Is there a good poker tutorial? ABC poker: how to learn the simplest and most profitable strategy at micro-limits? Required elements of a poker tutorial.

We are pleased to present you a unique series of materials designed specifically for low-limit players who want to quickly move to higher stakes with minimal time investment.

About the Self-Teacher

A tutorial for Microlimits is unique project, which has no analogues in the world. You can take advantage of its benefits only at the Pokeroff poker school and nowhere else.

What is a tutorial? We noticed some time ago that articles were perhaps the most ineffective method of teaching - many of the explicit and unambiguous recommendations that we offered to our students were simply not followed up, since very few found the strength to simply read them, let alone remember. Therefore, we came to the conclusion that the best way to teach would be a self-instruction manual that would offer students ready-made solutions that would always be before their eyes - this way they would never have to remember or learn anything, and they would be able to immediately make the right ones solutions, as well as analyze all your mistakes and failures without the help of a coach.

The main discipline for the future self-teacher was chosen No Limit Hold'em at short tables (5-6 players) with a full stack (100 big blinds), as the most promising and easy to learn.

Tables served our purposes best, but the only materials that were available were tables starting hands. We decided to go further and try to create tables for playing poker on all streets without exception, in which students could find answers to all their questions. How to play with top pair on the turn? What to do with a straight draw? Should you bet on the river? We wanted the answers to all these questions to finally be collected in one place.

This is how the “Self-Teacher for Microlimits” was born - a series of tables and explanatory video materials that will allow even the most inexperienced player to get used to poker in less than a week.

"Tutorial for Microlimits" is, without exaggeration, the most useful book about poker in the world. Why? There are no lengthy discussions or unclear advice in it. It teaches you how to play and, most importantly, how to win from day one of your poker career. And you don't need to remember anything! The key to a profitable poker strategy now fits on a few A4 sheets of paper!

What the Tutorial Looks Like: Solution Tables for Low Limits

The main part of the Microlimits Self-Teacher is the decision tables for low limits. They are the result of many months of work and are a one-of-a-kind guide to playing every street of poker.

Contrary to popular belief that it can't be done, we've organized all the knowledge you need to beat low stakes into a handy tabular form.

The tables are easy to use and intuitive. Using them is no more difficult than using the multiplication table - you just need to correctly determine the type of your hand, and also select the desired situation from the column on the left. Then, at the intersection of the selected column and row, you will find the correct action for the given situation. Moreover, each recommendation is unambiguous - it is either Bet, or Check, or Fold - so you will never get confused and can always make the right decision.

These unique materials cover about 80% of all situations that a player may encounter. In other words, the likelihood that when playing low-stakes decision tables you will encounter an unfamiliar or difficult situation minimal. All you have to do is relax and win money!

The tables are provided with detailed comments and examples, so you can never say that the definition of a particular situation or class of hands was incomplete or inaccurate.

The tables also contain comments and general recommendations on the size of bets and raises on various streets, which will help you play any situation correctly.

If you still have any questions related to determining the class of a hand or situation, you can always ask us in one of the lessons - you will receive the most complete and detailed answer.

The tables are designed for printing - at the end of the file with the tables you will find smaller versions of them, created specifically to make them convenient to use in printed form.

What does the Tutorial Guide look like: Video materials

The second part of the "Tutorial for Microlimits" is free video materials that explain decision tables. You definitely need to look through all the ones available on the Tutorial page - in them we analyze in detail dozens of hands using decision tables, and also explain the principle of operation of each table and give tips on increasing the returns from using the tables.

All video materials are in free access, you can contact them at any time.

Why is poker interesting? First of all, because here, in addition to entertainment, you can earn quite real money. The income of professionals reaches several million dollars a year. Of course, reaching this level is not easy; it will take at least a couple of years. However, if you wish, you can learn to earn money consistently and ensure a constant profit.

Today there are many coaches ready to teach the intricacies of poker, and there are also specialized schools. Their services are quite expensive, not everyone can afford such sums, and it is also unknown whether there will be any profit from this.

