Best poker training websites? (3 Viewers)

[BigDutch888]

Hi all,

Ive been looking at UpswingPoker, Pokercoaching, and Red Chip Poker to improve my low stakes skills. I’m fairly experienced but I lack a deeper understanding of the game. I’d love to hear about your experiences/ pros and cons, or other suggestions!

Thanks

 

[Thomacetti]

The advanced module from Upswing icw Lucid poker trainer ?

What I heard, that's the best option atm...I'm also orienting after 2 years at Little (pokercoaching).

 

[ChrisArmyKnife]

When I was in college, I used a promotion for three months of Pokercoaching. I thought the quizzes were fun, and It was really valuable if you put time in. I was a complete beginner then and I got pretty good in just a few months. At the time, pokercoaching was mainly good for tournament play, but I’m pretty sure they’ve added more cash game resources since then. Good luck!

 

[ChipMonster]

I have been doing some research and planned on doing Lucid to start out. In the meantime I’ve been consuming free content from red chip, etc.

 

[demonnic]

I have gotten a lot of value out of RCP's CORE2 stuff at only $5/wk. Didn't take too long to go through the content, and the content was pretty decent. Their free discord has a fair bit of strategy discussion and hand histories, I'd rejoin it even if the coaching content on their site was just 'ok'. It also helps that I like the people running it, I'll admit. I have a hard time absorbing content from some people because they just bug me for whatever reason.
I have not explored the PRO content as yet.

I'm a winning player overall, but not such a big winner that I'm ready to pay that much for coaching, which is part of what's kept me away from a lot of the other sites so far.

 

[Legend5555]

I don't know. It's different for everyone. I've still never gotten any formal training. I watch a lot of content and think about the game a lot. But never really used a solver seriously or bought a class. And I'm a decent winner up through 2/5. A lot of that might just be 20 years of experience and content consumption.

I feel there is enough free stuff out there to learn to beat these stakes. But it takes some good extrapolation and a inference skills. And it's obviously not all condensed into a single course.

If I had to recommend anyone, I honestly think Hungry Horse has hands down the best content for learning a good process. Bart is good too. And for more online focused, Carrot Corner.

Live NLHE really doesn't require a ton of theory. Taking a course to learn some theory if you don't know the rough basics of it is probably worth the time. But it's really only necessary in live play as a foundation to understanding how and why you want to deviate.

I think anyone that is trying to play online these days is really kinda wasting there time unless you are young and have no job/family. Unless availability is an issue, live is a better ROI than online (except for ClubWPT Gold, which is a honey pot at the moment compared to other online poker).

I think this is one of THE best free training videos I have ever seen...

 

[BigDutch888]

I don't know. It's different for everyone. I've still never gotten any formal training. I watch a lot of content and think about the game a lot. But never really used a solver seriously or bought a class. And I'm a decent winner up through 2/5. A lot of that might just be 20 years of experience and content consumption.

I feel there is enough free stuff out there to learn to beat these stakes. But it takes some good extrapolation and a inference skills. And it's obviously not all condensed into a single course.

If I had to recommend anyone, I honestly think Hungry Horse has hands down the best content for learning a good process. Bart is good too. And for more online focused, Carrot Corner.

Live NLHE really doesn't require a ton of theory. Taking a course to learn some theory if you don't know the rough basics of it is probably worth the time. But it's really only necessary in live play as a foundation to understanding how and why you want to deviate.

I think anyone that is trying to play online these days is really kinda wasting there time unless you are young and have no job/family. Unless availability is an issue, live is a better ROI than online (except for ClubWPT Gold, which is a honey pot at the moment compared to other online poker).

I think this is one of THE best free training videos I have ever seen...

Yeah I’ve been following him, I really enjoy his content! Especially when he’s playing live and breaking down each hand.

As far as courses, I don’t have the illusion I’ll become a profitable high stakes player but I’d like to be able to build a bankroll big enough to enjoy the 1/2 tables. If got plenty of time I can dedicate to studying so I figured I might as well get serious and dive into a course.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

I'll echo what others have, I don't play enough to pay tons for a course or a solver, I just don't have the time to dedicate. But RunItOnce has been great, I bought their basics course at a big discount. Some of it is very obvious but Galfond is a great speaker, enjoyed the content, series of videos for a few hours worth.

