Have you ever bought a poker course, but failed to finish it? Yeah, me too!

Been there, done that, way too many times. What a waste of a great opportunity, not to mention the money I spent on the course.

So, after getting fed up with wasting my money on 3 different courses by NOT completing them, I decided to make a change and get max benefit from every course I study. And… it worked! I've now completed 2 different courses since my last failed attempt.

In the article below, I teach you the 4 hard-won lessons I learned so that you too can get the most from every poker course you buy.

Watch the video for this article:

Download this podcast episode #416 and follow along below as you listen.

4 Hard Won Lessons for Poker Course Studies

Be Open

You’ve already been there, done that with everything kind of strategy that a poker course can teach you.

You've made the play hundreds of times, seen others make it, and maybe even studied the play.

You probably have some preconceived notions that can stifle learning.

When studying any poker course, try to have a student’s mind:

• Ignore what you already know.
• Be willing to learn from the course.
• New ideas might be contrary to what you know (or think you know), so expect that.
• Be skeptical: Question what the coach teaches, but test everything for yourself.
• Take action with what you learn. It might not work for you, but you’ll never know unless you try it first.

Get my newest course:

Be Deliberate

Don’t do anything willy-nilly. You’re taking this course to learn, so take it seriously and LEARN.

Action is the greatest teacher.

Record your statistics and win rates: This allows you to see your progress at the end.

Study with Purpose: Take notes in your poker journal (get a free poker journal from episode #362), review related hands, use equity solvers (like Flopzilla Pro).

Play with Purpose: Follow action steps (create your own AN), use focus tools like tick sheets, timers, sticky notes, game tape, etc., tag hands for later review.

• Play just 1-2 tables, and at reg speed, not fast-fold.
• Turn off distractions.
• Keep your notes open as you play.
• Look for every opportunity use the strategies you learned!

Every course is laid out logically by the poker coach:

• It should progressively build skills one atop the other… so start at the start!
• Follow the coach’s recommendations.
• Take notes with every video/audio/text.
• Take action with everything along the way (episode #414 taught you 16 purposeful play and study techniques).
• Use any tools given like tick sheets, sticky notes, game tape, PDF ranges, etc.
• Don’t move on until confident/comfortable. Give yourself the time to learn. What’s more important, JUST COMPLETING the course and watching all the videos, or LEARNING from the course?

Be Dedicated

Make a plan and commit to completing the entire course with action taken along the way.

Review the course contents and break it up into manageable pieces and set a schedule (make sure to account for play time and life outside of poker as well).

Here's an example schedule to make:

• The 1-Day 3bet Bluffing Course has 17 parts (8 one-hour parts followed by 9 more days).
• Maybe you can only play/study for 2 hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week.
• You think you can manage 1 part per day = 3 parts per week = 6 weeks to complete this course.
• Schedule your study and play in your planner: Friday’s at 7pm, Saturdays at 9am, Sundays at 2pm

Verbalize your commitment: “I’m going to learn all I can and turn myself into a 3bet bluffing machine by taking action with everything I’m taught.”

Be JOMO

Feel the Joy Of Missing Out – the opposite of FOMO (the fear of missing out).

You're studying THIS course and NOTHING ELSE until your commitment is complete.

All those shiny distractions (new videos, pods, articles, emails in your feed)… ignore 'em!

Your poker journey is best served by focusing on this course you paid good money for because you know it’s something you need. All that free stuff coming at you can wait.

*Pro Tip* Copy and paste URL’s in a section called “Future Studies“ in your journal. This helps you ignore shiny distractions and you can study 'em later.

Take Action!

Revisit an uncompleted poker course (or get the 1-Day 3bet Bluffing Course) and…

1. Be Open – willing to learn and practice strategies

2. Be Deliberate – play and study with purpose

3. Be Dedicated – plan and COMMIT!

4. Be JOMO – take joy in missing out on non-course items