I wish I knew these things at the start of my poker journey! It took me YEARS to become a winning online poker player.

Loads of playing and studying, and along the way, there were many lessons learned. Too bad I didn't learn 'em sooner (like in the first 5 years ????).

I’m going to teach you the 6 things I wish I knew at the start, and I’ll give you free resources so you can learn them all for yourself starting today.

Watch the video for this podcast:

Download this podcast episode #413 and follow along below as you listen.

#1: I Wish I Knew The Power of Taking Action

My mistake: all consumption – no action and no practice.

Action is the greatest teacher.

Job: everything you do, you learned on the job.

Sports: repetitive drills develop skills.

Poker: learn something, do something.

Example: A coach tells you, “Cbet bluff on hard-to-hit flops”.

• Learn good flops to bluff on with Flopzilla Pro (example below, the caller hits only 15%!).
• Take notes on good bluffing flops, use notes in-game.

FREE Resource #1: Episode #412 Learn Something, Do Something

#2: I Wish I Knew The Power of Hand Reading

My mistake: Just playing my cards and the board.

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. – Arthur Conan Doyle

Step 1: Assign a preflop range of hands based on their play and all relevant information.

Step 2: Narrow that range through the streets based on actions and info.

This narrowed range gives us a great read on their overall strength, and we can exploit our read.

Example – TT hand and calling river:

FREE Resource #2:

#3: I Wish I Knew The Power of Measuring Stats & Win Rates

My mistake: Ignoring stats and win rates = unhealthy poker business.

You can only improve what you measure.

Your statistics reveal (1) the player you are, (2) likely leaks, (3) how they exploit you.

Your results reveal where you’re earning and losing money.

Example – My student’s #’s and how they improved with focus:

FREE Resource #3: 41 Stats and Win Rates Tracker from episode #320

#4: I Wish I Knew The Power of Playing the Player

My mistake: Failing to adjust based on my opponent for maximal exploits & profits.

The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. – Sun Tzu

You MUST play differently based on your opponents.

They’re tight? Play loose. They’re loose? Play tight.

Example – 3bet bluff with 54s (Villain 9 open/folds):

FREE Resource #4: How to Spot and Exploit the 4 Common Poker Player Types episode #289

#5: I Wish I Knew The Power of Preflop Ranges

Brian Esser took the logical (and heart-warming) step of framing the KISS Cash Game Ranges he got from Preflop Online Poker.

My mistake: NOT using ranges for years.

Ranges give you more time to factor other bits of information.

If you know +EV hands to play, you have more time to consider players/stacks/stats/positions.

Tighter ranges = mathematical advantage = more likely profits (especially in the micro and low stakes). You can widen ranges over time with experience.

Example – Tight VPIP vs Loose VPIP, tight player has ~14% mathematical advantage in the long-run:

FREE Resource #5:

#6: I Wish I Knew The Power of HUD Use

My mistake: Seeing the HUD, but NOT USING it for years.

Information is power.

The HUD is like a friend at the poker table whispering ???? to you the other player’s tendencies:

• Bob 3bet bluffs mostly from the SB.
• Suzy only cbets with TP+.

Example – 88 hand; calling a flop cbet from a turn honest player then floating turn (Villain 1 folds to the turn float):

FREE Resource #6:

Take Action!

Do the work and learn all 6 of these for yourself, starting with #1.

Learn from each free resource, play with purpose, and GET EXCITED for growing your skills!