888poker Teaches You How to Create a Sustainable Poker Study Program
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Almost every poker player knows the importance of studying away from the table, but how many of them actually do it? Many poker players haven't had to study for several years, so they find getting back into the student mindset challenging. Thankfully, the 888poker eMagazine enlisted the help of Dr. Tricia Cardner to discuss how you can create a sustainable poker study program that could make all the difference when you fire up 888poker for your latest session.
Set Clear Study-Related Goals
Approaching study time without a clear direction is a recipe for disaster. Without a specific goal, you risk falling into the trap of passively consuming content. This means you will likely "jump from one strategy video to the next and never really master any single concept."
Setting specific, actionable goals keeps you focused and motivated more than generic, open-ended statements. For example, Dr. Cardner suggests that instead of saying that you want to get better at poker, you should say, "I will review 20 poker hands each week using a hand analysis tool and focus on improving my c-betting strategy."
Smart and actionable goals make it easier to track progress without making you feel overwhelmed by the plethora of poker strategy content available to you.
Create a Scheule of Small Study Sessions
Studies show that focused, shorter sessions of 25-30 minutes followed by a short break are more effective for learning and retaining information. Ensuring your study sessions are short but targeted should help you concentrate more effectively while avoiding mental fatigue.
You may want to review a recent cash game session or tournament in great detail, which could take two or three hours. That's OK, just break down those study sessions into smaller, more manageable bites and take a break between them.
888poker also suggests starting your learning journey by planning two or three weekly study blocks, each focused on a specific area of your game. For example, you may spend 30 minutes on a hand review session each Monday, then focus on GTO-related matters on Wednesdays.
Keep Focused on One Area at a Time
Although trying and improving every aspect of your poker game is tempting, tackling several things at once can become confusing and lead to much slower progress. A scattered approach leaves you with a surface-level understanding of a concept. The adage of being a jack of all trades but a master of none runs true here.
Instead of cramming everything in at once, dedicate your focus and attention to one area that you want to improve. For example, you may study big blind steal defence or continuation-betting in multi-way pots. Spend a set period, say a couple of weeks, drilling down your chosen area before switching to the next.
Use Active Learning Strategies
Watching poker strategy videos or reading articles will only get you so far because they are passive learning. Actively engaging with material helps you fully understand essential concepts. It also helps highlight where you are going wrong, allowing you to adjust.
When watching a strategy video, Dr. Cardner suggests pausing the footage before crucial decision points and ask yourself what you would do in that particular scenario and why. You can then compare your answer to the one given. Faraz Jaka of Jaka Training is a big advocate of this concept, often asking his students to write down their answers or say them aloud even if they are not watching the video in real time.
Similarly, apply active learning when you review hands. Instead of glancing over the action and results, ask yourself what range of hands the villain could have, and what your range likely looks like to your opponent.
Review and Reflect Your Progress
If you study poker and hardly review or reflect on your progress, you are "navigating without a map." How do you know if you are progressing if you don't evaluate what is working and what is not?
In addition to studying poker concepts and strategies, set aside some time to review how your studying went. Ask yourself what concepts you learned, how you applied them to games, and where you struggled or made mistakes.
Answering those questions will help keep track of your growth while identifying areas that require further improvement.
Be Accountable For Your Actions (Or Lack Of)
Creating accountability is one of the most effective ways to ensure you stick to your schedule. It is easy to skip planned study sessions when you do not have a coach breathing down your neck! If you involve others in your studying regime, you automatically create external motivation to stay on track and continue moving forward.
Join study groups, study with friends or players grinding your stakes, or set a weekly meeting with a study partner. Not only does this give you a different perspective on how a hand was played, but it also naturally adds a layer of commitment because someone else is counting on you to step up to the plate.
Conclusion
Having a poker study program in place is key to long-term improvement. Ensuring that the program is sustainable helps you remain on the right path and improve your knowledge and skills without burning yourself out.
Set specific goals, break your sessions down into manageable time slots, and focus on one area at a time. Incorporating active learning strategies will increase your chances of developing a deep understanding of a concept. Also, regularly review your progress or lack thereof.
These tips will help you build a solid and sustainable poker strategy study program. While the results will not be immediate, they will improve with time and patience. Good luck out there!
