Learning poker:

roadblocks to success

by aaron wiltontilt wilt

 the book
preface
18 roadblocks to poker success:
1. 1 you get 1-on-1 coaching too soon
2. 2 you always have to be right: your thinking is inflexible
3. 3 you ask the wrong questions
4. 4 you use your poker study time inefficiently
5. 5 you think past success means future success
6. 6 you are scared of poker math
7. 7 you are results oriented
8. 8 you make the same mistakes over and over again
9. 9 you want to be a jack-of-all-trades and become a master-of-none
10.
10 you choose a bad coach
11.
11 you expect to be spoon-fed
12.
12 you dont know what you dont know
13.
13 you watch the wrong videos or youre a video zombie
14.
14 you focus too much or too little on your mental game
15.
15 you ask for advice and then dont take it
16.
16 you have no respect for variance
17.
17 you arent making poker friends
18.
18 what you know might be flawed

conclusion

the author
Aaron wiltontilt Wilt is a high stakes professional poker player. In the past
6 years he has won more than $2,000,000 playing poker. he has personally
coached 100+ players through his website plusevpoker.com and taught
thousands more through the 200+ poker training videos he has produced for
DeucesCracked.com.

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 preface
You may not realize it, but how you approach learning poker is one of the
biggest factors in determining your success. My students have had a wide range
of experiences, aptitudes, learning styles, motivations and attitudes towards
poker. Many of my students have succeeded and are now playing professionally,
but others have given up; the trends I have noticed between those who have
succeeded and those who have failed are telling.

In this ebook I explore those trends with the purpose of helping you examine your
approach to studying poker and overcome the roadblocks that would otherwise
impede your success. You will become more self-aware as a student of the game,
which will allow you to play poker better and faster. This ebook highlights the
most common mistakes players make in their poker learning and it gives you the
correct mindset; instead of getting into a rut, being constantly tilted and feeling
hopeless, you will be motivated, confident and excited to continue mastering
this intricate game.

Specifically, you will learn to avoid the 18 most common roadblocks to a successful
poker education. By first becoming aware of these roadblocks and then working
to overcome them, you can enjoy greater success in poker.

Each poker player has a unique playing and learning style. While a playing
style that works for one player may not work for another, there are certain
fundamental truths in poker theory that apply to everyone such as balance,
position, mathematics and hand range analysis. These fundamental truths
supersede style. The same is true of poker learning. Despite different learning
styles, there are common roadblocks which can prevent all types of learners
from achieving the poker success that they seek.

background
Throughout the past several years, poker has been a roller coaster of boom and
bust. From Chris Moneymaker winning the World Series of Poker in 2003 to the
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to Black Friday, the face
of poker has grown and changed.

With the explosion and recession of poker throughout the years, the ability to
make serious money has become harder and harder. There are several reasons
for this ranging from accessibility of deposits and withdrawals, the expansion
of poker web forums, the general level of interest in poker TV programs, the
prominence of paid poker coaching, video-based poker training sites and more.

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The impact each of these factors has had on the game is debatable, but what
cannot be argued is the ongoing trend toward tougher and tougher games.

From 2008 to the beginning of 2011, as the competition increased, so did poker
learning. The coaching industry grew, in all its forms. Training sites expanded
and increased in number. People became more focused at not only beating the
fish, but also at finding edges against the other regulars. Almost everyone
even marginally serious about poker utilized strategy forums and video-based
training sites. Many also invested in 1-on-1 coaching.

The events of Black Friday shifted the focus from playing, learning and breathing
poker to, Oh %#*!, who stole my money? Some players have moved to other
countries in order to continue their poker quest; others started grinding live
games; a few decided to try the tournament circuit; some are just waiting for
legislation and many are simply praying that they will get their money back.

With the decrease in the number of people consuming online poker learning,
some training sites have let their quality deteriorate and slipped into bankroll
preservation mode, relying more and more on their backlog of dated content.
Fewer customers means less money to pay top instructors and a number of
big names have left their training sites altogether. Less time is being spent on
optimizing user experience and creating quality content.

