Our final tip in this series is to make friends with poker players that are better than you and discuss hands with them whenever you get the chance.
We’ve interviewed thousands of professional poker players and when we ask them how they got better, this is the number one answer.
If you’re already part of a group of poker friends chances are you’re already talking strategy, but if none of your friends are into it, it’ll pay off to branch out a bit and make friends with some good poker players.
And the good thing is, it doesn’t even have to be in real life. There’s a ton of strategy discussion on poker forums like two plus two, and you can take it one step further by joining a skype group with people who play the same stakes and games as you.
Advice That’s Right for You
Books are a great resource for learning strong fundamentals and lots of of hard data but you can’t always find out how to fix the mistakes YOU’RE making.
When you’re talking strategy with a good player you can address the exact spots that are giving you the most trouble. Usually a better player will have already encountered them and can give you great advice based on their experience.
The advice will be even more useful if you’re talking to someone who’s already beat the games and stakes you’re playing.
Staking Deals and Support
It’s pretty common in poker for good players to invest time in teaching their friends, and even go on to stake them in tournaments or cash games.
If your goal is to become a more serious poker player getting a staking deal and a poker mentor is one of the best things you can do.
And if you want to make a living playing poker, it’s really valuable to have a support network to get you through tough times and motivate you to keep working hard and playing your best.
If everything goes according to plan, sometime down the road you’ll be one giving a new player the benefit of your experience.
Follow PokerListings.com for more original poker content:
★★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PokerListings
★★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BattleofMalta
★★ Instagram: http://instagram.com/pokerlistings#