Author: Gregor Trapp
Poker Money News Contributor
Published: April 14, 2023
Reading Time: Approximately 11 minutes
Poker enthusiasts often seek strategies and tactics to elevate their game, but the path to becoming an exceptional poker player extends far beyond studying strategy guides. Success in poker requires a profound understanding of the game’s psychology and continuous self-improvement.
Poker is fundamentally a player-versus-player game. Unlike many other forms of gambling, there’s no inherent house edge to overcome. In poker, your success hinges on your skill and knowledge, with luck playing a less significant role over the long run. Therefore, if you can outstudy and outperform your opponents, you have a substantial advantage.
“But,” you may ask, “I’m already reading articles, books, watching videos, and listening to poker podcasts. What more can I do?” Rest assured, we’re not trying to sell you a course. In the age of information, there’s an abundance of free resources available. The key is to refine your study methods to maximize your learning.
Find the Right Balance Between Theory and Practice
You might have come across the saying, “Theory is knowing how things work, but nothing happens; practice is when something happens, and you don’t know why.” While this statement is somewhat facetious, it holds a grain of truth.
Many poker players, particularly beginners, oscillate between intensive study sessions and extended periods of gameplay. Some immerse themselves in study for days or weeks, followed by weeks or months of gameplay.
This approach is far from ideal. The alternating structure of study and practice exists for a reason. Think back to your school days when you wondered why you needed certain subjects when calculators and Google were readily available. The educational system is designed to ensure you understand why you learn specific concepts and how they apply practically.
Similarly, in poker, it’s essential to put what you learn into practice sooner rather than later. As a beginner, you should aim for a balanced ratio of about 50% study and 50% play. Utilize free apps to play poker every other day for an hour or two, experimenting with the concepts you’ve learned. This hands-on experience helps you grasp the game’s fundamentals, including odds, hand selection, and more.
As your knowledge deepens, your study time can decrease while your gameplay time increases. Successful players typically spend around 80% of their poker-related activities playing the game. However, this doesn’t diminish the importance of ongoing poker strategy studies; they remain crucial for improvement.
Real Money vs. Fake Money
Playing with “fake money” or on free apps where you can’t cash out your chips is often frowned upon. The key distinction lies in the psychological pressure involved. Real money poker entails a different level of stress and decision-making compared to playing with play money.
Nonetheless, there is value in using play money for practice. It allows you to become familiar with the mechanics of the game, practice strategies, and develop patience. However, if you aspire to take poker seriously, transitioning to real money play is essential.
Starting with low-stakes games is perfectly acceptable. The goal is to acclimate yourself to the sensation of risking and potentially losing money, all while learning how to minimize long-term losses. Many online poker sites offer generous welcome bonuses, making it a wise choice to capitalize on these incentives as you focus on practice.
Study Piece by Piece and Practice
Once you’ve gained a solid understanding of poker hands, odds, position play, and the concept of playing tightly, it’s time to transition to real-money play. The approach here is straightforward: identify areas where you need improvement, study those aspects, then put your newfound knowledge into practice.
A common mistake is attempting to tackle too many facets of the game simultaneously. Prioritize your areas of weakness and address them methodically. Concentrate on fixing the most pressing issues first. For example, it’s futile to learn how to play AQ perfectly if you struggle with maintaining discipline, randomly playing hands, or overextending your range. Resolve your primary problems first, just as a surgeon wouldn’t focus on complex procedures if they couldn’t make an incision without harm.
Identifying Areas for Improvement
Have you ever watched poker on TV, witnessing celebrities face off against professionals and questioned their decisions? It’s easy to judge from the sidelines, but making those choices yourself can be challenging.
Consider how many hands you play daily, weekly, or yearly. You likely remember only a small fraction of these hands, if you’re lucky. To learn from your mistakes, you must review your games.
Unfortunately, the majority of poker players, even experienced ones, rarely review their gameplay. The top-tier players who do review their matches are exceptions, but they understand its importance.
Most online poker sites offer game review options. Take advantage of this feature regularly for two primary reasons:
1. Identifying Strategy Flaws: During play, decisions must be made in seconds, often obscuring the broader context. Your focus should be on how you played the hand rather than whether you won or lost it. For instance, you may have a high win rate playing JJ, but reviewing your games reveals that your wins often yield small profits while losses result in significant financial setbacks. Recognizing this pattern requires reviewing your games. The same applies to other hands like KK; are you risking too much or too little? These insights matter more than knowing when to play low pairs.
2. Evaluating Your Mentality: We’ve previously stressed the importance of understanding your own mental state in poker. Reviewing your hands allows you to differentiate between a streak of bad luck and moments when you deviated from your strategy due to emotions like anger, boredom, or frustration. When you stumble upon hands that make you wonder, “What was I thinking?” you’re asking the right question. Identifying these moments and dissecting them is crucial to personal growth.
Tilt, a topic we’ve explored in-depth before, plays a significant role in poker psychology. Recognizing and analyzing moments of tilt is vital for improvement.
Frequency of Game Review
Early in your poker journey, the focus should be on mastering the fundamentals, minimizing game review time. However, as you progress, you should gradually allocate more time to game analysis. Once you transition to real-money play, it’s advisable to spend 30% to 50% of your study time reviewing your games. Concentrate on identifying flaws in your gameplay. As your skills improve, you can reduce the time spent reviewing games and focus on areas where you struggle the most.
Should you ever stop reviewing your games? The answer is no. Even the world’s top players continue to review their matches. Regardless of your level of expertise, there are always mistakes to uncover and opportunities for improvement.
Budgeting Your Poker Journey
Determining how much money to spend on your poker journey isn’t straightforward. As mentioned, there’s an abundance of free resources available to enhance your skills. However, several financial considerations come into play.
1. Budget for Playing: Establish a budget that you can comfortably allocate to playing poker. The ultimate goal is to finance your poker activities through your poker earnings, ideally with a profit. This transition takes time, practice, patience, and energy. A weekly budget of €10-€20 should suffice, especially if you capitalize on bonuses from online poker sites. Crucially, only play with money you can afford to lose. Betting funds earmarked for
living expenses on poker not only adds immense pressure but also places you at financial risk if you mismanage your budget.
Do You Need a Poker Coach?
The necessity of hiring a poker coach largely depends on your personality and learning style. If you can grasp poker principles through self-study and identify your mistakes objectively, you may not require a coach.
It’s crucial to understand that a coach bridges gaps in your knowledge, pointing out areas that need improvement. If you have the financial means and value time efficiency, a coach could be a suitable option. However, if you enjoy researching and identifying your weaknesses independently, that’s a commendable approach as well.
The Big Takeaway
Improving your poker skills transcends merely consuming “how to play poker” articles and watching videos. True progress stems from translating theoretical knowledge into practical expertise. The journey to poker mastery is arduous but rewarding, and the insights shared in this article should equip you with the tools necessary to elevate your game to an impressive level.
