Finding a Poker Mentor
One of the new "fads" in online poker is to have a skilled player mentor you when you're starting out. New players get overwhelmed with all of the information out there regarding poker strategy and advice, and it's much easier to have someone teach them everything they need to know one on one. Also, many of the elite players recruit average players so they can teach them then stake them and receive a profit later down the line. There are benefits for both parties who enter into this agreement, and everyone comes out ahead.
Benefits for the Student
If you're a student in a mentoring relationship, you get numerous
benefits. First of all, you have someone who will teach you the ins
and outs of the game (preflop play,
avoiding tilt,
continuation bets, etc) for free. You won't have to look all over the
Internet for strategy, and it's always much easier to hit someone up
on an instant messenger with a quick question than to have to Google
it and search through multiple pages.
Also, besides just teaching you, the mentor can also help you analyze your game. After each session, you can put together hand histories of your biggest hands and go over them step by step with the mentor to see what you did right and what you did wrong. This is one of the best ways to learn, because you will rarely make the same mistake twice, especially after your advisor has explained a better strategy.
Benefits for the Mentor
Although on first glance it may seem like a one sided relationship, the mentor also gets some benefits out of teaching his/her student. First of all, the mentor gets the moral satisfaction of helping another person reach their goals. Most mentors aren't in it for a financial gain - it's more for the good feeling that mentoring provides them.
Also, there are a few financial advantages to being a mentor. First of all, your own poker game should improve through mentoring. Even though you might be teaching basic strategy, it is a great way to remind yourself of basic tips and tactics through teaching your student. As your student learns more and more they may even be able to help you dissect hands and learn more.
Another way you can benefit financially is through staking your freshly minted students into big poker tournaments that they couldn't normally afford. Since most new players only play smaller games, you can offer to put them into $100+ tournaments, with you receiving half of their profits. As long as you've done a good job teaching them, this should be +EV.
Finding a Mentor
Finding a mentor may be as easy as hitting up one of your good poker buddies on AIM, or it may be tough if none of your friends are good poker players. If you're having trouble finding someone, there are various forums out there that are in existence to help connect mentors with students. One example of this is the 2+2 mentoring forum . There are tons of solid players willing to mentor you for free, so I suggest you check it out.