I havn't heard anything yet. I am sure we will find out when they actually run the final table.

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"You will succeed far more by capitalizing on your opponents mistakes than you will by the greatness of your own play." --- I am not sure who said this but it is a great quote and piece of advice.


Colorado Players Click Here

Picking famous coaches is nice, but not very practical as far as results go. Internet pros? Dump them for this job, this is a live play situation.

In the unlikely event I had made the last nine (it would also be raining frogs and you could shoot bacon out of the sky ) I can guarantee you I would not pick some random great player, especially someone I admired, unless there was unusual commitment and energy involved.

Harsh? No, practical. I would have my play evaluated by a number of strong players in a very serious way. This evaluation would have to be detailed and graded ... I would use poker instructors from a number of poker schools to do this evaluation. The idea is to define your game, in writing, on paper, and in your mind, all of which you need.

Poker educators, armed with impressive lists of poker skills that can be measured, will objectively point out your weaknesses.

Armed with this information, you need to talk to people that have made a final table. Start the conversation by stating that you will not make any decisions about your training until later, but you would like their input about your game. There is a risk here, because the people you see may be coaching your opponents, but I feel the benefits outweight the negatives. I think that after your coaching (which comes later ) your play will have totally improved.

Meeting these top pros will also allow you to see if there is any special affinity personality-wise that would allow you to progress better. Jamie Gold and Johnny Chan have excellent chemistry, which allowed Gold to absorb more better.

Based on the information you gleaned from the experts, I think your best strategy is to ask a significantly better player than you are to improve your game, but it has to be confidential. At this point the shroud of secrecy has to drop on your proceedings. Video-tape the sessions for later, sure, but the fewer people that know, the better your chances. Tell your best friend and the press will find out, for sure.

The coach you select will arrange matches for you in a WSOP environment for practice, followed by analysis of the hands. By this I mean playing at the same table you will be using, with hand cameras, and skilled opponents. The purpose is to eliminate the fear factor of the environment.

Your only job is to improve at this point. Hire someone to build a playing portfolio on each of your opponents. This person you hire will be a full time position with more work to do that you can shake a stick at, so don't hire a friend, hire someone that has a very large capacity for work, knows poker, but will work flat out.

Do not pay anyone with percentages of your WSOP, that is financially stupid. Many top pros will coach you for a piece of you in the event and this is the hieght of weaseldom. Sorry, as a businessman the logic behind giving coaches percentages of a player is cracked.

Business managers that bring business to you, ok, that is a commission for new business. The argument that a coach will make you finish higher and therefore has "earned" a percentage of your winnings is 100% insane IMHO.

Phil Ivey would probably not be interested in coaching anyone. He has always belonged to the "Don't Educate" crowd and his financial success in Poker allows him to not need additional fame coaching a future competitor.

Phil Hellmuth would waste your time talking about himself and has a very busy schedule, unlikely to be able to spend time helping your game.

Phil Gordon would be ideal, having made a final table of the WSOP, and being a clear, pragmatic player.

Daniel Negreanu is probably already coaching one or both of the Canadian players, and is smart enough to keep that completely under wraps. His personality makes him the ideal choice in many cases, but there again, ... the player has to pick someone that he can learn from, not someone that can teach him ... an important distinction .

Scotty ... ... I cannot imagine a situation where Scotty would not help out any way he could. He might even agree to participate in the mock final table practice sessions and keep it secret. Just make sure you stock his favourite beer .

Harrington would only be good if the personalities meshed and that would probably be just one on one sessions. The player would have to arrange his own practice sessions and bring the results to Harrington to analyse.

Paul Wasicka would probably be game to play in the mock practice event and is steady enough to keep it a secret.

You also want coaching on improving your concentration and you have to exercise every day, no exceptions. Hire a coach at the local gym.

Change what you eat and move towards a healthier diet ... you will need the stamina.

This was a great post that caught my imagination, because it is a really complex situation where there is so much money involved, that you have to tighten up your training circle.

On November 7th, my birthday BTW, I will be seeing the opening night of the new James Bond film. After that ... I am flying to Las Vegas to watch the final table, providing I am lucky enough to get in. At that point the result of all the training and preparation will be played out, and clearly delaying the final table has given poker an added buzz.

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flintsword

"The lucky player is usually the player that knows how much to leave to chance."

Blog www.myspace.com/flintsword

Perhaps I'm thinking about this all wrong, but if I made it to the final 9, I'd be most inclined to continue to play the same game that got me to that point in the tournament.


I'd surely review my play up to that point in the tournament with a trusted individual(s) and perhaps look to see if I could gain any insights into my competitors' styles of play, but I mean, really now...do you think you will change the outcome of the final table just by buying some poker instruction for a few weeks? Not to mention at what cost to your final payout, $1000...$10,000...$100,000?

I think you have to continue to make the good decisions that got you to where you are. I strongly agree with Flintsword when he says to work to improve your concentration, be it through exercise, meditation, or Far-Eastern philosophy. That improved concentration will help to get you through the tough decisions you know you will be faced with at the final table. Get your money in with the best hand and play smart.

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ertrauma


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As my father always said, "Son, choose your sword wisely for some day you may find you must fall on it".