Now more than ever it is up to you to focus on quality poker learning. Make sure
the training site you subscribe to is keeping your best interests in mind and not
just their own.

foreground
As of this writing, there are rumors about potential poker legislation at both the
state and federal level in the United States. Given that the US brings a lot of
players and money into the poker economy, interested parties around the globe
are keeping a close eye on these developments.

Combining the potential influx of fresh meat (or fish?) to the poker economy
with the current lulled climate of poker training, there is now an opportunity for
you to gain a significant edge against your peers. Those who train hard now,
actively playing and studying, will be better positioned when poker legislation
passes.

I am not saying that you should sign up for all of the training sites. Nor I am saying
that you should hire a coach. You do not need to spend money to accomplish
what I am advocating. There are plenty of free ways to get better at poker

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 including web forums, talking with friends, using poker simulators, reviewing
your old poker hand database, and more. The resources are there, both free and
paid services. Use them as your motivation and your bankroll allow.

The catastrophe of Black Friday has created an opportunity for you to gain a
skill edge over the less motivated. You should be cognizant and motivated to not
completely throw away the momentum that you might have gained learning
poker pre-Black Friday and if you werent serious about studying then, now is
the time to catch up before legislation passes.

18 most common roadblocks to poker success

In no particular order, what follows is a detailed list of the most common
roadblocks to success in poker. You will likely notice some that apply to you,
your friends or your opponents. Perhaps a few of these used to apply to you, but
you have conquered them. I have experienced a number of these roadblocks
myself and overcoming them has been a ma jor factor in my success.

All of the roadblocks I am outlining fall into one or more of these four categories:
1.
1 motivation
2.
2 work ethic
3.
3 ego
4 results oriented thinking
4.

Be diligent in paying attention to your own traits and how they affect your
progression as a poker player. As you identify them, work to avoid them and you
will be better positioned to overcome all of these roadblocks.

road
block you get 1-on-1 coaching too soon
It might surprise some of you that I advocate against getting 1-on-1
coaching right away. If youve seen my Ha j School and PokerSense
videos on DeucesCracked, you already know what Im going to say:
1-on-1 coaching is expensive and I recommend avoiding it until you have made
extensive use of the cheap and free resources.

The free resources include poker forums, internet chats with poker friends, poker
tests, poker simulators, studying hands youve played, podcasts, articles, etc. As
for cheap resources, the video-based training sites are typically around $30
per month and even less if you consider rakeback promotions and long-term

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commitments. There are also advanced hand simulators and plenty of excellent
poker books.

At PlusEVPoker.com, I have a web and mobile application that is free to use

and that I think will change the face of the poker learning industry, allowing
you the opportunity to truly test yourself with interesting poker situations while
simultaneously learning my poker strategies. One of the best features of my
resources is the accessibility: they are usable on your computer or smartphone.
Read more about it here: The Missing Piece of Poker Learning.

When it comes to coaching, there is a lot I could say about the quality of the
coach, but Ill leave that for another time. The focus on this roadblock is figuring
out when is a good time for you to get coaching.

A ma jor benefit of 1-on-1 coaching is identifying incorrect thought processes and

dubious assumptions. In order to accurately examine and discuss your thought
process, you need to actually have a thought process! If you tend to rely on gut
feelings when you are playing poker and cannot verbalize the why behind
each action, you are most likely not a good candidate for 1-on-1 coaching.

It will help you greatly to learn and understand some common situations by
using free and cheap resources. By honing your thought process in different
spots, you will be better positioned to increase your level of understanding,
which will increase your win-rate and allow you to gain maximum benefits from
1-on-1 coaching, if you decide to go that route in the future.

1-on-1 coaching is most effective (assuming you have a good coach, which
I should note is a very big assumption) for advanced learning, such as how
and when to deviate from the standard lines, how and when to deviate from
Game Theory Optimal (GTO) approximations, becoming better at reading hand
ranges, knowing when to focus on balanced vs exploitable strategies, adjusting
to current game trends, self control and identifying leaks specific to your game.
If you dont know what some of those things are or when you might apply them,
most likely you are not in a position to maximize your time and ROI with 1-on-1
coaching.

