Best Free Online Poker Training Site

Posted on 11-05-2021 by admin

There is a boatload of free poker training videos on YouTube. Check out some of our favorite channels: Doug Polk’s channel; Upswing Poker’s channel; Ryan Fee’s channel; Articles & Books. Another one of the more popular ways of improving your poker game is by reading relevant articles.

Free Online Poker Sites Downloads
Best Free Online Poker
Best Free Play Poker Sites
Free Online Poker Sites

Video poker training software of all kinds is available these days. Some of it’s even available for free online; you can just play and learn from your browser window. Some of it requires a download and/or purchase. This page looks at the uses of such software. It also examines and describes some of the various types of video poker training software that are now popular.

VideoPoker.com

One of the most celebrated sites in the video poker niche is VideoPoker.com, which offers free training tests for three different games:

Jacks or Better
Double Double Bonus Poker
Deuces Wild Poker

This particular program (http://www.videopoker.com/test/) deals you ten hands in a row. After you’ve played those ten hands, you get corrections based on your mistakes. I practiced on the Jacks or Better software, but I only played six hands correctly.

The game looks like a real video poker game from a casino. The only disappointment I had was that there was no explanation for why I should have made different decisions, although I was able to reason through those easily enough.

Of course, once you’ve finished using this free version of the software, the site offers to sell you software to practice with. One of those was Video Poker for Winners, from Bob Dancer.

Bob Dancer’s Video Poker for Winners

This (http://www.videopokerforwinners.com/) looks like a complete software training program. Not only does it include strategy trainers, it also offers bankroll and comp calculators, which are an important aspect of video poker strategy that are too often overlooked. A free trial is available, but the software is reasonably priced at just $49.95. The site features videos of the software in use, which includes an introduction from Bob Dancer. The videos were a little more heavy on hype than I would have liked, but it was still nice to get the details of the software before buying the product.

Video Poker’s Greatest Hits

Less interesting and less impressive was the page about “Video Poker’s Greatest Hits”. (http://www.videopoker.com/greatest_hits/) One of the aspects I found disappointing about this sales page was the lack of a price listing. There’s a button for a free trial, and another “buy now” button, but I don’t think I should have to click “buy now” to get a price. I did click through, and the price is only $19.95, but the software is limited to 8 video poker games.

You can find more games at a better price with similar functionality at the Wizard of Odds site.

The Wizard of Odds

If you visit the Wizard of Odds site, you can find a free video poker game available in your browser window that includes auto-hold features and warnings when you’re about to make a mistake. This is a free Jacks or Better 9/6 game: http://wizardofodds.com/play/video-poker/. You can even update the pay tables for this game to something other than 9/6 Jacks or Better. For the price, this training program is hard to beat. The game also features a “more games” button which opens up a screen where you can choose from three dozen different games, including the following:

Double Bonus
Double Bonus Deuces Wild
Double Double Aces & Faces
Double Double Bonus
Double Double Bonus Plus
Double Joker
Jacks or Better
Joker Poker Kings
Joker Poker Aces
Joker Poker Two Pair
Nevada Bonus
One-Eyed Jacks
Royal Aces Bonus
Sevens Wild
Super Aces Bonus
Super Bonus Deuces Wild
Super Double Bonus
Super Double Double Bonus
Tens or Better
Triple Bonus
Triple Bonus Plus
Triple Double Bonus
USA Poker
White Hot Aces
Ace & Deuce Bonus
Aces & Eights
Aces & Faces
Acey Deucey
Blackjack Bonus
Bonus Deluxe
Bonus Deuces Wild
Bonus Poker
Deuces Wild
Deuces & Joker
Double Aces & Faces
Double Acey Deucey

The advice functionality on the Wizard’s site requires Javascript.

Frugal Video Poker

Frugal Video Poker first became available in 2000, but it’s now available in a free version from http://www.wolfvideopoker.com/FVP.htm. It was created for Windows 95, so the software looks dated, but it’s still an excellent learning tool. The software literally only takes seconds to install when using a high speed Internet connection.

I thought the classical music that played in the background was nice, but some players might find that irritating. It’s easy enough to turn that feature off, though. I also had a little trouble actually getting to the software. I kept clicking on the splash page, and it kept sending me to a Web page where I could buy Wolf Video Poker or Wolf Video Poker Lite, which are the current training programs available from this publisher.

Wolf Video Poker and Wolf Video Poker Lite

Wolf Video Poker and Wolf Video Poker Lite are both available for $39.99 and $19.99 respectively at http://www.wolfvideopoker.com/. Like other video poker trainers, this one is designed to help you learn how to make the right decisions on specific hand types. It also is capable of designing computer generated strategy charts of three different complexities. It also allows you to simulate 100 sessions of up to 100 million hands each. You can save records of your sessions to see how well you’re improving as a player, too.

