Over the last three years at 3-bet.net and DeucesCracked.com, BalugaWhale has coached nearly 100 students. Many of them have risen up in stakes and have become big winners (even as high as 10/20 and 25/50 no-limit!). Through constant revision and improvement to his coaching, Baluga developed a method that has consistently proven successful. The Baluga Method consists of two sections
Many players have had bad experiences when their poker coach has relied on sweat sessions. Often, the student and teacher just sit in silence while the student waits for hands. If nothing comes up during the session, tough luck! You just wasted some money. With the Socratic Sweat Session, on the other hand, you’re constantly getting questioned. This causes you to justify your actions on the fly, exposing gaps in your thought process and allowing the teacher to pinpoint the places where you need help the most. A classic example looks something like this:
Coach: Why did you bet there
Student: I wanted to win the pot.
Coach: What does that mean?
Student: Um… there was some money in the pot?
Coach: And how does betting help you win the pot?
Student: Because he folds almost all of his hands…
Coach: And if we beat those hands anyway, why are we betting
Student: Erm… I don’t really know. Can you explain?
The process is very active. Throughout the sweat session, the coach will be taking extensive notes on the student’s game. This allows the coach to craft the theory lesson plan and to monitor the student’s progress from session to session.
The student sits out on all of his tables. The teacher has now seen between 45 to 60 minutes of the student’s play, and undoubtedly he has seen plenty of room for improvement. The teacher then goes step-by-step, breaking down the most important theory concepts in a way that’s easy to understand and easy to apply. Importantly, he uses the hands the student had just played—hands fresh in the student’s mind—to ground the abstract theory concepts in real-time experience. Connecting experience and theory is the goal—after all, knowing “what” to do is good, but knowing “why” to do it is much better.
The Baluga Method encourages dissent. As Baluga tells all of his students, “If you can justify it, I’ll buy it”. So, you’ll never feel like your coach is talking down or condescending. In fact, when you think your coach is wrong, you’re encouraged to tell him so—just be prepared to back it up with a good argument!
Also, if you really detest the idea of a sweat session and don’t trust in that part of the Method, have no fear. Videos or Hand Histories are acceptable substitutes for sweating. Vids and HHs have their pros and cons: you get a stronger selection of interesting hands, but you also lose the on-the-spot thinking and questioning that reveals your biggest mistakes in thought process.
Every member of the BW Team has been trained and certified in the use of the Baluga Method. We’re elite members of the DeucesCracked Coaching family, top winners in our games, and most importantly, skilled and tested coaches. Not only do we know about poker, we know how to change the way you think. And we’re ready to help right now.
To set up a coaching schedule, check out the BW Team and send us an email at bwteam@balugapoker.com.
