A Collection of Free Online Poker Learning Resources

 

UWE Poker Society

A Collection of Free Online Poker Learning Resources Presented by the UWE Poker Society

Written by Thomas Layton July 2014

 

Table of Contents Brief Introduction ........................................................................ .................................................................................................................................... ............................................................ 2 Books....................................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 Harrington on Hold ’em Volumes I-III, I -III, by Dan Harrington (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)  ................... 3 Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players, by David Skalinsky David Skalinsky and Mason Malmuth (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)  ................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................... 3 Power Hold’em Strategy, by Daniel Negreanu ................................................................................... ................................................................................... 4

Every Hand Revealed, by Gus Hansen ................................................................................................ ................................................................................................ 4 Sit ‘n Go Strategy, by Collin Moshman ......................................................... ............................................................................................... ...................................... 5 The Raiser’s Edge: Tournament-Poker Strategies for Today’s Aggressive Game, by “ElkY” and

others ..................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................................. ............. 5 Online text................................................. text.................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................. ........................... 6 PokerSchoolOnline “Poker Basic Course” (PokerStars) (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)  ........................ 6 Pokerlistings (articles and “Question of the Day”) ............................................................................. ............................................................................. 6

888Poker Strategy (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) .................................................................................. 7

Videos........................................................................................................................... Videos........................................................ .............................................................................................. ........................... 8 Poker with “Nicky Numbers” (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) ................................................................. 8

.......................................................................................... 8 EPT episodes (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)  ........................................................................................... EPT Live ............................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................... 9 WSOP Academy ...................................................................... .................................................................................................................................. ............................................................ 9 Other shows on Youtube (tournament and cash) .............................................................................. .............................................................................. 9 PokerSchoolOnline “Poker Bites” (PokerStars) ................................................................................. ................................................................................ 10

 

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Brief Introduction While reading guides and studying the game can never guarantee that you’ll become a good player in whatever game you’re playing, in poker combining it with simply playing the game

is the best place to start. Many of these resources were designed as standalone guides or not purposed for education at all, so will often repeat the same concepts. This is a good thing – reading the basics over and over helps it sink in. Each resource will be accompanied by a brief note. This may be a description of what it is and who wrote it, advice on how best to use it or a caution about how not to misinterpret what it says. This guide is not exhaustive. There are most likely many more free resources out there online. This is merely a brief collection of tools that I have personally used to improve my game, and should be supplemented by resources you find by yourself and what you learn from playing. Each resource will be tagged as follows:

  Blue title: Recommended to all (beginners and experienced players). Includes

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teaching the basics and assumes little to no prior knowledge of poker.  

  Orange title: A good place for new beginners to move to after learning the basics.

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Expects basic knowledge. 

  Red title: Recommended to more experienced players only, who understand the

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basic rules of the game. Expects basic and intermediate knowledge (you could use these resources straight after learning the basics, but the more experience you have the more you will understand what they’re talking about).  

Each resource is listed in its respective section following this order. Beginners appropriate items first, followed by the rest. Don’t limit yourself to using one at a time –   it’s best to be using multiple resources simultaneously. Using these resources and learning from them is not a substitute to persistent and regular play, especially when you’re starting off. Playing the game is the best way to learn, and as

you play you will find outside research re search more and more helpful. If you’re brand new to the game, my recommendation is to start by watching the   “Nicky Numbers” videos, and then start reading the Dan Harrington books and “Poker Basic Course” at PokerSchoolOnline. 

 

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Books Harrington on Hold ’em Volumes I-III, by Dan Harrington (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) The first poker resource I used, Volume I served as my introduction to the basic rules of the game and made me realise just how complicated poker strategy could be. Poker strategy has evolved tremendously since this trilogy came out (2004-2006) and the average player is now much looser than this book accounts for, but it teaches a solid tight-aggressive playing style which every beginner to the game should adopt while they find their feet. This trilogy is very thorough and teaches a lot. It is certainly one of the better books I have found online for covering a wide range of concepts. However, there are now more modern and more abbreviated books which say the same thing and much more. Despite this, I still highly recommend this trilogy as the first place to go. Use this trilogy (more likely just the first) as a starting place to learn the basics, but be wary that poker has evolved since it was written. Read if you like lots of depth.

