Ten Cheap (or Free) Ways to Improve Your Game

Teach Someone How To Play
There’s something instructive and also humbling about teaching someone to play poker. It not only can refresh your understanding of the strategic fundamentals of the game (as well as possibly highlight areas where you may have strayed from those fundamentals over time but it can a also recharge your energy for the game intellectually. If you pick the right person to teach, you’ll also be gaining a friend that you can talk poker with – always a useful resource. Finally, just talking about poker in a structured fashion is a great way to get your brain engaged with the topic again, a a surefire way to improve your play. Cost: free. Heck, you might even make a few bucks.

Make A Training Video
There’s nothing more useful than having to explain your actions to someone else when you’re trying to improve at a thing. Under the critical eye of an objective observer, your strengths (and flaws) are all quite clear. While it might be a painful process for some, forcing yourself to articulate your thought process out loud can be a real wakeup call regarding the basic i issues you’re having with your game. No one’s perfect when it comes to poker, but one of the toughest things about improving is knowing where to start. Making a video can help you to identify the areas where the work should be focused. Cost: Probably free, maybe a few bucks for equipment.

Play A Small Tournament Blind
Annette_15 became a little famous for doing this with a 45 man SNG (or maybe a 180 man, I forget). Anyhow, pick a small-stakes MTT or MTT SNG and cover your holecards with a piece of tape. Try to play the entire tournament without removing the tape. It should renew your interest in all of the information surrounding your hand, and allow you to hopefully break from some auto-pilot play your may have been engaging in that drew solely on the contents of your actual hand. Plus, if you win the tournament and make a video while doing so, you might be a little famous and then go on to win the WSOPE. Cost: A couple bucks.

Learn a New Game
Different forms of poker require different skills. One great way to polish your general skill set is to consistently learn new formats of poker. I’m not saying you have to master them, but getting to the point where you have a basic competency and can play competitively against weak opponents is a great way to get some exercise for specific skills that might have gotten rusty in your main game. Cost: probably a buy in or two at whatever stakes you decide to ‘learn’ at.

Take a Week Off
Sometimes the best way to play better is to not play at all. Poker is a very odd creature, one that draws not only on our intellect but on our emotions and ego as well. Sometimes, especially if you’re running bad or feel like you’re in a rut, the best thing to do is simply to walk away from the game entirely and attempt a reboot. It might take you less than a week and it might take you more, but the idea is to exercise control over the game by making a promise to yourself to not play (or study) for ‘x’ amount of time and then to stick to it. Knowing that you’re in control of the game (or feeling that way, anyhow) can be an invaluable asset when you’re faced with your next downswing. Cost: Free.

Want a way to improve your bottom line without learning a thing? Start playing with rakeback, and watch your income from poker grow. Get started by viewing PTP’s exclusive offers.

Prev 1 2Next

Get your daily dose of poker news with the PTP Hit and Run.

Exclusive Freerolls and up to 60% cashback at Carbon Poker >>>