The lite version allows you to configure payoff tables and create a single strategy chart for any game you input. You can also use the lite software to practice playing the various games. It lacks some of the other fancier features, but those are a bit “fluffy” anyway. You can download free demos from the site before making a decision as to whether or not it’s a good purchase for you.

There are, no doubt, many other video poker strategy trainers on the market, but these seem to be the most popular and easiest to find. They all seem to have their pros and cons, too. Try whatever you can for free before making your final purchasing decision.

What separates a fish from a regular? What separates a regular from a shark? And what separates a shark from Phil Ivey?

Okay, in the case of the latter, it’s probably something genetic, but the other two questions have a much simpler answer: Hard work.

Poker, like any other complex game of strategy, involves making the maximum number of “correct” decisions based on the information you have available.

Unlike most other complex games of strategy, however, poker challenges its players by hiding the majority of the data that they’d ordinarily base their decisions on. Add variance into the equation and you’re sitting with a game that’s almost impossible to predict.

That’s why decisions in poker are rarely described as either “right” or “wrong”, but rather whether they have positive or negative expected value (also referred to as +EV and -EV)

There are so many factors that determine whether a play is +EV and it often comes down to a subjective interpretation of the hand. There isn’t one definitive resource that will tell you with exact authority whether you made the right decision or not.

That’s why constantly studying and training is the most important aspect of becoming a winning player. Fortunately for us, we live in the age of information and the internet has made finding excellent resources for getting better at poker extremely easy.

So, with that in mind, we’ve put together a list of eight resources that we feel are the ideal places for online poker players to learn how to constantly improve their skill levels.

Deuces Cracked

With more than 3,500 videos presented by a friendly and extremely helpful community of professionals, Deuces Cracked is one of the most popular training sites available for online players.

While the site covers a wide range of game types and stakes, the majority of videos are focused on catering for the micro-stakes No Limit Hold’em market.

In addition to the many one-off videos added by community members on a regular basis, the site also features a number of video “series” which consist of many installments that tackle larger topics.

The most popular of these series is an eight-part epic titled “Eightfold Path to Poker Enlightenment” presented by Tommy Angelo and Wayne Lively. This particular series has received widespread acclaim and is regarded as a landmark in online poker training.

Access to Deuces Cracked is currently priced at $29 per month.

PokerStrategy.com

7.9 million poker enthusiasts can’t be wrong, right? Boasting one of the largest memberships of all the poker sites we reviewed, PokerStrategy.com is easily one of the most popular online training resources.

Unlike the majority of its competitors, PokerStrategy.com is a free resource, offering users not only unrestricted access its entire knowledge base, but also a $50 instant bankroll that you can deposit at several of the major poker rooms.

This risk-free introduction to the world of online poker has resulted in Pokerstrategy.com attracting a less experienced audience, meaning that much of their material focuses on turning new players into winning players.

PokerStrategy.com’s video catalogue may not be as comprehensive as Deuces Cracked, but these have more of a “classroom” feel to better cater to their target market’s needs.

The site also offers a vast collection of strategy articles and tutorials, all aimed at helping the new player succeed. In addition, it also boasts one of the most vibrant and helpful communities all too keen to get involved in discussing hands, sessions and other aspects related to becoming a better player.

Advanced Poker Training

This unique site features an array of sophisticated tools that emulates a poker setting, provides context-sensitive guidance, and analyzes your play to point out strengths and weaknesses.

The foundation of their product is simulation software that allows the player to play up to 500 hands per hour against highly-sophisticated bots programmed to test every aspect of your game.

Their trademarked rating programs perform a real-time evaluation of your play and provides an astonishingly deep set of data that helps you identify where you need improvement.

The site’s reliance on artificial intelligence may be a concern for some, but the immersive, gamified approach to coaching may well be a big draw for others who prefer to learn while playing.

Advanced poker training will set you back $29.90 per month

Bluefire Poker

If you’re looking for a training site that has more of a quality-over-quantity approach, Bluefire Poker is the one for you – especially if you’re a high-stakes 6-max No Limit Hold’em player.

The video content at Bluefire Poker is of an exceptionally high standard. With its relatively small roster of producers – lead by site founder and online poker legend Phil Gaflond – the site is able to better curate its output and ensure that members don’t have to sift through hours of content before finding something of real value to them.

Another reason why Bluefire Poker may the best training option for you is if you’re already an experienced player looking to learn more advanced strategy and techniques.

Bluefire Poker prizes content above all, meaning that they have spent little time cultivating a community. Consider signing up if you’re mainly looking to get advanced insight from the best roster of online video producers available.

Membership costs $29.99 per month and a $99 initiation fee.

