Different Ways to Improve Poker Skills

There is no secret that the average level of play in poker is going up at a tremendous rate, with new online players gaining the equivalent experience of a decade's experience in only a single year playing more hands on Internet card rooms. In addition, the higher level of play is forcing both newer and experienced professionals to rethink the game on a constant basis and find ways to improve their performance. For a player at any skill level, there are a number of different ways that they can use available resources to examine their own game and learn how to improve.

The first example of a way to improve poker skills is by far the easiest - reading strategy books. Many of the poker world's top names have written books that describe how they play the game and the fundamental reasons why they choose certain actions. From Doyle Brunson to Phil Hellmuth and to David Sklansky, these long time professional players are willing to share their secrets of the game because they believe that they will still have a skill advantage over the students they teach. However, many player-authors are discovering that their strategy books have had a less than desirable effect. The new players that learn from these books are coming into the game with a poker intelligence that took these professional players years to master. For mastering the basics of the game, these books will give any starting player a strong beginning education.

Moving to the next level, another way that a player can improve their game is by joining online poker training websites. Many of these popular options exist and several of the most successful players of the game have uploaded videos of their own play and then provided commentary on the decisions that they have made. What these videos do is give a learning player the opportunity to see a visual representation of what goes on in a professional player's mind and how they evaluate a poker situation in terms of profitability. Big names like Phil Galfond are involved in these training websites and their instructional videos are thought to have changed the face of the online and live games. A player wanting even more instruction from these websites can also pay for individual coaching where a pro will follow their play and conduct an end of session review. Playing in a large, well respected poker room, such as www.pokerstars.com will help develop your skills as there are so many levels to choose from, and with so many users playing you will always be able to find something to suit your abilities and hone in on your skills.

While books and training websites may cost money, there is another way that learning players can improve their skills. Literally, there are countless strategy forums on well known poker websites that give many players the chance to look at certain poker situations and debate the best possible plays. These forums are also an open space where beginning players can ask questions and get quick results from the many thousands of people who actively participate in the discussions. These forums are completely free and available to anyone that has an Internet connection. Whichever form of learning a player chooses, they will be rewarding with more insight into the game and hopefully better profits at the tables.