Preflop decisions happen every hand. You either have an opportunity to open the pot, or you have to respond to some kind of action before you.
So it makes sense to get your preflop strategies right.
Today I'm going to show you how to create a 10-minute training plan to fix your preflop leaks.
Let's dive in...
Efficiency is key
A solid preflop training routine will boost your win rate, understanding and confidence across many different preflop situations, which is crucial for mastering preflop strategy.
Without one, you may find yourself overwhelmed by all the options, especially when you consider all the different positions, stack sizes and scenarios that come up in MTTs.
That's a recipe for disaster.
You'll be overwhelmed, you won't know where to start and you will make little to no progress.
There is a better way...
We want to make your poker training as efficient as possible and fix your preflop leaks in double quick time.
What kind of practice?
Trying to memorise preflop ranges is a no-no, as I discussed in OTB #039. There are just too many different situations and scenarios.
K. Anders Ericsson taught us that there are 3 types of practice:
1. Naïve practice
2. Purposeful practice
3. Deliberate practice
Many amateur poker players know what they want to learn (i.e. preflop ranges), but they don't have a clear method or framework to follow and may just try to repeat an action over and over again, trusting that repetition alone is enough to help them achieve their goal.
They are firmly in the naïve practice group.
I want you to set up a preflop training routine that focuses on one of the other types of practice - I want you to be purposeful when you train so that you'll make much quicker progress and your training will be much more efficient.
Focus, feedback & goals
In my book with Dr Tricia Cardner, Purposeful Practice for Poker, we talk about how purposeful practice is centred around three key elements:
Focus
Feedback
Clearly defined goals
Let's say your goal is to learn preflop raise first in ranges from the Button off 30bb to 95% efficiency because when you looked at your RFI stats you noticed you had a big leak - you weren't opening enough from the Button.
You have a clearly defined goal and you are focusing on just one specific leak.
Now you just need to set up a drill to train those ranges and make sure your practice is focused and specific.
Mojo with the Dojo
Go to preflopdojo.com and create a free account.
Click on RFI at the top, choose 30bb stack size and select BU for the Button.
Then make sure you toggle on 'Training Enabled'. This will add 30bb RFI to your training pack.
If you want to watch a tutorial video on how the app works, click here.
Now click the mortarboard symbol in the top right of the screen and start drilling that spot.
You've got a clearly defined goal and you're focused on one specific spot. Now all you need is some need some feedback.
As you drill The Preflop Dojo will give you instant feedback on any mistakes.
There will be a red X next to the previous hand (84s) and then feedback on what you should have done instead. In this case, you should have folded:
And if you click on your position you'll be able to see your mistakes clearly on the 13x13 grid as well, highlighted in red:
Not only that, you can set a specific number of hands to train in each session and once you've completed it you'll get a log of the hands you played and how you got on:
The 10-minute training plan
You could drill 25 hands in less than a minute, so to create an impactful 10-minute training plan, this is what I recommend to start:
1. Study the range first and bucket hands together to make them easier to understand what's going on - 3 minutes
2. Put your new learning into practice by drilling 100 hands in that specific spot - 4 minutes
3. Review your training session and make notes - 3 minutes
Once that becomes a habit, add in extra spots or mix them up.
Make the training time longer.
After one week of that, continue gradually adding more spots or more time to the routine, one step at a time, and you'll be more likely to stick with it long-term.
Remember we're aiming to build a training habit that is efficient and will stick.
By keeping things simple, you're giving yourself a much better chance of actually achieving your goals.
That's it for this week.
See you next time.
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:
The Final Table: Play your best poker when the most is at stake. Detailed analysis of over 100 hand examples at different stages of play. Learn how to make great decisions every time and set yourself up for daily progress.
Poker On The Mind: Listen to my podcast with Dr Tricia Cardner as we discuss peak poker performance and tournament poker strategy.
Train & Play Like The Pros: Join my signature programme that will take you from amateur to training and playing like the pros in the next 12 weeks.
Purposeful Practice for Poker: Gain a clear theoretical understanding of the science of purposeful practice and how you can apply it to your poker study & training. Includes specific exercises designed to create an infallible plan for poker improvement.
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