Read our review of Stox Poker.

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PartTimePoker had a chance to pick Nick’s brain about poker and specifically the direction that Stox is heading in as the poker trainer market starts to get more and more crowded.

PTP: Stox was one of the earliest entrants into the online poker training arena. Now there are literally dozens of sites with a similar model. When you started Stox, did you have any idea that the market would expand so broadly so rapidly?

Initially we knew we had a very good teaching medium. The videos are just such a great way for people to learn and they were received very well right from the get-go. We knew the market was going to be big we just didnt know it would be this big!

PTP: As more sites enter the market (and arguably compete for fewer players), it seems like the top sites are really working to differentiate themselves from the pack. I know that Stox is undertaking some big changes – talk a little bit about the direction the site is heading in and what’s motivating the changes.

Stoxpoker always has and always will pride itself on finding instructors with a passion for TEACHING the game. Among our coaches we have authored or co-authored 8 books. This is not to say that our instructors don’t play well either – our top for cash game pros made over 5 million USD combined in 2007! Our content continues to be cutting edge – we have traditional table play videos, “classroom” style videos using software programs like pokertracker and pokerstove, and lecture style presentations using powerpoint. We also are rolling out a stoxpoker university series that will be a guided curriculum covering the entire process of becoming proficient at a particular game, sort of a “poker university” if you will with our instructors as professors and our customers as students.

PTP: How do you feel about the argument that sites like Stox are making the games more difficult, which ultimately may result in the shrinking of the online poker market as a whole?

This argument has been present from the dawn of time for any teaching tool. Online poker has proved very resilient over the past 5 years and we expect this to continue. People all around the world love this great game and I don’t see that changing.

PTP: Winning in Tough Holdem Games is recognized by most as the definitive book on modern limit games, especially when it comes to shorthanded play. Was it a natural decision for you to co-author that book or a tough one? How do you feel about that decision now that we’re a couple years out from the publishing of the book?

Co-authoring was an easy choice for me. Geoff herzog writes exceptionally well, and it was a natural fit for him to refine all of the prose and for me to be the “concepts” guy. If I do a book on NLHE in the future it will likely be using a similar arrangement. We had a great experience working on WITHG, but it is hard work! It does warm my heart to see how often experienced players refer to some of the concepts or sections outlined in the book.

PTP: Any plans for a follow-up text?

For now, stoxpoker is just taking up so much of my time that I haven’t had a chance to work on a book. We have tossed around the possiblity for a NLHE book, but that ia far off, if at all.

PTP: With writing and working on Stox, how much time do you actually find for poker these days? Do you ever regret the decision to split your focus between instruction and play?

Stoxpoker has been extremely rewarding, but from a financial standpoint is almost certainly a bad choice. My playing hours have been cut significantly, but I still am able to find 15-20 hours a week to grind it out at the tables. I haven’t regretted the decision yetT

PTP: If you could go back and change any one thing about the development of Stox, what would it be?

I would have expanded our coaching roster sooner. In 2007 we added over 10 coaches, including Bryce Paradis aka freedom25 (top LHE HU player with 2.7MM in earnings for 2007), dusty schmidt aka leatherass (Top NLHE player with approx 1MM in earnings for 2007, with 1.5MM hands played and pokerstars supernove elite ranking after just starting his quest in april), Ed miller (author or co-author of 4 poker books), Robert Williamson, Kyle Hendon, Dr. Razz, Matt Matros (author of the making of a poker player). The team we have assembled is just amazing and I wish I had started with them. We ar making up for lost time now though as we are releasing over 1 video per day and made over 80 in january and february of 2008.

PTP: Players have a wide variety of choices when it comes to online training services, and most probably have a limited budget. What is it about Stox uniquely that should motivate players to choose it over a competing site?

The extraordinary commitment to teaching from our instructors – they are phenomenal communicators and great players as well. We also have built an amazing sense of community and I daresay that our poker and other forums are among the most cordial and active on the net! We also have a 7 day money back guarantee for anyone wanting to test out or service but unsure about making the commitment.

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UPDATE: As of April 1st, 2010, Stox Poker has shut their doors and merged completely with Cardrunners. Read our review of Cardrunners here.

Visit Stox Poker.

Summary

Cost: $20 a month plus $69 sign up fee (Can be waived by meeting certain FPP goals at Full Tilt Poker; visit Stox Poker for details).
New Videos: Every weekday +
Hand Replayer: No
Core Focus: Cash games
Notable Pros: Ed Miller, Collin Moshman, Nick Grudzien
Video Quality: High
Download / Streaming: Both available
Archive Size: 600+ videos

Overall Ranking

Stox Poker gets an overall score of 8/10 from the PTP Staff

Sit and Go Coverage

Over two dozen videos, the majority of which are by 2+2 author Colin Moshman, who wrote the book on SNG play.

MTT Coverage

Stox lacks in this area relative to other sites. Majority of videos are from Matt Matros, smaller library than some other sites.

Cash coverage

Stox excels here. A wide variety of cash game coverage for limit and no limit. Lots of shorthanded and heads up coverage.

Non-holdem game coverage

Double-digit razz videos, some coverage for PLO

Pros

The Stox site is quick to load and easy to navigate. Videos can be sorted by game style or author. The video quality is generally good, although some of the audio is a little crackly in points.

Stox videos cover the full range of play levels, from novice instruction to advanced strategy.

Their forums offer you an excellent opportunity to interact with their pros. The forums are heavily trafficked and Stox pros do participate in discussions on a regular basis. Each video receives a dedicated thread in the forums, which is a nice way to keep discussion focused and to get questions answered.

A growing number of videos include subtitles, and some videos are available with non-english subtitles. Pros are very responsive to video requests from members.

The Stox library is several dozen articles deep, and the supplemental material areas are also well-stocked. The structure of the videos is done in a curriculum-style fashion, which is a great way to break up such a deep archive.

The quasi-merger with Cardrunners in late 2008 means you’ll get a chance to subscribe to Cardrunners at a discount if you are a Stox Poker member. You’ll also get the benefit of the crossover between the sites.

Cons

The articles are useful, but there’s no good system for navigating / filtering them (at least not an obvious one) – they’re all just presented on one long page. Similar complaint for the blogs, although those can be navigated by author at the bottom of the page.

It would also be nice to be able to access some more in-depth author information. Instructor bios seem to not extend beyond the one-sentence blurb on the front page.

Stox seems to lack some of the subscriber promotions, freerolls etc that some other sites offer to existing members.

Overall

Stox is a good value for the price, relatively speaking. It’s cheaper than a lot of the competition, and if their video focus lines up with what you like to play, then this might be the choice for you. With good videos, regular updates and top-flight pros, Stox is a solid online poker trainer choice for users of all skill levels.

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