You can teach yourself the techniques effective game, a poker tutorial can help with this. There are many books written by professional players, in which they talk about effective strategies and share valuable experience. There are also special portals and sites that teach poker basics. A striking example is our resource, we have a huge knowledge base, there are reviews best rooms and much more.

Self-teaching books

Poker is both complex and simple game. You can master the rules and start playing literally within an hour, and after a couple of days you can feel confident at the table and don’t have to look at cheat sheets. The difficulty lies in the variety of strategies, effective techniques, mathematical calculations and psychological aspects. To understand everything you need time and constant practice, plus continuous learning.

Books are the best method for learning poker secrets, especially those written by professionals. First of all, beginners should pay attention to the following literature:

1. Roman Shaposhnikov, “Poker for Beginners”. In addition to the fact that the author is a poker player, he is also a teacher, so the book turned out to be clear and easy to read. Here, novice players will be able to get acquainted with the very basics of the game: combinations, rules, actions in the hand, and so on. It also describes the most effective strategies that are easy to put into practice.
2. "Lou Krieger's Guide to Poker." The author of the work has written a quality work for those who are not at all familiar with the game. He describes basic rules and concepts, provides basic strategies and teaches the intricacies of competitions. The book is perfect for those who want to learn poker battles.

Applications

There is a great amount special applications created for interactive poker training. Most of them are implemented in the form of gaming competitions and are available on entertainment resources. The user simultaneously competes with the computer and immediately masters the rules and subtleties of the game; the advantage of the method is that there is no need to invest your own funds.

However, free projects do not fully cover all aspects, so it is better to turn to another poker tutorial presented by the Bettr portal. The program developers have created a product with an online chart; it displays certain game situations and offers solutions to them. Then he explains how he should have acted and why.

The application was developed with the participation of the best coaches and based on micro-stakes strategies. Therefore, it is the best choice for beginners.

PortalBettr guarantees that everyone can win at the micro-limit tables with their poker tutorial. The program is paid, but it is worth the money, and there is also a demo version.

Schools

PokerStartegy- the oldest school on the network, a huge number of users were trained there, many subsequently became pros and really make money from the game. All educational materials on the site are divided into categories and presented in the appropriate tabs. Thus, the client will be able to find the item he is interested in quickly and without wasting time.

The school contains knowledge that will be of interest not only to beginners, but also to experienced poker players. There are also video lessons, you don’t need to download them, you can watch them online.

There is even a poker tutorial that you need to download to your computer. This allows you not to access the site all the time, but to conduct training offline.

PokerStarter- a school operating on the basis PokerStars room. There are no coaches or teachers here, the lessons are taught by the program. The focus is on user independence. In addition to text and visual lessons, the client will also find video materials filmed by experienced mentors.

PokerStarter school services are completely free. Moreover, upon successful completion of the course and passing the exams, the client receives $50 in his PokerStars account.

Succeeding in the world of poker is no easy task. Players need to know this card game inside and out and constantly improve their knowledge base by learning from the best. They can help with all this books about poker, which should be read by both beginners and experienced poker players. To date, there is a huge amount of literature devoted to such a card game. How to navigate this diversity? We will help you! As part of this article, we will present to your attention some of the most famous publications for poker players.

Books for beginners

Let's start with a list of books for beginners that will help in mastering this card game and will allow you to succeed in it very quickly. First of all this "Tutorial for playing poker at micro-limits". It presents a unique program that was developed by professional trainers and will help you learn cache from scratch.

The book “Tutorial for playing poker at micro-limits” explains in detail not only the terms, rules and combinations, but also the strategy that is suitable for playing limits from NL2 to NL25.

The next book that will be useful for any beginner is “ Easy game" It was written by Andrew Seidman, a famous coach and professional player. In it, he sets out in a simple and understandable form the rules and features of poker, and highlights aspects of such a game that have not been discussed anywhere before. And most importantly, the author teaches beginners how to earn at least $100 per hour from such a game, offline or online. He then proposes a concept that will continually increase that income.

The book “Hold'em for Beginners” by Ed Miller will help you master the world's most popular form of poker. This publication is an excellent guide for beginners, where they will find many practical advice and effective strategies. With this book, playing Limit Hold'em successfully will be an easy task.

