd's and Mp3 files by good poker coaches who can motivate you and also plant powerful suggestions in your subconscious mind.



Why plant suggestions in your subconscious? Because believe it or not, the human mind has parts that interact with each other. Your subconscious is the part that watches you as you function in the conscious world. Understanding Parts Consciousness and how great poker players think, can make you a super player as you really do become your own coach. Also, learning how to plant suggestions in your subconscious can help you to break bad playing habits like tells, for instance.



The important thing, no matter whether you find a coach or decide to try to coach yourself, is that you realize you must constantly be monitoring your play to keep improving and to be the best player you can possibly be.

By: Wil Langford, R. Hy. Clinical Hypnotherapist

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Wil Langford, R. Hy., is a 54 yr. old. Clinical Hypnotherapist, Integrated Energy Therapist, author, and Gambler, and applies physics and metaphysics to develop winning gambling strategies like Super Poker Power, and The New Age Gambler, and Power Point Poker