"I know I need to study, but where do I start?"
This is one of the most common questions poker players ask me.
It gives me flashbacks to when I first started studying and got it all wrong!
I'd stare at the screen, struggling to identify the areas of my game that needed the most work.
So I'd end up loading an entire hand history from one tournament and review each hand, even the ones I folded.
This took a long time and while I felt like I was studying, I knew I wasn't making quick progress and my study time wasn't efficient.
Then, when I started using solvers, I would waste time setting up a sim, only to wait for the solution to tell me whether I played the hand right or wrong.
Line checking...
Bleurgh!
In 2018 I started working with Patrick 'Pads1161' Leonard and wrote my first book called 'Purposeful Practice for Poker' with Dr Tricia Cardner.
This led to me learning and implementing a more structured approach to my poker study.
And it's what I now teach in my flagship programme, 'Train & Play Like The Pros'.
I designed a simple, 4-step formula that reduced my study sessions from three+ hours to 45 minutes of focused study - and sometimes less.
Not only is this method more productive, but I'm now never staring at my screen wondering what to study.
So today I'm excited to share my formula with you.
Whether you're wondering how to start your poker study or you need to improve your process - my formula will help you be more efficient, so you can actually enjoy your study sessions and reap the rewards of a consistent study habit.
Let's dive in...
What should you study?
To start, you need a topic to focus on.
Instead of rocking up to a study session and trying to figure out what you to work on, schedule 15 minutes every Monday and Tuesday to start building a bank of topics.
Monday: Go through your marked hands to identify any common spots or situations. Write down two topics, e.g. turn delayed c-betting and facing 3-bets OOP preflop.
Tuesday: Choose an entire tournament, filter for hands you VPIPed and then review the hands until you get to one(s) where you don't have a framework or gameplan for the spot or situation. Aim for three spots or situations, e.g. IP c-bet strategy on ABx boards against the BB, BB defence strategy on the direct bubble and calling jams BvB.
By spending 15 minutes looking for topics to study on just two days a week, you now have at least five areas you know you need to work on.
Pick the one you're most excited to study because it'll make the session more fun and productive.
And once you have the topic, the formula is really simple:
My 4-step formula for fast and focused poker study
Step 1: Filter for the spot you want to study
Start by using your database software (like PokerTracker 4 or Holdem Manager 3) to give you a list of hands in that exact spot you want to study.
For example, you could filter for:
OOP c-bet spots
Preflop raise first in spots
IP spots against the big blind
Turn spots where the flop goes check/check
Big blind spots preflop facing a late position open
Essentially you want a load of hands to go through one after the other to keep your study session focused because you're just looking at hands from one spot or situation.
Step 2: Review the hands with your brain and then software (not the other way round)
Next, work your way through the hands, first by using your brain and then using software to help.
Don't cheat and jump straight to the software.
This is a mistake that I made once I started using Holdem Resources Calculator and PIOSolver.
I just looked at what the solver wanted to do rather than first thinking about the hand and trying to figure it out on my own.
And then I just tried to emulate what a solver did rather than thinking each poker hand through and trying to solve each one like a puzzle.
Step 3: Set up a training drill
This is where the magic happens. When you get to a point in the hand where you don't have a clear framework, you can set up a training drill to practise that exact spot.
If you ever think "I don't know what to do here", then that's a pretty good indicator that you need to do some intense drilling in that situation.
For preflop drills, I love using The Preflop Dojo:
For postflop drills, I use DTO's explorer or PIOSolver's built-in trainer.
You can also use GTO Wizard.
Step 4: Write down what you've learnt in a Google doc or OneNote
Lastly, make notes of the biggest takeaways from each hand.
What lightbulb moments did you have? What little nuggets will help you make better decisions in these situations in the future?
Can you figure out the 'why'?
I promise that if you follow this simple formula, not only will your poker study be more valuable and productive, but you'll also make much faster progress.
Summary
- Identify 5 areas of your game that need work
- Choose just one area to focus on
- Filter for hands in that exact spot
- Review the hand with your brain
- Review the hand with a solver
- Set up a training drill
- Make good notes
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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