The Coaches' Dilemma

Barry Tanenbaum, Matt Lessinger, Tommy Angelo, and others teach poker strategy, while I deal only with psychology. But we all have the same problem: We tell our clients what to do, but they often don't do it.



All Advisors Have This Problem

You may not think of doctors, lawyers, and accountants as coaches, but all advisors have this problem. Because we can't force clients to do anything, we are often frustrated by their foolishness. We may even say, "Why do you pay me, but ignore my advice?" Some clients completely disregard it. Others second-guess their coaches, taking only the instructions they feel like following.



The doctor sees that a patient is very close to a heart attack and sternly says, "Follow this rigid diet, exercise regularly, stop smoking, and take these medications three times a day." But the patient cheats on his diet, does hardly any exercise, smokes when he wishes, and often "forgets" to take his medications, especially if they have unpleasant side effects, even if they are as trivial as headaches or skin rashes.



The Central Problem is Feedback

Psychological research has shown that immediate rewards and punishments have much greater effects upon behavior than long-term consequences. Unfortunately, ignoring a coach's advice may be immediately rewarded or have no immediate effects. For example, why did that patient ignore his doctor's advice?



The immediate feedback was neutral or positive. Nothing seemed to happen. Or, he enjoyed eating certain prohibited foods and avoided the unpleasant effects of exercise and medication. The long-term consequences are obviously terrible: His chances of having a heart attack became much greater, but the immediate feedback had more influence on him.



The same principles apply to poker coaches. Luck has such huge short-term effects that "the immediate results in poker are often divorced from your actions." (Miller, Sklansky, and Malmuth, Small Stakes Hold'em, Page 17) You can easily deceive yourself about the costs of bad play. In fact, if you ignore a poker coach's advice, you frequently will be rewarded.


Despite being told repeatedly to tighten up, you may cold-call three bets with 9-7 offsuit, flop the nut straight, and win a monster pot. Or, I tell you to go home because you're on tilt, but you go on a huge rush, recover all of your losses, and win two more racks. You may remember those lucky wins long after you have forgotten all the bets you lost by being foolish.



Coaches Need Balance
Coaches must avoid two extremes:

• If we go too far toward the ideal strategy, it may not be implemented well or at all.

• If we go too far toward the client's preferences, the strategy will be ineffective.



Bad doctors just tell patients what they should do, and essentially say, "If you don't follow my advice, don't blame me for what happens." Good ones negotiate compromises between the ideal treatment and what the patient wants to do. For example, instead of insisting that a patient jog three miles a day, a doctor may agree that he will walk one mile. Instead of prescribing the ideal drug with unpleasant side effects, he may prescribe a less-effective drug without them. Good doctors know that an inferior but implemented treatment plan is much better than a perfect but ignored plan.


A coach may believe that J-10 suited is the weakest hand that can be played from under the gun, while the client wants to play 8-7 offsuit. They may compromise that he will play nothing worse than 9-8 suited. That compromise may not be ideal strategically, but it is loose enough to keep the client from "cheating." Hopefully, as the client improves, the compromises will get closer to the ideal strategy.



The Poker Coaches' Special Problems
We coaches often must be more flexible than traditional professionals because we have less credibility, and implementing our recommendations requires more understanding. Players may accept a doctor's advice almost on faith, but they often believe that they know how they should play. They wouldn't prescribe their own drugs, but they may decide which of a coach's advice is "right" or "wrong." In addition, clients don't have to understand why they should take a certain drug, but they must understand why they should make most poker decisions.



Doctors are notoriously bad patients because they think they know how to treat themselves, and poker players often do whatever they like to develop themselves. For example, they may read numerous books and take a little from each one, usually the advice that fits their natural desires. They essentially insist on developing their own system, even though they don't have enough knowledge or judgment to do it well.



The Three Critical Factors

Regardless of his specialty, a coach's primary task is not to recommend the ideal plan. It is to develop one that will work for you. It will be a compromise between three factors:

1. What should you do?

2. What are you able to understand and do?

3. What are you willing to do?



The first question is usually easy to answer. Any competent coach can quickly identify what you are doing wrong and what you should do differently. The second and third questions can be very difficult.



For poker strategy coaches, the second question is usually more important. We all know that the answer to most poker questions is: "It depends on the situation." There are so many factors to consider, and you must act so quickly, that a strategy coach has to understand and adjust to your information-processing capacity.



If a coach just tells you, "Here is what I would do," without telling you how to adjust to the differences between you, fire him. He isn't doing his job because you aren't him, and you can't do everything he does. He has to tell you what you should do, considering all of your strengths and weaknesses.



If you read Card Player's strategy columns and are honest about your own limitations, you should see that the experts consider far more information than you can process effectively.



Therefore, your strategy coach must help you to:

• Assess how many factors you can consider without becoming confused and indecisive.

• Determine which factors are most important for you (and their importance depends upon your abilities and style).

• Evaluate these factors quickly and accurately.

• Act decisively on that evaluation.



My task is much simpler conceptually, because most psychological flaws are not subtle. You don't need a psychology Ph.D. to see most problems. Harry can't control his anger. Barbara overestimates her own skill. Joe has an overwhelming craving for action. Tom belittles his opponents. Susan doesn't accept responsibility for her results. Joan has a pathological need to get even for the night. Bill can't handle bad beats.



The problem is not making an accurate diagnosis; it is getting the client to accept it and do something about it. Many people won't admit their psychological weaknesses, or they minimize their negative effects. A few people even regard some weaknesses as strengths. For example, they may insist that overestimating their skill is a sign of confidence and decisiveness. "You have to believe in yourself." So, they play in games that are too tough for them and lose regularly.



Why Should You Care?
You may think these issues are irrelevant. You aren't a coach, nor do you have one. But, if you want to develop your own game, your dilemma is quite severe. A good coach has a much broader and deeper understanding of theory than you do, and he is also more detached and objective than you can be about yourself. However, self-deception is so powerful that even we experienced coaches may be blind to our own shortcomings. We may make the same mistakes we criticize in others.



Traditional professionals have the same problem, and they are taught to separate their personal and professional lives. Most doctors don't treat themselves or their families, and hardly any of them would perform serious surgery on a relative. Attorneys have a wonderful saying: "The lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client." If they get in trouble, the first thing good lawyers do is hire an attorney. They know that they can't be a detached professional about their own legal problems.



Try to look at yourself in the detached way that a coach would (and recognize that you probably can't do it). Sift through the information you get from Card Player, books, friends, and other sources, and ask yourself:

• Exactly what am I doing right and wrong?

• What are my intellectual strengths and weaknesses?

• What are my psychological strengths and weakness?



If you can't do it by yourself, get help from a professional coach, a friend, a discussion group, or an Internet forum.



Then, work out a development plan that:

• Fits your unique pattern of knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses, and

• Is close enough to your preferences to be implemented effectively



Many self-development plans are much too ambitious, whether they relate to poker, health, or anything else. For example, how many times have you made ambitious plans for dieting and exercise that never got implemented? So, make a plan that is ambitious enough to move you in the right direction, but modest enough to be carried out.

Dr. Schoonmaker coaches only poker psychology. He can be reached at [email protected].