MentorHB: Tracking Progress

Tracking Progress:

It is important to track the progress of mentee so that you both aware that he is improving.

This is also good for the mentee's morale, and it is an easy way to re-assure the mentee, if he does have a bad day at the tables but played well, that he can be happy with the way he played and that he is improving as a player (it should always be one of the mentee's “aims” to improve as a player, so you can reassure the mentee he is achieving his aims and consider it a successful day, even if a profit is not achieved); rather than being disheartened and feeling that his efforts are not being rewarded.

Mentality is a very import aspect of poker and is discussed further in the “Mentality” section.

A good method for tracking progress is by concluding each session with a summary, then re-visiting the summary at the start of the next session. A short summary in bullet point form is sufficient to remind the mentee of all the areas he wants to work on, and he can keep them next to his desk or on his desktop as a note to read in preparation for his next session.

Notes on the mentee's desktop are a good way to keep the mentee focussed on the areas of his game that he wants to improve on, as well as a way for him to track his own poker development

For example if you spotted that the mentee wanted to improve on playing from the blinds and believed he should play less hands, then you could start the next session by reviewing his VPIP/PFR/etc. in HEM from the blinds and see if the numbers have changed since the previous session (can use HEM filters to set specific dates).

Another important factor about tracking progress, is ensuring that the player continues to improve after they have a win or multiple wins. It is common for players to become complacent after a win or multiple wins and stop improving as a player; it is the responsibility of the mentor to ensure the mentee is constantly improving regardless of their results, and this is should be your main goal as a mentor – to constantly improve your mentee's poker game.