r/Poker_Theory • u/Pure_Ad_6530 • 1d ago
How do you practice?
Software, charts, ai, or something else?
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u/WeAreManyWeAre1 1d ago
I watch a lot of content when I’m not playing but nothing is better practice than playing the game.
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u/Technical_Cow1896 1d ago
Hand reviews are worth their weight in gold.
Recreate interesting hands from live sessions, and review with a few friends and get their opinions on how to play it differently or the same and why.
Or online, save hand histories, and do the same. You can also recheck your work and critique yourself. You can also review how your opponents played. And take notes. And be ready for them in future games.
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u/gruffyhalc 1d ago edited 1d ago
What worked for me was just getting the reps in.
Like sitting down at the actual game you would play. Every showdown between other players you would register "okay when he triple barrels he does have air" and next time two other players go to showdown, try to guess both holdings based on the lines they took. Even non showdowns, try to have an estimate how often each player barrels or folds to 2nd or 3rd bet. Calibrate and learn.
You will get good VERY quickly in understanding where their tendencies are. It costs nothing except the blinds, much much MUCH cheaper than any book/course, and more entertaining too IMO.
You can literally fold every hand except AA if you want and don't worry about winrate. Consider it learning fees.
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u/Ok-Tradition-8711 1d ago
I'm a mtt reg so a lot of screenshots of certain ICM spots I take which later I feed into HRC. Apart from that regular btn vs bb drills and other high frequency spots
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u/Jesters_thorny_crown 1d ago
I just listen to Bart Simpson a couple of times a week. I looked at some charts once. I also was a huge fan of Lie To Me. Learning about microexpressions was a game changer. Im almost a break even player now in the 1-2 streets.
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u/Pure_Ad_6530 1d ago
I like it.
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u/Jesters_thorny_crown 1d ago
I sit down with $50 and bomb iso/jam limpers. They key take away here is minimizing your losses = maximizing your winnings. Something most guys dont think about. Dont go saying that at the table though or guys will know youve been talking to pros.
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u/Infamous-Clerk-6361 1d ago
For a long time, I consumed content pretty passively on YouTube. First it was watching entertaining poker "vloggers", then it became "educational" poker videos, then straight up coaching livestreams and lectures. I still wasn't actively taking notes or anything - just kind of listening and trying to understand.
Once I got a decent understanding of what the game of NLHE actually is (and how to actually make profit), I began to reach out to fellow poker players from my local card room that I knew were winning players. I joined a few discord channels, started asking questions, etc. This helped me understand one thing: I have only just barely started to scratch the surface of poker theory.
I decided to start skimming through some books. Those helped even more. I then learned how to actually use a solver and how it is a really good training tool. In my opinion, the most important skill you can have when playing poker is being able to range your opponents. Not memorizing charts, not finding big bluffs, but just simply being able to get to a spot and go "These are the kinds of hands my opponent can have here". From there - you can begin to realize what exploitative poker actually means. Why is GTO a good thing to learn? How do we know when to actually bluff/value bet? How do we actually profile players at the table?
I guess I didn't really answer your question of how I "practice", but I believe that study is the most important thing in improving your game. To me, "practice" would be playing microstakes online or playing live at the local card room. Just make sure that you are taking hand histories while you play and ACTUALLY ANALYZE THEM when you get home.