Chris Moorman also published a book for beginners, which received a simple title - “Moorman on Poker”. It is written in an unconventional style and contains a lot of valuable information. In particular, beginners will learn from this publication how to correctly play certain hands on the flop, how to beat opponents with weak cards and identify the bluffs of their opponents.

An excellent tool for learning this card game is “The Theory of Poker” by David Sklansky. This book presents not only the rules and combinations, but also provides comprehensive knowledge regarding tactics and techniques in the game. The author also voices the strategies that he himself resorts to during hands at tournament and cash tables. He shares his experience so that beginners can turn poker into a stable source of income.

Books for experienced players

But what books about poker should I read? online players who already have some experience in such a card game? Here the list of references will be different. First of all, we recommend studying the “Bankroll Building Guide” from Pavel Nazarevich. It is interesting because the author talks about an effective system for increasing your bankroll in 83 days, which he himself put into practice, as a result of which his account increased from $200 to $10,000.

The system presented in The Bankroll Builder's Guide is very easy to understand. Every player can start using it, regardless of what limits he prefers to play at.

Another essential book for experienced poker players is Treat Poker Like a Business by major leaguer Dusty Schmidt. online poker. Its publication will allow you to look at this card game differently. In it, readers will find the secrets of winning and a lot of practical advice that will help turn poker into a real business that will bring a stable income and allow you to “live comfortably.”

• how to correctly define tasks;
• how to create a personal schedule;
• how much time to devote to improving your skills;
• how to maintain your health, even under increased stress and stressful situations.

And another important publication for experienced players is “Harington on Hold'em,” which is presented in three volumes. The book was written by a professional poker player who has repeatedly become a finalist in the World Poker Series. He shares with his readers the secrets of successful play in tournament competitions. The books contain not only theory, but also practice by solving problems taken from the author’s life.

Books on Texas hold 'em and Omaha

If you decide to read online books on this card game, you should definitely study the literature on Texas Hold'em. After all, this variation of poker is No. 1 in the world. That is why it is mandatory to master. We present to you a list of the best books on Texas Hold'em, which will help you not only fully master it, but also improve your skill level:

• "Low Limit Hold'em" by Lee Jones;
• "Internet Texas Hold'em" by Matthew Hilger.
• "Winning at Hard Hold'em" by Nick Gragin.
• Heads Up No Limit Hold'em by Collin Moshman.

The second most popular type of poker is Omaha. This means that such a card game also requires mastering. The following popular books will help you understand and succeed in it in detail:

• Pot-Limit Omaha by Jeff Hwang;
• "Omaha Poker" by Bob Ciaffone;
• "The Secrets of Pot Limit Omaha" Hi Low» by Dan Deppen;
• "Omaha for Champions" by Tom McAvoy;
• Pot-Limit Omaha by Tri Nguyen.

Books on mathematics

Success in poker largely depends on how actively the player uses mathematics. This precise discipline is the basis of this card game. That's why it's important to know how to use it in your hands. Books will help with this. One of the most popular is “Easy Poker Math” by Roy Rounder. It is small - only 36 pages, but very informative. Even a beginner can understand how to perform mathematical calculations in poker and what their meaning is.

We recommend reading the book “The Mathematics of Poker” by Bill Chen. In it, the author teaches how to build a game strategy using the basics of mathematics. In his opinion, based on such exact science, everyone will be able to easily make the right decisions on every street. Due to this, you will be able to remain in a good plus over long distances.

Author Tri Nguyen also offers a useful book on poker math called Let There Be Order. It touches on one of the most pressing topics - hand ranges and rules for playing them. Thanks to the use of mathematics, it will be possible to succeed in these areas.

Psychology books

Psychology is also an integral part of playing poker. That's why it's worth reading books that cover this topic. We can recommend the publication “Poker: Mind Games”. The book is written by Jared Tendler and tackles the psychological aspects of the game. In it addresses issues of fear, motivation, confidence, tilt. It gives advice on the psychological state of mind for the game, and also presents methods to help reveal the emotional state of your opponents.

