Your journey to a successful 2026 starts today… and here’s your roadmap!

Crush your goals next year by building the habits, skills, and confidence that lead to long-term poker profits.

Take Action to Make 2026 Your Best Year Yet

Daily Action Leads to Poker Success

I am dubbing 2026, the Year of Taking Action. As you know, one of my favorite sayings is “Action is the greatest teacher.”  I live by this saying.

Make 2026 the year you play and study poker with real purpose. Do that consistently, and it will be your best poker year yet.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idpf4ZRHCMI

Listen to episode #571 as you follow along below:

Welcome to 2026… the Year of Taking Action! 

Many of you listening had a lackluster, if not a terrible poker year in 2025. And, this might even be the latest in a string of lackluster years. We’re changing that.

If you were to honestly assess how many days in 2025 you took purposeful action with poker,  like studied to plug a specific leak or you played with the goal of practicing a specific play, how many days was it? 

Now, it might be hard to give a number of days for the entire year. So, let’s just think about your average week in 2025. How many days did you play with purpose or study with purpose in a given week?

I’m not talking about just firing up a few tables and playing a normal session of poker without a strategy focus. And I’m also not talking about when you watched a poker video, but you didn’t take notes and you didn’t really try to learn anything from it, and you definitely didn’t practice anything you actually learned from it. 

I’m talking about actual days in an average week where you purposefully sat down to study or practice poker.

If your honest answer is just 2 days per week, multiply that by 52, and you purposely worked to build your skills for 104 days last year. That’s only 28% of days in 2025.

But how much better of a player would you be if you just did 1 extra day per week? 3 days x 52 weeks = 156 days of purposeful poker, or 43% of days. What if you did 4 or 5 days per week? You would’ve improved even more, yeah?

Now let me ask you about the players you play with. How many days per week do you think they purposefully study or play poker?

For my opponents, my guess is, it’s between 0-2 days per week.

So, if you’re pursuing purposeful poker 3 days or more per week, you will propel yourself further than any of them will.

One Week at a Time

I’m not a real big fan of year-long or even quarterly goals. I prefer looking at everything one month or even just one week at a time.

So, I want you to make a commitment right now to purposefully play or study in the first week of January for 1 more day than you did in the average week last year. 

So, if you averaged 2 days per week last year, commit to 3 days this week. if you succeed, next week commit to another 3 days. If you succeed again, commit to another 3 days the week after that. If you’re able to do that for 3 weeks in a row, then for the 4th week, let’s bump it up just one more day to 4 days of purposeful poker.

You will gradually build yourself through January and February to 5 days of purposeful poker every week. If you want to commit even more and get to 7, be my guest. But for most of us, if we try to go from 0 or 1 or 2 days per week, to 5 or 7 days right away, we’re going to fail. You’re more likely to succeed if you work incrementally, week by week, to build a habit of purposeful poker.

Start this week. Small actions, done on purpose, add up fast.

What Actions Do I Take?

You might not know what you want to do on a daily basis. This is where I step in. I’m your friendly neighborhood online poker coach, and I want to give you simple yet useful action steps every single day so you don’t have to think about it. 

Everyday at midnight PST, I’m sending an email to my Smart Poker Study Newsletter with a play with purpose or a study with purpose action step.

These emails are going to be short and to the point. They’re going to tell you exactly what to practice with some strategy tips, or tell you exactly what to study and the things to think about as you review hands.

Boom, you don’t have to think about what action to take. I’ll give it to you. 

Now the ball is in your court, or the chips are in your hand, and all you have to do is take action.

Join the Smart Poker Study Newsletter with the form below. At midnight PST, you’ll get the next action step. And don’t worry if you’re signing up later in the month. At the end of the month, I’ll email you a PDF recap with every action step from the entire month. That’s 31 days of action, baby! So, even if you join on the 30th of January, you’ll still get a full month of action steps! 

Easy peasy, 3bet squeezy. Join the newsletter here:

Smart Goals for 2026: Become the Player Who Can Achieve Your Dreams

Welcome to 2026!

I want to help you turn yourself into the player who can actually achieve your poker dreams.