A common trait of a person who gets 1-on-1 coaching too soon is not playing
enough poker. One problem with a lack of playing volume is the negative
impact on hand range analysis. Something I do in every coaching session is
have my students assign a hand range to their opponent and then I assign a
hand range. Examining the differences between the ranges we select is one of
the best learning tools. Usually the differences can be correlated to mistakes
in the students thought process. Adding or subtracting even one hand or a
few combinations of hands can mean the difference between calling, folding or
raising. If your coach doesnt do this type of thing, find a new coach.

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 This roadblock most often stems from a lack of motivation and work ethic. People
who want to jump into coaching right away are generally people that want an
overnight progression from zero to hero. They dont want to put in the time
and effort to study outside of the sessions, so more time is spent in the sessions
covering simple things instead of deeper discussion of the intricacies of good
poker decision-making.

If your goal isnt to maximize your return on investment, then ignore my advice
and get 1-on-1 coaching. Remember that time spent on the basics at tens or
hundreds of dollars per hour is money not spent on more advanced concepts.
You can learn the simple stuff from cheaper methods, so do it!

road
block you always have to be right
How many of you know people who will not admit to making a mistake?
Have you ever noticed that when discussing poker with someone like
that, they tend to change the reads, variables and assumptions in order
to justify their actions? This is one of the most common traits of poker students
and it might be the single biggest reason why so many people fail at poker.

Poker is a game of incomplete information and there is a constant need for

adjustments. If you arent open to changing your thinking and insist that you are
always right, this mindset will be your downfall: the games will evolve past you
and your opponents will out-adjust you.

Ive had students send me a hand and list specific reads of dubious origin. They
heavily weight unverifiable reads (timing, game flow, perceived thought process,
etc.) in order to construct a situation where the only right answer is the one
they chose. If I point out a potential fault in their reasoning, instead of taking a
critical look at themselves they change the unverifiable data to support their
case. Essentially, they end up asking, Villains hand range is the nuts; did I make
the right fold? When put that way, it is obviously a ridiculous question, but
people do this sort of thing all the time without realizing it. If you would rather
win at poker than be right, do not do this.

road
block you ask the wrong questions
Depending on where you are in your poker journey, this roadblock
might be less important for you than some others. If you are no longer a
complete newbie, chances are you are making this mistake quite often.

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When thinking about situations in poker, follow a process like this:

1.
1 What is our opponents hand range? Take into consideration all the variables
including: stats, recent history, notes, timing and physical reads (if live).
2
2. What is our hand range from the villains perspective (our perceived range)?
3 Are we concerned with balancing our range or GTO concepts against this
3.
player? If yes, where is our current hand within our range: top, bottom or
middle?
4 Given the previous answers, what is the best action?
4.

This a simplification of an advanced players thought process, but it serves as

a general framework on how to think about and discuss poker. People tend to
move in and out of these steps or skip them altogether. When asking questions,
they should be with the purpose of answering 1 2 and 3 in order to try and
answer 4 .

good questions
Good questions will typically take some piece of information we already have
and try to build on it, giving a more complete view of the bigger picture.

I got re-raised by a player who seems to play tight, but has an overall 3bet stat
of 9. With me being UTG are you putting TT in villains hand range here? Why
or why not?

Based on villain showing down 9To when raising UTG, should we also include
combinations of hands like J9o or T8o in villains range?

I think villain can slowplay the turn and make it to the river with the nuts, but
might also raise the turn, how can I determine the likelihood of each action?

Given that villain has folded to my re-raise twice in a row, what reaction should
I expect to my next re-raise?

Villain called me really quickly, should I read this as weakness or strength in this
scenario?

I think I can profitably raise here, but is a call better to induce future bluffs?

Bad questions
Bad--or suboptimal--questions ignore information weve already gathered or
oversimplify the situation. The best way to avoid bad questions is to keep better
track of all the answers to previous questions (or notes/reads) and then build on
them.