Alan Schoonmaker's book "The Psychology of Poker" is also recommended reading. In it, the author dwells on why some players prefer to adhere to a passive style, while others prefer an aggressive one. The author explains why some tactics are easy and others are not. It provides recommendations that will help you understand yourself, find your line of play and develop a unique strategy.

And another interesting book from this category is “Body Language in Poker” by Mike Caro. This publication will teach you how to “read” your opponents at the table in a live game. To do this, you just need to pay attention to the gestures of your opponents and know their correct meaning.

Let's sum it up

In this material, we reviewed only some of the best books on poker. There are many more of them. That is why, after studying the recommended publications, you should start reading other well-known literature. Don't stop there. Constantly strive for new knowledge, then you will be able to become a successful player and make good money on poker.

In the poker community, the term "ABC poker" refers to a standardized style of play that uses only the basic elements of strategy. A player who practices ABC style does not understand Texas Hold'em sufficiently. Due to lack of ABC experience, the poker player cannot accept gaming solutions on his own, instead he uses speculation and advice from educational materials on the Internet.

At first glance, it may seem that the ABC poker strategy is very primitive and is not capable of generating long-term income, so it should be abandoned as soon as possible. The real picture looks different: the basic strategy is profitable at micro-stakes, and there is no point in jumping a few steps higher until you have managed to confidently gain a foothold in the first one. Every successful professional at the beginning of his career actively practiced ABC poker; without passing this stage, all further progress becomes impossible.

Why is it so important to master ABC poker early in the game? The fact is that this strategy allows you to minimize the number of expensive mistakes that greatly reduce the win rate for beginner players. A professional player strives to play as many hands as possible and extract positive EV from each, which entails frequent marginal spots with high variance. An ABC poker player acts completely differently: he plays only those situations in which he has a significant advantage in equity. This strategy will not allow you to extract maximum value by exploiting weak players, but it will perfectly protect you from unnecessary “cuts” with the regulars.

If you are interested in ABC poker strategy and want to start learning it, first of all you need to master the starting hand charts. These tables will tell you which lines and which hands to play preflop. Depending on what position you are in, the range of hands you can play can vary greatly. If from an early position at a 6-max table you can open about 20% of the range, then on the button position this figure increases two or even three times. Preflop is the foundation of Texas Hold'em, and starting hand charts will help you lay it down. It’s worth sticking to ABC ranges until your experience allows you to independently choose spots for executing non-standard and complex moves.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the ABC strategy?

The strategy of playing poker can be different, and already at a very early stage the player should strive to find the optimal playing model. Before you start playing poker using the ABC strategy, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the strengths and weaknesses this style. To give you the opportunity to get a complete picture and make a decision, we have collected the main advantages and disadvantages of playing ABC poker.

Advantages

Relatively easy to learn . Depending on the discipline you choose, learning to play poker can be either difficult or very difficult. This rule does not apply to talented players and mathematicians, but even they will have to spend a lot of free time.

This is not to say that ABC poker is easy to master, but compared to other strategies, this option is really easy. While for BSS you need to master the triple barrel bluff technique, and for MTT you need to study the peculiarities of the metagame at the final table, the ABC poker strategy will only require you to memorize starting hand tables and master the algorithms for playing against the main types of players. And although this approach will take you n number of hours, you won’t need to delve deeply into the mechanics of the game.

Protects from tilt . Professional players often fall out of the optimal emotional state due to the fact that they are not confident in their actions. A complex, expensive hand consists of a branched decision tree, and it is not always possible to get from point A to point B without errors. Players who practice ABC poker do not have such problems: the correctness of each decision can be checked on the Internet. Hands in which you have to give up your stack to your opponent cause less negativity, because you know exactly what you played as part of the basic strategy.

Instills discipline . Playing poker for money is associated with constant mood swings. Just an hour and a half ago you could have been in profit by five buy-ins of your limit, but now you have not only lost all your profit, but also filled a couple of stacks from above. Such confluences of events occur at the tables all the time, and because of this, many players consciously or unconsciously change their behavior pattern. ABC poker does not leave such a chance: the game algorithm is straightforward and clearly defined, disciplined adherence to it is the main key to a successful career. The discipline that comes from playing ABC poker will save you a lot of money by preventing you from making impulsive, thoughtless “moves.”