Watch this episode #572 on YouTube:

Or, listen to episode #572 as you follow along below:

The Process of Achieving Your Poker Dreams

Becoming a better poker player doesn’t happen by accident. There’s a simple process involved, but it does require work.

Here’s how it works:

1. Define your big poker dream

2. Set goals that support that dream

3. Take consistent action

4. Build strong habits

5. Become the player capable of achieving the dream

What Are Your Poker Dreams?

Not everyone has the same poker dream:

• Winning the WSOP Main Event

• Moving from 10NL to 100NL cash games

• Going from recreational to professional poker

• Staying recreational but earning an extra $1,000 per month from poker

No matter the dream, the path is the same. You must build the habits that support it.

Goals vs. Resolutions

I am not a fan of resolutions.

For years, I set year-long resolutions and rarely followed through. Most resolutions are vague and wishy-washy, things like:

• “I’ll get healthier this year.”

• “I’ll study more poker in 2026.”

Those lack urgency and clarity. You can always “start later” with these wishy-washy ones.

Goals need structure. That’s where SMART goals come in.

SMART Goals

SMART is an acronym that helps you set goals you can actually achieve.

S – Specific

Your goal clearly states what you will do. No ambiguity. If someone reads you’re goal, they know exactly what you’ll be doing today, tomorrow and the day after.

M – Measurable

It’s trackable and quantifiable. You either did it or you didn’t.

Examples:

• Study 1 hour per day.

• Play 2 hours per day.

• Run one hand-reading exercise daily for January.

A – Actionable

You are fully in control of completing the goal. Action is the greatest teacher.

R – Realistic and Relevant

• Realistic: The goal should push you, but still be achievable.

• Relevant: It should move you toward your actual poker dream.

For example, if your dream is winning the Main Event, a goal focused on deep-stack cash game 4betting isn’t the best fit right now.

T – Time-Bound

Goals must have a defined timeframe. Time-bound goals force you to work now, not “someday.”

My SMART Goal Sentence Structure

I will ACTION in TIMEFRAME in order to build HABIT.

I’ve set two goals for January.

Goal #1: Focused Poker Play

I will play poker for one focused hour per day for 7 days in order to build the habit of distraction-free poker.

Why I chose this goal:

• Short duration allows easy adjustment.

• It directly addresses a bad habit I developed at the end of 2025.

• I was playing distracted, answering emails, planning content, and multitasking.

This goal is 100% about rebuilding focus. As of January 6th, I’ve completed five straight days of focused play.

Goal #2: Daily Action Emails

I will send a daily action step email in January in order to give extra value to my newsletter audience.

This goal helps:

• My audience take daily poker action.

• Me build the habit of creating consistent strategy content.

It’s a win-win.

Get the Free Daily Action Emails

Why Short-Term Goals Work Best

I no longer like year-long goals. They’re too easy to procrastinate on.

Short-term goals allow:

• Easy course correction.

• Flexibility around real life.

• Faster feedback on what’s working.

If a goal isn’t working after a week or two, change it. Adjust the path, not the dream.

Consistent, purposeful actions add up fast.

Take Action Today

Set a SMART goal today using this structure:

I will ACTION in TIMEFRAME in order to build HABIT.

Choose a timeframe that works for you, you can go as short as 1-3 days to start.

Don’t know what to pursue? Ask yourself this question:

What can I challenge myself to do right now to become the player who can achieve my poker dreams?

Once you know the answer, set the goal… and get to work.

Today Is Day One of Your Best Poker Year Yet

Let’s begin today to crush 2026 by building some smart study and play habits.

Listen to episode #569 as you follow along below:

Do you know how to lose weight and get healthy?

It’s simple: eat less and exercise more. 

When you eat less and exercise more, you look in the mirror and you’ll start seeing changes pretty quickly. You’ll feel stronger and lighter and hopefully you’ll need to punch a new hole in your belt. Seeing the benefits of your work will build your confidence in it, and you’ll want to keep doing more and more.

But while this process is simple, it’s not easy. What makes it difficult are all the temptations: cakes, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, McDonald’s breakfast menu, pumpkin pie, Chips Ahoy, laying in bed with your smart phone, playing video games, bingeing Stranger Things, alcohol and so much more.

