It shouldn’t be a surprise that we strongly advocate the idea of poker coaching. Like every other game that relies heavily on strategy (despite the significant influence of luck in the short term), poker can be learned.
Playing poker properly is a skill like many others. The key to successful learning is the right approach, so this time we’ll share with you a few guidelines to learn as efficiently as possible, from the level of knowing the rules to achieving a decent understanding of the game.
First, you have to learn how to play poker by yourself
That’s an easy step, as the basic rules of Texas Hold’em are straightforward and you’ll only need thirty minutes or so to get the general idea of how to play poker. Most people start out playing for play money or at micro stakes with friends or online (we strongly suggest playing for pennies over playing for play money, as it gives every player an incentive to play their best and win).
The next few weeks or most likely months are a period of new experiences. You explore the pretty much infinite variety of different scenarios that can occur during a single playing session. You try out new things and get a (vague) idea of what works and what doesn’t.
The next step is usually crucial for your poker development. You might get on a hot streak of wins which could boost your ego tremendously in the short term. But in general, it’s a bane of many players as, let’s be frank, pretty much no one can become a good player in a few weeks.
Alternatively, you’ll be losing some money here and there, having a blurry idea of how the game works. After some time, you might feel the urge to figure out how to outplay your usual opponents.
Ideally, the second scenario will let you think: What am I doing wrong? What can I do better? How to find the proper way to play poker? This is where poker coaching steps in.
If you want to level up your poker game, proper coaching is the solution
Think about it just like learning a new language. Of course, you can learn, let’s say, Arabic on your own without ever paying a penny, but surely it will be an extremely time-consuming process.
If you want to learn any skill efficiently, the help of someone better at the task at hand will be the game-changer. The same applies here. Poker is a very complex game; the guidance of someone more experienced will save you a lot of time.
Whether you’d rather hire a personal poker coach or consider joining a poker school like Smart Spin, there are a few things to consider while being coached. If you want to join the best online poker school in 2024, click here. By becoming a part of the Smart Spin team, you’ll get access to charts, videos, hand reviews, professional players from the highest stakes, and a community (join our Discord) of people trying to get to the top. Just like you are.
Poker coaching sessions can do magic but they require work
If you want to learn how to play poker like the pros, you’ll have to put in time and effort. There’s no easy way around that. However, the help of a skilled coach should make all that work worthwhile, as they will help you lay a solid foundation for your game and at the same time plug the leaks you may already have.
Here are a few things to take into account if you decide to work with a poker coach or a poker school like Smart Spin.
Take notes
It doesn’t get easier than that. Taking notes is a great way to record things you’ve just learned. You’ll likely receive ready coaching materials, but even if you do, rewriting them into your own notes is a reliable way to ensure you comprehend what you’ve just learned. Whether it’s about preflop ranges, continuation betting, or playing three of a kind, reorganizing knowledge in a way that suits you will benefit your game.
Do your homework
Practice makes perfect, and the same goes for playing poker. Your poker journey should not only consist of watching videos or participating in coaching. You should also take time and analyze your game a few times a week. Generally speaking, you should spend one-hour studying per every few hours you play poker.
It may be reviewing the hand you’ve already played, testing your knowledge of the most common ranges you should be familiar with, or analyzing the specific aspect of your game. The best solution is to ask your coach what area of your poker game you should work with and then spend time on it in between coachings.
Regular studying is something that sets great poker players apart from the decent ones, and the sooner you create such a habit, the sooner you’ll learn how to play poker at a level above the average.
Focus on the fundamentals
When you work with someone good at poker, it’s pretty easy to get carried away and get lost in fancy concepts of balancing ranges in tricky spots or inducing river shoves with marginal holdings. In reality, you’ll win most of the money in the most common spots (since they come up so often).
That’s why you should make sure you are spot on with understanding the most basic yet essential rules of sound poker.
Ask questions
Despite being around for quite some time, poker strategies evolve constantly. The invention of solvers forever changed how professionals understand and play poker. The well-rounded strategies from ten or even five years ago tend to be outdated today.
Given the complexity of poker, no human being can play the game perfectly (although there are a few who are close), so even the person teaching you will make mistakes. That’s why if you want to learn how to play poker at the highest level, you must challenge the new concepts you are learning.
If you have doubts, express them – that’s a great way to understand what you learn.
If you are interested in serious poker coaching, we’re here for you
Over the last few years, we’ve shared the fundamentals of poker (and many more complex strategies) with hundreds of players. Every day, the Smart Spin community members strive to improve. If you want to join them, we’ll happily have you.