As in all qualified professions or with certain specialization, studying poker is essential to become one of the best and to do your job well, or what is the same, to be able to play your cards in the wisest and most efficient way, saving your time, avoiding unnecessary losses and making poker a real profession -with a higher salary than the average job-. In this article we want to explain how to study poker to be the best. To do so, we analyze how to start studying poker, what you should take into account and how you can do it. Would you like to become a professional in this card game? We recommend you to take into account the tips we offer you in this article. Let’s get started!

How to study poker: the material

The Internet is an excellent tool where you can find all kinds of material for those who are thinking about how to start studying poker. Now, we know that at first this can be a bit difficult, precisely because of the large amount of information that can be found. In addition, if you are a beginner there will be a lot of terms and concepts that can lead to confusion or that you simply do not understand. That is why you can also opt for physical or digital books for beginners in the world of poker or expand your knowledge by watching and analyzing live poker games and different audiovisual material.

Internet to study poker

There are a large number of specialized portals, but also forums and communities in which players from all over the world participate and constitute an important source of information since they analyze plays and strategies of the main players or poker stars. In addition, in many of these forums you can ask the doubts that arise during the learning process.

Books to study poker

In them you will find all the information summarized and concentrated on the rules, tricks and how to create an adequate strategy to start winning in this card game. In addition, as in a career or professional training, you can find more specific and complex material that you can study as you go deeper into the world of this exciting card game.

Our recommendation of books for beginners in poker are the following:

  • Poker Theory, by David Sklansky.
  • Online Poker: The secrets of the best player, by Raúl Mestre.
  • No Limit Hold’em Manual, by Juan Carreño.

Some of the books that we recommend for an intermediate level are the following:

  • Texas Hold’em Poker: The Power of Strategy, by Daniel Negreanu.
  • How to win poker tournaments one hand at a time, by Jon Turner, Eric Lynch and Jon Van Fleet.
  • Poker Hand for Hand, by Gus Hansen.

Finally, we come to the higher-level titles for poker apprentices:

  • Harrington on Hold’em, by Dan Harringon.
  • The Poker Player’s Mindset, by Matthew Hilger and Ian Taylor.
  • The Mental Game of Poker, by Jared Tendler.

Audiovisual material to learn poker

The audiovisual material becomes, likewise, an important source of contents where to learn from the best. Above all, through the live tournaments that are broadcasted on the net or on television, but also with the explanatory videos on YouTube or on different websites. Many specialized sites offer training videos for amateur poker players.

How to study poker: poker schools

Poker schools are places where amateur players can learn to play this popular card game. They are usually paid -although there are also some free options-. They bring together former poker stars who no longer participate in tournaments or who have reduced their activity to combine it with training. There are many poker schools in which they can give us the keys on how to study poker to be the best, some of the most recommended are the following:

  • com: It is a Valencian school (Spain) reference in the country and in Latin America. This school trains players from scratch and enhances their personal skills to turn them into professionals.
  • Cum Laude: It works in collaboration with Casino Barcelona (Spain). It was born in 2011 and gathers several of the best poker players, such as Jordi Martinez “Alekhine”.
  • com: It is a poker school formed by the youtuber and expert in this card game, Elías Gutiérrez “Zeros”.
  • PokerNerve: This poker school is managed by the professional player Kelvin Beattie “Acesup”. It offers one of the best training programs for poker tournaments.
  • Raise Your Edge: It offers a master class known as “The Tournament” with very valuable information to learn how to win in this type of events, in addition to many other contents of the most varied in the world of poker.

How to study poker: practice makes perfect

Continuing with the comparison of professional training with poker, something that you should incorporate in your study system to answer the question of how to study poker to be the best, is the participation in freerolls or cash games. In both cases, the buy-in -or entry fee- is zero euros. This way you can see what it is like to compete against other players of the same level and even qualify in freerolls for those who are new to this card game considered as a sport.

How to study poker: the strategy

Your strategy will be shaped over time and as you level up. Your success will depend on it, as well as minimizing your losses in bad streaks. We said that the poker strategy is consolidated with the passage of time and experience, but we also recommend that in order to improve your decisions and gradually become a professional or semi-professional player you take into account other aspects such as mathematics in poker, the positions in the game, the management of your bankroll and other issues that you can find in the materials to study poker.