The key to getting healthy is developing healthy habits that help you avoid the temptations and enjoy eating less and exercising more.

Poker Improvement Roadmap

Poker improvement is the same in that it’s simple, but not easy.

It’s simple: study and practice the things you study.

When you learn a new strategy and apply it to your game, and do this over and over again every day, you’ll quickly see the benefits:

• Your win rate will improve and bankroll will increase, and this will build your confidence.
• You’ll be in less uncomfortable spots and you’ll be confused less often.
• You’ll know the right play more often than not. 
• If you make a mistake, you’ll catch it right away and you can work to minimize those mistakes.
• Your observational skills will improve, and you’ll make better reads and exploitative plays.

But, just like with your physical health, there are poker temptations you’ll have to avoid:

• Skipping study or just “studying”, but it’s really just entertainment or passing the time.
• Playing without focus.
• Playing tired or drunk.
• Too many tables and robotic play.
• Playing in a C-game mindset and letting anger/tilt ruin session after session.

The Key to Improvement

This is the perfect time to put yourself on the path to 2026 success. 

As of the day of this podcast release, you have 27 more days to become the player you want to be.

Well, actually, in 27 days you’re not going to be that eventual player you want to be. But, you can develop the habits in 27 days that you need to become that person in 2026.

Key: Make this commitment and follow through for the rest of this year:

“I will study until I learn something, then I will play with purpose to practice that thing I learned.”

Sounds simple, right? Well it is, and you have 27 days to ingrain this as your new poker habit.

Study With Purpose

Here’s how it works. Study something, anything, for just 10 minutes with a piece of paper in front of you.

Leave a space open at the top of the paper, maybe 4-5 lines. Take notes below that section of key things you want to remember.

At the 10 minute mark, stop your studies. In that top section you left open, answer the question, “How will I practice this tonight?”

Examples:

1. You studied check-raise bluffing the flop and took some good notes.

So, you ask yourself, “How will I practice this tonight?” Here’s what you write down in that top space:

“I will defend the blinds with floppable suited and connected hands. If a mid-card and lower wet flop hits, and if I have a draw or hold a nut blocker, I’ll check-raise bluff to a size that hits his pain threshold. I’ll tag key hands for review.” 

Boom! Now you have a plan and a focus for tonight’s session.

2. You studied how to profitably call river bets. “How will I practice this tonight?”

“For every river bet I see, whether I’m involved or not, I’ll list the combos that this player is betting. If my hand is better than at least 5 combos, I’ll call. I’ll tag key hands for review.”

Simple, eh?

Practice with Purpose

You just did 10 minutes of purposeful study, you learned something useful, now you’re going to practice it.

It might take a few sessions with the same strategy focus, but guaranteed improvement incoming!

Do this tonight and every day for the rest of the month to turn yourself into a poker improvement warrior who is capable of achieving all of your 2026 poker goals. 

4 Simple Ways to Make 2026 Your Best Poker Year Ever

Click here to visit the show notes page for episode #573.

You’ll Regret Not Starting These Hand History Techniques Before 2026

Need some new techniques to enliven your study routine, build your skills and improve your results?

These 11 hand history review techniques are exactly what your coach ordered. Your database of hands will no longer be something you just glance through prior to playing a session.

You’ll find your mistakes so you can purposefully work to fix them and realize the poker gains you’ve been looking for.

Master these 11 techniques now before the new year arrives, or regret it later.

Watch podcast episode #567 on YouTube:

Or, listen to the episode as you follow along below:

Purposeful Hand History Review Techniques

HH Reviews are my opportunity to find what I’m doing wrong. Now, I can work to correct them and get back to winning.

Study time is a no pressure environment to consider every facet of each hand. Take the time to critically analyze each decision on each street.

If you’re in a slump, blame yourself (not bad luck) and get to work finding and plugging mistakes.

Don’t stop with any of the techniques below until you find a losing pattern to work on.

Let’s get to work!