 

[BigDutch888]

I have gotten a lot of value out of RCP's CORE2 stuff at only $5/wk. Didn't take too long to go through the content, and the content was pretty decent. Their free discord has a fair bit of strategy discussion and hand histories, I'd rejoin it even if the coaching content on their site was just 'ok'. It also helps that I like the people running it, I'll admit. I have a hard time absorbing content from some people because they just bug me for whatever reason.
I have not explored the PRO content as yet.

I'm a winning player overall, but not such a big winner that I'm ready to pay that much for coaching, which is part of what's kept me away from a lot of the other sites so far.

Yeah I’ve read mixed reviews about RCP but the $5.- makes it worth to try at the very least! Glad to read that the guys that teach are likeable

 

[BigDutch888]

The advanced module from Upswing icw Lucid poker trainer ?

What I heard, that's the best option atm...I'm also orienting after 2 years at Little (pokercoaching).

Yeah that’s the one I was leaning towards as well

 

[BigDutch888]

I don't know. It's different for everyone. I've still never gotten any formal training. I watch a lot of content and think about the game a lot. But never really used a solver seriously or bought a class. And I'm a decent winner up through 2/5. A lot of that might just be 20 years of experience and content consumption.

I feel there is enough free stuff out there to learn to beat these stakes. But it takes some good extrapolation and a inference skills. And it's obviously not all condensed into a single course.

If I had to recommend anyone, I honestly think Hungry Horse has hands down the best content for learning a good process. Bart is good too. And for more online focused, Carrot Corner.

Live NLHE really doesn't require a ton of theory. Taking a course to learn some theory if you don't know the rough basics of it is probably worth the time. But it's really only necessary in live play as a foundation to understanding how and why you want to deviate.

I think anyone that is trying to play online these days is really kinda wasting there time unless you are young and have no job/family. Unless availability is an issue, live is a better ROI than online (except for ClubWPT Gold, which is a honey pot at the moment compared to other online poker).

I think this is one of THE best free training videos I have ever seen...

Just watching this episode right now, hadn’t seen it yet. Great stuff! I really like the flowchart he’s using.

 

[mdt11]

I’ve been a member of a few different sites. They can be helpful but if you’re a hobbyist playing once or twice a week with lower skill/rec players there is more than enough free content out there to help you win.

 

[BigDutch888]

I’ve been a member of a few different sites. They can be helpful but if you’re a hobbyist playing once or twice a week with lower skill/rec players there is more than enough free content out there to help you win.

I enjoy a lot of the free content and try to pick up a lot of info from it, but I do feel that when buying a course the structure is (probably) a well thought out path that’s been tested and proven at some degree.

 

[mdt11]

I enjoy a lot of the free content and try to pick up a lot of info from it, but I do feel that when buying a course the structure is (probably) a well thought out path that’s been tested and proven at some degree.

I thought so too but you would be surprised. Jonathan Little, imo, has the best if you’re looking for this kind of structure. Jaka Coaching was very scattered and unorganized (though once you get used to his style it’s very helpful).

 

[Thomacetti]

@Senzrock

 

[Senzrock]

Hi all,

Ive been looking at UpswingPoker, Pokercoaching, and Red Chip Poker to improve my low stakes skills. I’m fairly experienced but I lack a deeper understanding of the game. I’d love to hear about your experiences/ pros and cons, or other suggestions!

Thanks

What are your usual stakes? A lot of these training sites/modules are geared towards mid stakes in my experience, even if they advertise for lower stakes. There is so much content and so many tools, but if you play lower stakes much of it won’t be as relevant as focusing on your specific player pool/tendencies.

Have you ever done any focused hand review with friends/acquaintances or tried to study on your own (not always easy I know),

 

[BigDutch888]

What are your usual stakes? A lot of these training sites/modules are geared towards mid stakes in my experience, even if they advertise for lower stakes. There is so much content and so many tools, but if you play lower stakes much of it won’t be as relevant as focusing on your specific player pool/tendencies.

