Anyone can play poker, but to become a poker master? That takes practice, and not just any kind of practice. We’re talking “deliberate practice”, a concept which is about more than just mindless repetition. In other words, don’t just play for playing’s sake – put the hours in with a specific end goal in sight and the aim of addressing specific weaknesses in your game. That’s how you go from good to great.

How to improve your poker

1. Review your poker play

Mistakes are an integral part of the learning process. To succeed, first you must stumble. There’s a reason why golf professionals view video analysis of their tee shots, and the same rule applies to poker. After each online session, reassess each hand you played, aided by the benefit of hindsight. In doing so, you’ll be able to identify what works, what doesn’t and to adjust accordingly.

2. Hire a coach

Poker coaching is reserved for monied players only, right? Nope. It’s possible to obtain online coaching that is not only affordable but also highly effective. The best asset a poker coach has is that they’re not you. They will give you an honest, unbiased perspective on what you’re doing wrong. If you’re just starting out, a coach may be premature, but if you’ve hit a plateau, enlisting the services of one is a surefire way to level up.

3. Become a sponge

To become the best, you have to learn from the best. But while watching the World Series can improve your own game, if you’re limiting yourself to streaming high stakes games, you’re missing out on a wealth of invaluable resources. Just as a diet based around one food group is unlikely to result in optimum health, the same is true of poker. Become a sponge, soaking up strategies you pick up on poker forums, on blogs and forums. Watch video tutorials on Udemy; download ebooks; seek out knowledge wherever you can and let it seep into your own game.

4. Learn the lingo

Talking the talk won’t automatically improve your game, but it’ll certainly enhance your understanding of the pro events you livestream, and will enable you to make sense of the forums and other poker resources you plunder. If you don’t know the difference between a backdoor and a bad beat, a site like Casinopedia will keep you right with its helpful glossary of essential poker terms.

Taking your poker from mid-tier to god-tier requires time, but the foregoing tips should be at the heart of your playing strategy. Keep these in mind as you deliberately practice and ease steadily closer to to becoming a bona fide poker master.

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