http://dominateonlinepoker.com/wp-content/image/pokerbooks/Dan%20Harrington%20%20Harrington%20On%20Holdem%20-%20Volume%201.pdf   – – Volume I http://dominateonlinepoker.com/wp-content/image/pokerbooks/Ebook%20%20Dan%20Harrington%20-%20Harrington%20On%20Holdem%20-%20Volume%202.pdf    –  Volume II http://qrara.net/~hansu/poker/Harrington%20on%20Hold'em%20-%20Volume%20III%20%20Workbook.pdf  –  – Volume III

Hold’em Poker for Advance d Players, by David Skalinsky and Mason Malmuth (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) This book covers many of the same concepts as Harrington, and more, but omits the basic rules of the game. The perfect book to start after learning the basics from the Harrington Volume I. Read in conjunction with the rest of that trilogy.

 

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http://soulw4x.free.fr/poker/Hold%20em%20Poker%20For%20Advanced%20Players.pdf  

Power Hold’em Strategy, by Daniel Negreanu A highly focused book, dedicated to detailing Daniel’s “small ball” strategy. It assumes the

reader already has knowledge and experience of the game, and does not cover any of the basics. A strategy book, designed to make the reader think about how they play. Take its lessons and consider how they could be used to better your play.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/78952579/Power-Hold-Em-Strategy-by-Daniel-Negreanu  http://www.scribd.com/doc/78952579/Power-Hold-Em-Strategy-by-Daniel-Negreanu 

Every Hand Revealed, by Gus Hansen Gus Hansen takes a unique approach by detailing, as the title of the book suggests, every hand he played in a high-stakes tournament he won. Guiding the reader through his thought processes at the time, this book is useful for understanding what you should be thinking about when at the table. Including every hand helps bring the reality of poker to the reader as well – many hands are not played, and patience is necessary to wait for the right spots to risk your chips. Useful for understanding on-the-go poker thinking combined with hindsight after the hand was concluded. While this resource could be used by a beginner, the more experienced the more of it you will understand.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/95059613/Every-Hand-Revealed-by-Gus-Hansen-pdfUnknown-Unknown   Unknown-Unknown

 

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Sit ‘n Go Strategy, by Collin Moshman  Despite being designed for “beating one -table poker tournaments”, concepts here can apply

to poker in general. A lot of pointers for general play which can be adapted for any tournament structure or even in cash games. While there are useful concepts, be wary of its focus on the one-table one-table Sit ‘n Go structure. Some concepts carry over to other tournament structures while others do not. To read it, it’s best to copy and paste each two page image in Paint and rotate it to the correct orientation. Due to the way it’s been photocopied some of the pages are out of order, ord er, but  just follow the page numbers numbers and you’ll find the right places.  places.  

http://www.scribd.com/doc/116271036/Collin-Moshman-Sit-n-Go-Strategy  http://www.scribd.com/doc/116271036/Collin-Moshman-Sit-n-Go-Strategy 

The Raiser’s Edge: Tournament-Poker Strategies for Today’s  Aggressive Game, by “ElkY” and others  Another poker book written by professional players, this is the most modern out of the collection here (2011). It accounts for strategies developed very recently, and the priority of establishing the evolution of the game and respecting the different playing styles is obvious (seeing as how the first part of the first section is dedicated to talking about it). Talks in great depth about advanced play.

http://www.gamblingsystem.biz/books/Bertrand(Elk Y)Grosspelier_The_Raiser's_Edge.pdf  iser's_Edge.pdf   http://www.gamblingsystem.biz/books/Bertrand(ElkY)Grosspelier_The_Ra

 

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Online text These options often offer a more interactive learning experience.

PokerSchoolOnline “Poker Basic Course” (PokerStars) (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) PokerStars offers this interactive training course. After creating a PokerStars account you are allowed to create an account on this website and explore the features. There’s little more to say here other than this: explore. There are other features I’ll mention PokerSchoolOnline in the “videos” section later when I introduce another one of its useful sections.

http://www.pokerschoolonline.com/  http://www.pokerschoolonline.com/ 

Pokerlistings (articles and “Question of the Day”)   Included as appropriate to beginners because it does teach the basics in a quick video here: http://www.pokerlistings.com/complete-poker-basics-video-series http://www.pokerlistings.com/complete-poker-basics-video-series  (number 7), this resource is split into two sections: articles, and “Question of the Day”.   Pokerlistings has an incredibly broad range of articles suitable for different levels of players, and my advice here is just to explore and read what you think will help you . The “Question of the Day” is found on the main page by scrolling down. The questions are

designed to test all of your poker skills and simulate action at a table. The answers often provide useful insight into what you should be thinking about while in a hand, BUT DON’T TAKE THEIR ANSWERS FOR SCRIPTURE. Hands can be played in different ways, and

sometimes these questions propagate bad habits. I take their lessons with a pinch of salt, and use their advice on what to think about rather than their specific moves. Pokerlistings has a question a day going back to 2008, so if you like this method of learning strategy then there are plenty of examples.

