"I just had a database review from John and it is the most and fast and effective way of coaching to identify leaks.
Also I'd like to say, to have correspondence with John is also nice. He just does it in style that gives you the feeling he really wants to help you out. I personally would pay more for that because I have a hard time listening to people who just want to sell their product, but that's just me. He is well worth the money in my opinion. I am going to work on my leaks one limit lower to protect my bankroll since I just lost a big chunk, and now I know why. 50k hands later I will do a review again but then for a larger hand sample.
John,
Thank
you
for
this
product."
- cocktails
"I had an opportunity to take advantage of the HEM database analysis review for my 6max game. John really went through my stats with a fine-tooth comb and was able to locate serious leaks. He took time to review my largest winning and losing hands and expressed his views with how to play the hands more effectively. I would recommend the service to a player that is looking to close leaks and increase their hourly win rate." - Marissa
" I definitely found a number of leaks in my game that will more than pay for the package (leak finder package) and overall I thought it represented good value. I will stay with it over a period of time as it provides a framework that allows me to isolate certain parts of your game and get the best out of Holdem Manager." - Scott C.
"I recently had a database hand review, and am pretty impressed. There was a problem with the audio, which was promptly addressed, and because John thought he had taken a long time to do the video (he hadn't, and it was right over New Year), he threw in an extra half hour, which was appreciated. Given the depth that he looks into the stats, I actually struggle to see how all that would fit into an hour long video.
It's changed my thought processes in certain situations, which from where I'm sitting is certainly for the better, so it will take some time before I see improvements as I try and integrate these into my game (in much the same way that when I went for golf lessons my game initially got worse before improving, because I was thinking too much about my swing during the swing). Because I'm thinking about some situations a lot more, I find myself unable to come up with the correct answer in the required few seconds and "panic" a bit, but this will ease as these become habit.
For the price - this is cheap, especially if it's a first time, where there are huge holes that you are blissfully unaware of. I'll definitely be doing the follow up review, and will post a graph then. I haven't had coaching, so I can't say how it compares, but for small stakes bankrolls, it's a wise investment.
I feel the same about this as I did about buying HoldemManager - now that I've got it, I wish it cost much, much more!
Thanks John." - Ryan aka - bleep69
"I just recently had a database hand review. There are 7 separate sections to the review video and I can honestly say I am more than impressed with what I have seen thus far. I don't want to say too much right this moment as I think everyone here deserves an honest review.
I am extremely excited to get my pen and paper and take a few hours to watch the video in its entirety taking notes along the way. From what I have seen, and the way in which John breaks it down with thorough but not boring explanations I can only imagine how my game will be affected." - DatDerCelTec
I picked-up the Leak Buster last week and gave it a whiz on my last 35k hands. Thought I'd share my experience with others. For calibration purposes I am a small stakes player / marginal winner. I joined PZ and picked-up the Leak Buster as part of a 2009 push to get my game going in the right direction (more fun / less nittyness).
The videos were pretty clear to follow. I had the overview stats / filters part of the review complete within about 4 hours. I am now at the stage of reviewing filtered hands. I'd say that subsequent runs should be a fair bit quicker now I am familiar with the spreadsheets, filters and process.
The highlights of the exercise (so far) have been:
- Some significant leak areas have been highlighted (and intuitively they feel right).
- I have an increased appreciation of the resource that I have in my HEM database...its more than the "HUD projector" that I had been treating it as
- Good introduction to HEM filters (which I had never used before). Now my eyes have been opened I'd certainly be able to have a stab at writing and testing my own filters
- it got me out of the mode of emotionally attached player and into the mode of objective reviewer
I think you need to be realistic about what the exercise can achieve. I certainly wouldn't describe it as a quick fix...although I never really expected it to be tbh. It has identified some big leak areas in my game for sure. Some of these (e.g. calling too many 3-bets) are self explanatory. In these cases I feel comfortable having a go at writing my own prescription and trialling my medicine.
The point is made throughout the vids that the filter overview stats / filter results are only one part of the exercise. The next step is to review the filtered hands to see what is going down. I have yet to complete this part of the exercise. During this next phase I will be attempting to separate coolers from misplayed hands and then spot repeated error patterns within the set of misplayed hands. I understand the aim...fingers crossed that I can actually do it!! In the vids John suggests posting problem hands and I'll certainly be giving this a go.
Overall I would recommend the Leak Buster to anyone looking to take a proactive role in the development of their own game. - Greg
"Overall I found this review to be super helpful. One thing that I have noticed is that in one Hand History review session, you can cover several topics that may take three or four 1-1 coaching sessions to go over making it very effective in terms of cost vs time. For the cost of the review I think that it was money well spent, the format is very professional and I will definitely go back when I have logged some more hands." - Dominic
I had John do an analysis on my HEM database and thought I would provide a review.