Two Plus Two Forums

Two Plus Two is one of the originals – a genuine authority in the world of poker training – and has been around since the heydey of online poker.

One of the first online communities to embrace peer-driven hand analysis, Two Plus Two thrives on discussion. The site boasts more than 400,000 members, a large portion of whom actively participate in the seemingly endless number of hand analyses posted on an hourly basis.

More than any of the other sites mentioned here, the value a member will derive from Two Plus Two is proportionate to becoming involved. Sure, you can lurk on the edges and read what other members have to say about each others’ play, but the real magic happens when you get involved.

The Two Plus Two forums are free to join.

Tournament Poker Edge

Not many training sites have as narrow a focus as Tournament Poker Edge, with the site eschewing conventions of covering a large range of game types and focusing solely on multi-table tournaments.

Aside from the typical training material you’d find at a training site, Tournament Poker Edge also offers a structured training curriculum that takes members on an a well planned educational journey.

This product, named TPE University, allows you to consume training content applicable to your level of skill and experience and helps you assess whether you are ready to progress to a new level of training.

As can be expected of a training site with a narrower focus, the quality of content at Tournament Poker Edge is of a very high caliber, with the likes of Casey “bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek, Charles “Hagbard Celine” Sizemore, and Ryan “HITTHEPANDA” Franklin among their regular contributors.

Tournament Poker Edge will set you back $23.95 per month.

Jonathan Little’s Weekly Poker Hand Podcast

Jonathan Little’s website offers several training resources in the form of educational videos, blog posts, and book reviews, but few of these are as insightful as the terrific weekly hand analysis he does in the form of a podcast and video.

All online poker players know that the majority of the time that you spend “studying” should involve your analyzing big hands and getting other players’ input on your choices.

Well, few people are as gifted at diving deep into his own thought process as Jonathan Little.

In this weekly series, you can expect to hear insightful and candid commentary on his and his opponents’ play, with his discussions on one hand sometimes exceeding the 12-minute mark. So don’t expect your standard, superficial analysis here.

Best of all, this resource is entirely free to everyone.

Cardrunners

Cardrunners is without a doubt one of the most respected platforms for teaching players the techniques needed to move on from the from the traps of playing standard, tight aggressive, ABC poker.

The site’s approach to teaching – and the quality of its content – has also seen it gain favour amongst some of the world’s top professional players as a resource for constant improvement.

Their enormous roster of contributors reads like a “who’s who” of the online poker world, with the likes of Brian Townsend, Taylor Caby, Brian Hastings, and Andrew Wiggins frequently adding to the already-sizeable knowledge base.

An aspect that sets Cardrunners apart from its competition is the quality of their No Limit Hold’em Heads Up training content. This game format has become increasingly popular, especially at the higher stake levels, and no training site covers it as well as they do.

Cardrunners’ Gold membership comes in at a cost of $27.99 per month and there is also a one-off fee of $99.00.

SitnGoGrinders

Another training site that caters for a niche audience – albeit a very large one – SitnGoGrinders aims to help players interested in dominating this popular game format.

The site has a broad focus within the scope of Sit and Go’s (SNGs), offering a medium-sized pool of videos that cover all the most popular types of tournaments.

Free Online Poker Sites Downloads

To reflect it’s more precise, narrow scope, SitnGoGrinders has adopted an innovative pricing model, opting not to bill members on a monthly basis, but rather offer collections of themed videos (called “packs”) at set prices coming in at around $40 – $60 per pack.

Grinding SNGs is one of the most popular ways for poker players to grow their bankroll and few other sites offer the wealth of specialist information than these guys do. This site is an absolute must if SNGs are your game.

Bonus: Poker Copilot

Reviewing, analyzing, and discussing an isolated hand that included many interesting decision points is certainly one of the most effective ways to learn.

Doing so also has the most obvious impact on your bankroll since winning more and losing fewer big hands is one of the main goals of improving your game.

It’s easy to overlook the importance of analyzing your play in hands that didn’t have a memorable pot, you are playing hundreds of them in a session, after all.

To best assess these types of hands, Poker Copilot offers a feature called Leak Detection. This sophisticated functionality analyzes all of the hands that you have played in a session and points out small, typically invisible flaws that will cost you money in the long run.

Poker Copilot will analyze your gameplay and help you answer the following questions:

Are you showing enough pre-flop aggression from each position?
Do you attempt to steal the blinds regularly enough and how successful are you at it?
Do you loosen up your game as you move closer to the dealer position?
Are you profitable enough with pocket pairs?
Are you showing adequate profitability with suited connectors?

Conclusion

Many of these resources may come at quite a high price, but don’t let this put you off! We’ve found that paying for your education can often be a very helpful motivator for taking the process a little more seriously.