Have you ever done any focused hand review with friends/acquaintances or tried to study on your own (not always easy I know),

The home games I play are .25/.25 and the nearest casino that has live play is 1/2, but ive only played there a handful of times.

I have studied before, but it wasn’t consistent. I’m lucky to have a close friend that brilliant at math and we’re going to dive into this together. I think having someone to study with will help with accountability as well.

The goal is to be able to play 1/2, 1/3 games profitably. As I mentioned before I don’t have the illusion to ever move to high stakes but I want to give this a serious shot.

 

[RagingAZN]

My main argument against poker coaching is that if the coaches were really that good, would they not be playing poker and making more $/hour than coaching? As a good player, why on earth would you want players to get better in the poker economy?

I think at the stakes you are looking to play, the free content is more than enough. Live low stakes is all about exploiting weak players and not so much GTO. Yes you still need the fundamentals (which you can learn from free content) but your best way to win will be taking advantage of weaker players mistakes.

A very simple example which I have been using with great effect is bet-folding on rivers. At live low stakes, we want to get value from our top pair hands for example but over-fold if there is a big raise on the river. Live low stakes players will not be bluffing enough in these spots so if they bet, they generally have it.

Having a buddy to go over hands with will be really good for your game too. Good luck!

 

[Legend5555]

My main argument against poker coaching is that if the coaches were really that good, would they not be playing poker and making more $/hour than coaching?

Playing is stressful for anyone to some degree. Down swings happen. Coaching a guaranteed money. Additionally, there are many people that are good at understanding the game when detached from it, but have trouble actually executing what they know. A lot of coaches have moved on from playing full time and have families and lives. Coaching is much more conducive to that sort of life.

 

[Legend5555]

What are your usual stakes? A lot of these training sites/modules are geared towards mid stakes in my experience, even if they advertise for lower stakes. There is so much content and so many tools, but if you play lower stakes much of it won’t be as relevant as focusing on your specific player pool/tendencies.

Have you ever done any focused hand review with friends/acquaintances or tried to study on your own (not always easy I know),

This is also true to some extent. This is why I think the free content is sufficient for beating low stakes.

This brings up a point I didn't mention. You really do need a network of people, even just a couple, ranging from slightly worse to better than you, to discuss strategy with. @Senzrock and I used to discuss stuff for a while until I found a few more local people, including a former pro, that I talk to regularly.

I think there is a certain level of aptitude and natural talent (be it learning talent or playing talent) that benefits some people. Those people don't need a ton of rigorous study to succeed up through 2/5. Though, a good work ethic and study can make you even more successful.

It really comes down to what your goals are. Do you want to just have fun? Have fun while supplementing your income? Or play for a living? As someone that falls into the 2nd category, I'm at a level that I'm good with for the most part that didn't require a ton of study in my opinion. Though, a lot of my TV time is spent on poker and poker content.

 

[BigDutch888]

Playing is stressful for anyone to some degree. Down swings happen. Coaching a guaranteed money. Additionally, there are many people that are good at understanding the game when detached from it, but have trouble actually executing what they know. A lot of coaches have moved on from playing full time and have families and lives. Coaching is much more conducive to that sort of life.

I agree, also I think it’s passive income for most. If they make a video course available it’s generating money without too much hassle. Combine that with a forum or discord server full of enthousiasts and it will kinda manage itself.

In addition I believe that teaching something, whatever it may be, also increases your own knowledge and understanding. Even if it’s only because you have to stay up to date with the latest meta because that’s probably where most questions will arise.

 

[demonnic]

Yeah, it's not like poker is necessarily easy money and without risk, especially at the highest stakes. I can't blame anyone for wanting to reduce variance and cover their monthly nut with passive income/something other than actually playing poker for tens of thousands of dollars.

 

[ChrisArmyKnife]

I think that most people could become a winning player in 1/2 or 1/3 if they just spent time studying. You don’t have to pay a ton of money for the coaching, as long as you take the time to study and improve your game.