Common questions.
Most of what students ask about scheduling, pricing, methodology, and logistics is covered here. If yours isn't, the contact form is the best way to reach Michael directly.
How many lessons do I need to get good at poker?
Poker is a lot like learning a musical instrument. A beginner who just wants to learn a few chords might only take one or two lessons. A novice working through more complex songs and scales takes regular lessons, maybe a couple a month, until they're satisfied with their progress. An expert who already knows hundreds of songs and styles still keeps taking lessons, because there's always more to learn.
Poker works the same way. The right number of lessons depends on what you're trying to get out of them, and there's no absolute answer.
My advice: start with one lesson and go from there. Most students are surprised by how much they don't know, and end up wanting more once they see what's possible.
Can you help with specific strategies, like 3-betting?
Yes, but foundational work usually has to come first. You can't reliably improve at narrow strategic spots without the underlying framework that makes those spots make sense.
How do I schedule a lesson?
Use the contact form to indicate your preferred dates and times. Standard availability is Monday–Thursday from 11 AM to 4 PM EST, with flexibility for international students.
Once a session is confirmed, you will receive a PayPal invoice within 24 hours. Payment is required before the lesson.
What do I need for a lesson?
A video call setup (Google Meet, Zoom, Discord, etc.) and a recent set of hand histories from your online play. Aim for at least 100 hands in plain text (.txt) format from a recent session.
Players without recent hand histories can still take lessons. The same concepts can be worked through without them.
Where do I get hand histories?
Many major poker clients let you save hand histories to disk via their options menu. The exact path varies by site. If you can't find the option, send a message and we'll work it out.
Can I pay via poker-site transfers?
No. Poker-site transfers for non-poker services violate the terms of service on most sites. Payment is via PayPal invoice.
Will you watch me while I play and help me make decisions?
No. All review is of previously played hands and tournaments. The practice of watching a session live and giving real-time advice, commonly called 'ghosting' in poker, is not an effective teaching method. Students tend to focus on the immediate results of the session rather than the concepts being taught.
Ghosting is also against the terms of service on most poker sites, so it's not something I'll do.
Question not covered above? Email is the fastest way to reach Michael directly.