Great for micro-stakes . Many poker players start playing Texas Hold'em at the limits NL2-NL5 and never go higher. Sometimes this is due to variance, sometimes due to poor bankroll management, but most often the reason lies in the wrong choice of strategy.

Some players play haphazardly, their actions driven by speculation and emotional impulses. Other would-be poker players like to watch video games at high limits, and then mindlessly reproduce the actions from there at the tables. Let us define this point as clearly as possible: micro-limits are fought not with sophisticated bluffs, but with disciplined value play. ABC poker contains all the necessary tools and techniques that will allow you to reliably overcome the initial limits. There is no need to reinvent the wheel; instead, just listen to the voice of reason and the collective experience of the poker community.

Simple "retraining" . ABC poker strategy is the starting point that every beginning player strives to achieve. After this bar is reached, each poker player is free to look for his own path of development. The foundation that the ABC game lays will be useful in BSS, MTT, and SnG strategies. Switching to a different game model will not cause any significant contradictions; instead, you will need to expand the decision tree and learn to organically adapt to the faces of your opponents.

Flaws

Teaches you to play “automatically” . To play the ABC strategy, you don’t need to think much, because you can follow the algorithm without any extra thought. Taking into account the fact that most poker players prefer active multitabling, after just a few days your game turns into a continuous stream of identical actions.

At micro-limits, this trend is more useful than harmful, since it allows you to save internal resources and play longer distances. The problems will start at higher limits, when the habit of automatic decision-making prevents you from thinking deeply about the hand. Whatever one may say, you will have to reconfigure your brain: at medium limits, thoughtless distributions of money do not bring money.

Exploitation of opponents is very limited . ABC poker offers a universal strategy that applies to almost all players. Of course, there is still a certain segmentation: playing against a regular is not at all the same as playing against a maniac or a telephone. However, this is not enough to maximize EV: in a situation where a professional will spend a long time looking at statistical calculations in order to find weaknesses in his opponent, the ABC player will simply press one of three buttons depending on the hand and cards on the board. The same applies to bet sizing: if a pro can overbet all-in against a “fish” and collect maximum value, then for a poker player with basic strategy the maximum gain will be ¾ sweat.

Easy to adjust . ABC poker strategy is very vulnerable because it is focused on “fair” play with strong combinations. A player's ABC ranges are heavily biased toward value because there are very few bluffs in his range. The same applies to bluff catcher hands and the call line, all of these tools are practically not used in basic strategy.

It is almost easier for an experienced regular to play against an ABC player than against a “fish”: his range is visible right through, and in most hands he can be squeezed out safely and painlessly. Fortunately, there are practically no such players at the micro-limits, so at NL2-NL5 ABC poker can bring a stable win rate.

Playing without creativity is boring . A regular player spends a significant part of his free time at the tables, and spending it robotically pressing three buttons is quite annoying. Texas Hold'em is interesting because it allows for creative play. Of course, competent execution of moves requires the presence great experience behind your back, but the game without them may seem quite boring to many.

What ABC poker techniques are most effective at the tables?

ABC poker does not offer many tools, the use of which will allow you to have a positive result. In order not to miss this opportunity, you should carefully study the following: gaming techniques. Mastery of these tools will allow you not only to master ABC poker, but also to prepare your mind for more complex patterns of play.

