CrackMonkey

Background

My name is Josh Lewis and I am a 28-year old Software Engineer from Michigan. The beginning of my poker career is very similar to a lot of players. Back in 2003, I was sitting around with some buddies and we stumbled upon some ESPN WSOP coverage. We were the types of guys that would play any card game you can imagine, so naturally we decided to give this Texas Hold'em thing a try. I was hooked immediately. Once I asserted myself as the best of a group of terrible players, the next logical step for me was to take my talents to the Internet and join the online poker community.

I deposited $50 on PokerRoom and promptly lost all of it. I was so upset about it that I was up all night. The next day I dealt with it in the only sane way I could think of - I deposited another $50 and vowed to win my original deposit back. After that, I won about $100 over the course of a week, then somehow luckboxed a limit tournament for $1500.

This is where my story is a little different than most. After about two years of playing and constantly improving, I had a five figure win in a tournament. That's the good news. The bad news is that win inflated my ego so much that I decided I could play in games that were way too big for me. I lost and I lost big. I took what little profit I had from over two years of hard work, cashed it out, and gave up poker for almost 3 years.

The itch to play came back pretty fast, but I ignored it as long as I could. I couldn't shake how awful I felt because of the poor choices I made, and I promised myself I would never put myself in that position again. In May of 2008, I gave in and put $100 on Stars and told myself that was all I would allow myself to lose. Fortunately, I discovered DeucesCracked shortly after that and my game went to places I never dreamed it could go. I got coaching from jk3a, and I can say with certainty that I would not be anywhere near the player I am today without his help. When Black Friday hit, I was playing 5/10 and 10/20 6max on Stars every day, and winning on a consistent basis.

Now that options are limited in the US, my goal is to contribute to the poker community as a DC coach, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to do exactly that. I know what it is like to be coached by the best DC has to offer, and I will always be doing whatever I can to make sure my students can say the same about me.

Coaching

Before being accepted as a DC coach, I gave several DC members the opportunity to have a free, no-strings-attached session with me. The feedback was all very positive. More importantly, I really enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy it just because I love talking about poker, but because I enjoy helping others and I am passionate about the game. Poker has allowed me to do things in my life that I never would have been able to do otherwise. My hope is that, with my help, others will be able to experience that as well.

My coaching rate is $125/session. I am not a clock watcher. Sessions will be approximately 75 minutes, but could easily go 90 minutes or longer if things are going well and the student and I are having a really good discussion. Typical sessions can include video reviews, HH discussions, HEM analysis, and some theory discussion. I avoid sweat sessions because I don't think they provide nearly as much value to a student as the other options.

I am always happy to answer questions or look at HHs outside of sessions. In fact, I encourage any students to send me questions, HHs, or even a simple email letting me know how things are going.

If you are interested in hiring me as a coach, please PM me and I will be happy to answer any questions that you have.