Should poker coaches show results? BBZ coaches weigh in

Do you need to be successful in a field in order to help others get better in that field?

It’s an interesting topic and one that the poker world has been debating recently, following this tweet from British poker player Charlie Carrel.

Poker coaches should have to share their results, just as chess coaches share their elos.

It is predatory behaviour to charge large amounts of money for their product but not include some proof of their knowledge.

Which poker coaches out there hide their results?

— Charlie Carrel (@Charlie_Carrel) March 19, 2023

Should poker coaches have to show their own poker results?

Do you need to be a winning player before you’re qualified to help others become winning players?

We asked two of BBZ Poker’s newest coaches – high stakes tournament crushers Alex ‘Pwndidi’ Theologis and Andy ‘BowieEffect’ Wilson – for their opinions on the matter.

Alex ‘Pwndidi’ Theologis

For me personally, all of my results are trackable. I don’t hide anything so I don’t have a horse in this race. It’s not like I’m going to defend one position over another for some personal reason.

But I don’t think [showing results] should be necessary. Showing them is good and being transparent is always welcome, but at the same time, I’ve met a bunch of people who are excellent coaches and are really good at explaining things and describing topics, but weren’t very good players and didn’t play very high volume.

It’s one skill set to explain things in a way that others can understand, and are interested in what you say. It’s a different skill set to apply this in a high-pressure environment while you are playing.

This happens in every profession I think. Let’s pick a singer – Celine Dion or someone you think to be a super good singer with an amazing voice. She has vocal coaches, right? The vocal coach is way less known than the singer themselves but still has something to offer. It’s like that for poker too.

However, I think it should be noted that there shouldn’t be any false advertising or misinformation. I don’t think showing results should be mandatory, but at the same time, I don’t think someone should say ‘hey, I’m crushing high stakes’ and then be unable to show anything for it. I think you should be able to back up your claims but I don’t think you have to show results if your claims aren’t related to them.

Andy ‘BowieEffect’ Wilson

I think it’s quite a subjective topic with regard to coaching. I don’t think necessarily the best players in the world are the coaches best suited for beginners, which is reflected in BBZs breadth of the roster.

There are people of all shapes, sizes and skill levels in the game and I would think that needs to be kept in mind when addressing this topic.

I would say, however, there probably is some onus to have a way to have testimonials for what you preach. If that’s not your own personal results, then perhaps dedicated students of yours can show their results.

While I do believe in a free market and so don’t actively engage in such debates online, people seeking out coaching should be streetwise and keep all of this in mind.

Who do they think would suit them best? What is their hourly rate? What is their focus?

And indeed, can they provide proof of success stories, whether that be personal or of students?

There are fantastic theoretical coaches who barely touch the game, but they are vouched for via the success of those they have guided.

I do think that already winning players who are aspiring to hit the highest levels will probably need to be consulting with someone of that calibre who can assist them in making those breakthroughs.