http://www.pokerlistings.com/  http://www.pokerlistings.com/ 

 

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http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-question/archive/2014 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-question/archive/2014  - “Question of the Day” archive starting in 2014, select year and week from the side menu.

888Poker Strategy (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) I’m only including this in the intermediate section because it doesn’t teach the basic rules of Texas Hold’em. However, once you know the basics this is a good example of a website

containing useful information which becomes easier to understand the more you understand the game. Relevant sections include: Texas Hold’em, MTT Tournaments, Sit ‘n’ Go, Pokerology, and Poker Heads Up. Each section contains “Beginner”, “Intermedia “Intermediate”, te”, and “Advanced” sub-sections. Use in conjunction with books once you understand the rules of the game.

http://uk.888poker.com/poker-strategy  http://uk.888poker.com/poker-strategy 

 

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Videos All of these videos are suitable for beginner levels, because they are either designed to teach beginners or are not designed for teaching the game and can be watched for both educational and entertainment purposes.

Poker with “Nicky Numbers” (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)  “Nicky Numbers” teaches the game from the beginning, and includes some other features

not in other resources, like tips on poker etiquette. He teaches a wide variety of things in different videos, so anybody can use these to touch up on specific areas of their game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG5EwUQsboM&list= =XG5EwUQsboM&list=PLLALQuK1NDrh8fn1zxL3e8i_fjYi PLLALQuK1NDrh8fn1zxL3e8i_fjYi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v 0e_0_&index=40  – 0e_0_&index=40  – Introductory video of the series. Browse the selection of videos.

EPT episodes (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) The European Poker Tour hosts a number of tournaments which then have highlights from each day cut together and broadcast, starting from day one. Interesting and entertaining to watch with some commentary about actions from the commentators (James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton) and sometimes from the players involved in the hands. Often showing the more interesting hands (i.e. the all-in battles, the brilliant soul reads, and the particularly well-played pots). This is a good place to start if you’re watching poker on TV for the first time.

http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/ept/ http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/ept/  - European Poker Tour, episodes going back to season 6 (earlier seasons can likely be found on Youtube, and personally I much prefer season 7 onwards). http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/pca/  - PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/pca/

 

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EPT Live Full coverage of final tables from EPT tournaments. Useful if you have the patience to watch every hand, watch the full story behind a tournament final table, which is big stacked and filled with the best.

http://www.pokerstars.tv/live/ - Main Live page, has a few in its replay section. http://www.pokerstars.tv/live/  https://www.youtube.com/user/SamPokerTube/playlists?view=1&sort=dd   – – This kind https://www.youtube.com/user/SamPokerTube/playlists?view=1&sort=dd Youtuber has compiled many of the EPT Live recordings, which are no longer on their website, into playlists.

WSOP Academy The World Series of Poker has also released educational videos, which a Youtuber has collected into his channel. These videos include videos about the game and also videos about poker tells, all hosted by a variety of professional players (including Phil Hellmuth). https://www.youtube.com/user/LectiidePoker/videos  https://www.youtube.com/user/LectiidePoker/videos 

Other shows on Youtube (tournament and cash)  There are other poker shows which personally I don’t w atch very much of, but that you

should be made aware of as you may prefer to branch out from my EPT-based EPT -based guide. Tournaments:

  World Series of Poker, and   World Poker Tour.

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Cash games:

  High Stakes Poker, and   Poker After Dark.

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Explore and see what else you can find.

 

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PokerSchoolOnline “Poker Bites” (PokerStars)   As previously mentioned, PokerSchoolOnline also provide a video series called “Poker Bites”. These often use situations which professionals have played and bring the players in

to explain their logic and reasoning during the hand. http://www.pokerschoolonline.com/articles/Poker-Bites-Playing-Big-Pairs   http://www.pokerschoolonline.com/articles/Poker-Bites-Playing-Big-Pairs

 

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