• Stealing Blinds - A huge part of the win rate in poker is made by playing in late positions. You need to play with a steal in the BTN and SB positions on a wide range, because often the hand can be ended preflop. If one of your opponents makes a 3-bet, resist only with strong hands - ABC poker does not require the ability to bluff through a 4-bet.
• Bet continuation - when playing ABC poker, the strategy does not require a large number of bluffs in the range. The Continuation Bet, which you can bet on the flop as a preflop aggressor, is perhaps the only type of bluff available. At the micro-stakes, people often enter the pot preflop with a marginal hand and then fold after failing to get a hold on the board. If with hand A-K If you see a flop of 6-3-J, don't despair: in most cases, betting ⅔ of the pot will win you the hand.
• Collection of value - the entire ABC poker strategy rests on the ability to collect value from players. This needs to be done by making large bets with strong made hands. Most often, top pair and higher can be considered such, but it all depends on the dynamics of the board. The greatest value is made in hands with weak players, who are nicknamed “phones” or “answerers”: they draw the worst hands to showdown, so bets against them need to be made larger and on a wider range.
• Push/fold game - this aspect of ABC poker will be useful to you when playing in multi-table and single-table tournaments. Once you have less than 13 big blinds left on your stack, you can no longer play a raise-fold line. The only way to restore your stack size is to go all-in and take the blinds and antes through fold equity. Learning how to play push-fold is quite easy; all you need to do is learn the ranges for different stacks and positions.

Poker, like many other disciplines, can be learned on your own. But you must understand the most difficult point in this whole process: you will not always be able to understand whether you are moving in the right direction. The lack of prompts from a living person often delays progress or even leads to the fact that a person stops learning.

However, if we put aside this one drawback, we can say that it is possible to learn to play on your own. And now we will tell you how to achieve this.

Required elements of a poker tutorial

First of all, you must understand that no training will produce results if it is not supported by practice. You can read best books, communicate with professionals and watch recordings of the most important championships, but if you don’t play yourself, you won’t understand a lot.

Plus, not all things are one-size-fits-all. Each player has his own tactics, and you can only understand what yours is by trying everything available

From the very first day of training register at your chosen poker room and start playing.

If you plan to play for real money over time, then we would not recommend turning to gaming applications, like World Poker Club, Poker Shark and so on. They are played by those who perceive poker solely as entertainment. Their style of play has nothing in common with real experience, so such practice will not bring much benefit to you.

Most poker rooms also have modes where you can play with virtual currency. Even if this is similar to what “toys” offer, the audience for them is more serious - often these are those who are simply taking a break from the real money game modes.

Therefore, if you are at that stage when you don’t even really know the rules yet or haven’t memorized the combinations, then you can start with this.

Over time, as you master the basics, move on to micro-limits. The mood of playing for real money will be completely different, and you also need to get used to it. The sooner you do this, the sooner you can move on to devoting yourself to intentional learning.

The best poker tutorial

As in any other area, books are almost The best way learn something new. Poker is no exception. In the not too long history of this game, not many guides have been written, but all of them are worthy of attention.

Some (David Sklansky's Theory of Poker) focus on general points that develop real-time thinking and decision-making skills. Thanks to them, you will understand how the game works and how to make your game exactly yours.

Others (Harrington on Hold'em by Dan Harrington) cover more specific topics but devote more attention to them. So, this work is a classic, and many professionals admitted that it was with its help that they came to what they have at the moment.

Others (Alan Schoonmaker's The Psychology of Poker or Roy Rounder's Poker Math Made Easy) are even more specialized, but take you into narrow but incredibly important areas of poker without which you will never reach the professional level.

We have a variety of literature-based materials, broken down by both the topics they cover and the level of difficulty, so you can start learning poker from scratch and move on to more advanced topics.

Do not immediately turn to the heaviest books. Even in the “Poker Self-Tutorials” for beginners you will find important and new things for yourself.

Videos and articles

Books are structured knowledge that is accumulated and collected into a single whole of experience. Articles are something that is on the agenda and can make your game better at the moment.

With the help of short text materials you can get acquainted with trends, learn about some techniques that are just beginning to be offered experienced players from all over the world. An important element are tests already past games, where the actions of other players are analyzed step by step.

VODs (video on demand) are similar in content, but differ in presentation. Most often, such videos are a recording gameplay with player comments. It can be either a real-time game or a recording

The convenience of video is that you see visualized information that is easier to perceive. The author offers a distribution - you pause and think about what you would do yourself - turn on the video again and see the solution and result. This can be considered a self-test that also develops your skills.

conclusions

There are quite popular paid courses on the Internet, but with the help of poker tutorials you can just as successfully master the field on your own, spending only on books that will be useful to you in the future. The only thing that can help you a lot is knowledge of English.