He provided a video walkthrough of my database using various filters. He pointed out where he thought I was doing things well, and where he thought I could probably stand improvement.
Then he used what looked to be some custom filters and graphical tools (or maybe they're not custom and I just don't know everything HEM can do) to dig a little deeper into spots he thought might be leaks based on his initial data analysis. He used the hand replayer during this part of the video to try and determine whether I was leaking in these situations, or just making a non-standard but situationally good play.
After that, he also looked at some of my biggest winning and losing hands and commented on my play.
The final part of the video was basically a summary and a list of key areas for me to focus on in order to improve my game.
Overall, I'm very impressed with product. The video was well produced with pro quality video and audio. Some of the tools John used appear to be custom products and he also understands how to get the most out of the HEM database tools.
I purchased the data review to try and make sure I was focusing on the correct areas to improve my game. I've received coaching from several good coaches in the past 18 months, as well as constantly reviewing my game myself, and thought I had a pretty good idea of my problem areas. I figured for the price it wouldn't hurt to see if a data analysis would confirm my problem areas.
As it turns out, John's analysis identified many of the same problem areas that I already suspected plus a few other spots to focus on. Most of the hands he isolated and reviewed were "trouble" hands I had already posted on 2+2 forums for feedback. These hands were not always big losers or winners, and the fact that he could isolate these spots using his tools gave me confidence in his methods and findings.
My one small criticism is that in the course of replaying a couple of hands he made judgments using the opponents stats when I didn't have many hands with that opponent, but did have reads from hands that went to showdown. Of course, he wouldn't know about those reads.
I believe for the cost you would be hard pressed to find a more cost effective manner of identifying potential leaks and areas to work on. He reached many of the same conclusions as my coaches regarding areas where I'm leaking. The data review is not a replacement for good coaching but a nice supplement imo and if you currently cannot afford coaching this review would be a nice way to find some of your leaks.
For the record I currently play 6-max nl100 and will be taking another shot at nl200 in the near future. - Jbrochu
"I really liked the structure of the video and obviously the content. I think I gathered enough new insights on my game (on aspects that I didn't even considered before) and leaks to make it easily worth the two buyins that I spent on it (I am a 100NL regular). John has also been totally available to answer my questions and doubts that I had about his commentary and suggestion. Easily recommended." - Ivan
"The Video was very well
done. The video analysis of 3betting, 3 bet calling, and 4
betting. Through filters in Holdem Manager he filters out
these categories and talks about what hands we are doing these
things with and lays out a plan based on his thoughts of what
is more optimal ranges to 3 bet, call 3 bet, and 4 bet with.
He also goes over several individual hands in each category to
drive his points home. I thought that this section was very
informative and I probably took more from this part of the
video than from any other. The information I got from this
part was well worth the cost of the video IMO.
I was really impressed with how well the video was put
together and the amount of information that was presented. I
will definitely have a follow up analysis done after about
50-100k more hands.
I would highly recommend having this analysis done if you
are a serious player looking to improve your game." -
Jeff
"I just received my first 50k database review, and am very pleased with the feedback I received. At the New Year, I made the switch from MTTs to cash, and am looking to accelerate the learning curve as quickly as possible.
The review is a little over 1 hour long, and is split-up into the following categories:
- General stat overview / analysis: the coach gleans pre-flop and post-flop statistics, while providing feedback on whether-or-not he believes they're in the correct range / percentile. Those stats that are out of the 'ideal' range are identified as potential leaks (and are reviewed in greater detail later in the video).
- Overview of stats by position: fairly self-explanatory, the coach covers items such as opening / 3betting / squeezing / cbetting / etc.
- 3-bet, 4-bet, and trouble hands: more detailed analysis on what he likes, and what he doesn't like
- Custom filter analysis: this contains the bulk of the review, covering hands that are applicable to stats that were identified earlier as potential leaks. This is where most of the post-flop analysis takes place.
- Analysis of hands in-which the most money was lost.
- Summary and recommendations: overall, the coach said I'm on the right track. He identified 6-7 leaks that need improvement.
When I ordered the review, I didn't ask the coach to look at anything specific. However, I'm fairly certain that he's flexible in this regard, and will place special emphasis on particular aspects of the game.
I ordered the 50k database review plus coaching package, and am looking forward to my coaching session as soon as I soak-up everything I learned in the database review.
I'd highly recommend the package to anyone who's serious about making quick strides in their game, while being friendly to the wallet." - Ian
More to come soon!