Technique 1: Biggest Losing Hands

With every hand you review, ask two key questions:

“What’s he doing this with?” (Poker’s Ultimate Question)

“What did I do wrong?” (blame yourself)

To answer the two questions, you must consider every bit of info available to you:

(positions, bet/stack sizes, HUD stats, tendencies, table/tourney conditions, other players, etc.)Consider your options, opponents, stack/pot/bet sizes, etc.

Take the time to use Flopzilla Pro to range ’em and see how equities change as the hand plays out.

Technique 2: Filter for Known Leaks

Where are you losing money? 2bet/Call 3bet, Call Cbet, Call River, Call in BB, etc.

If you know you lose in this spot, filter for it and review every hand until you find your patterns of mistakes. Use the two questions above! (put ’em on a sticky note right now).

Technique 3: Opportunity to PLAY

So, 2bet and calling the 3bet is your leak. When you called, you had the option to FOLD or RAISE as well. Filter for the opportunity to make other plays (in this case, 2bet and Face a 3bet), then consider your options with each hand you review.

I’m sure you’ll find loads of mistakes to work on. Hands where you folded but should’ve called, called but should’ve raised and raised but should’ve folded.

Technique 4: Checking Your Lines

A line in poker is your street by Street actions. For example: B/X/F, B/X/B, B/B/XB, X/X/F, B/B/B, etc.

Run lines, review hands, and save all your quick filters. These are great reminders of prior studies and help to re-analyze spots months later.

Technique 5: VPIP’ing Within Hand Categories

Filter in your database for VPIP preflop and these categories: AXo, AXs, PP’s, SC’s, SG’c and Broadways.

Look at your results by position and dive into losing positions.

Also, break-up the range into sub-categories to find even further patterns to your losses.

Technique 6: Learn Something, Do Something

Maybe you learned from a video how to properly respond to a flop check-raise. Filter for that same opportunity (facing a check-raise), and analyze groups of hands with the same play made. Bet/Call, Bet/Fold and Bet/Raise hands. Analyze these with the same thought process the coach in the video used.

Ask all the same questions and review dozens of spots, then play with purpose to build your skills.

Learn something, do something is the key to skill growth.

Technique 7: Hand Reading

This is poker’s #1 skill and you must learn how to do it.

Hand reading is a simple process: Using Flopzilla Pro, assign your opponent a preflop range, then narrow that range through the streets.

Simple, but it takes a lot of reps to get good.

The best thing I ever did for myself was to go through 66 Days of Hand Reading (👉 checkout the YouTube playlist here – video #1 below).

Do one full hand reading exercise every day, and for each technique here, put at least one hand through the full exercise. This will build your range analysis skills and improve in-game reads and exploits.

Technique 8: Why’d I Lose?

This comes from my student RS… thanks for the great technique!

Use any technique here, and categorize the reason you lost the hand among these:

1. Unlucky (played fine)
2. Bad read
3. Bad bluff – could include mis-timed, mis-placed or mis-sized.
4. Tilt or just brainless play

The most frequent category illuminates your area of focus.

Technique 9: Hole Cards Exposed Hands

Create a “Learn-A-Lesson” hand tag and use it in-game.

Download all hole cards exposed hands, and do all of these 11 techniques within this database.

Knowing what they held at the time they made their play will open your eyes to what they’re capable of. And, you’ll have an exact answer for, “What’s he doing this with?”

Technique 10: Tournament Bubble Tags

This is a study strategy I’ve never heard anyone else talk about.

Create two tourney tags: “BubbleStart” and “BubbleEnd”. Use “start” when you feel bubble pressure. Use “end” when the bubble bursts.

Review all hands in between with your bubble strategies at top of mind. This will improve your in the money % and your ROI.

Technique 11: Live Hand Records

In an app or on a piece of paper, record key details of the hand so you can rebuild it and review it at home.

You need to know: Player names and tendencies, positions, stack sizes, street-by-street actions, bet sizes and board cards.

Huge recommendation: Play online for more practice with tough spots.

Take Action

Get to work with each of these hand history review techniques starting today!

One or more per day and within just a couple of weeks, you’ll be 11 steps closer to your 2026 journey success.

More episodes coming soon… gird your loins for the best year ever! 2026 here we come.