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Do you think villain is bluffing?
Villain can play hand X this way which is the nuts, so I should fold right?
My gut says villain has it this time, can I fold?
I know villain is aggressive and can be bluffing here.
Villain will be scared of my overbet.

If you ask these types of questions or make these kinds of statements often,
it doesnt mean you are dumb, but you are glossing over details and making
assumptions that you arent aware of. Change these bad questions into good
questions by simply adding context and being sure to not oversimplify.

To better understand how to ask good questions, we will examine why each of
the examples above might be suboptimal:

Do you think villain is bluffing?

This question oversimplifies the situation and fails to consider all of the context.
Perhaps the hand played out in some way that your opponent is very likely to
have showdown value and is therefore less likely to be bluffing. Perhaps the
player is a nit or a maniac. Perhaps all the draws missed and the villain is likely
to have air. Perhaps because of villains preflop range, there arent many of the
busted draws possible. We dont know without some more context.

By simply adding the words how often to the beginning of the question, we
change our perspective to looking at the range of possible hands rather than a
singular case: How often do you think villain is bluffing?

Here are some examples of how to shape this question into a good one:
How many combinations of busted draws does villain have here?
How likely is villain to have showdown value here?
Has villain been caught bluffing in this scenario or a similar one recently?

Villain can play hand X this way which is the nuts, so I should fold right?
This question also oversimplifies the situation by assuming that since one
holding (the nuts) is in villains range the best action is to fold. A player being
capable of having the nuts in a given scenario says nothing about the rest of
the possible hands. Make this question better by saying, I know villain can have
the nuts here, but are there any hands which he might value bet that are worse
than mine or could he play any busted draws this way?

My gut says villain has it this time, can I fold?

Gut feelings and intuition are a part of poker and you will often hear good players
talk about how they trust their instincts when playing. However, its futile to
phrase questions or make statements about how you played a hand when the

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basis of it is something that is unverifiable. That doesnt mean what you feel is
wrong or invalid. Theres simply nothing to discuss, if your sole basis for making
the play was a gut feeling.

Make this question better by stating, Villains range could have a lot of bluffs in
it, but villain really seemed strong when putting the chips in the pot, so I made
a tight fold. By stating the situation in this manner, you are acknowledging that
you could have been wrong and there is room for discussion, but ultimately you
felt that one factor--your instinct--trumped the normal hand reading analysis. A
word of warning: this type of thought process can be a roadblock in and of itself.
Use caution and make sure you are analyzing the situation even while trusting
your gut!

I know villain is aggressive and can be bluffing here.

This is too general. Instead of only noting villains overall aggressiveness, analyze
the situation and determine if villain would be aggressive in this exact situation.

Change the statement to something like, Villain is really aggressive and has a
preflop range that doesnt connect with this board very often, so villain has a lot
of air to bluff with here.

villain will be scared of my overbet.

Ok... based on what? Be careful with broad statements that arent backed up by
good reasoning. At least if you give some reasoning, you have the chance to be
corrected or debated when you make an error. These types of statements give
tunnel vision and are dangerous without knowing more about the situation.

A better way of making this statement is, Villains range is capped and mine is
not. Villain seems like a conservative player, so if I overbet here villain shouldnt
be too happy about calling.

That gives you some insight into making your questions and statements reflect
a wider and more accurate view of the situations you are discussing. If you are
a new player, this is difficult and something you should work towards achieving.
Some of you who have been around the block for a few years still dont do this and
it is holding you back. The quick oversimplifications and broad generalizations
cloud your ability to accurately assess the details of the situation.

A good poker coach will reframe your suboptimal questions into good ones
before answering them or at least answer in a way that fully describes the
situation so that you can see all of the variables needed to make a good decision.

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road
block your poker study lacks efficiency
This is a roadblock that Ive found in myself when trying to pick up a new
game. Between the poker forums, poker videos, simulation tools, articles,
etc. there are often many different areas you can be spending your time
to get better. Having all these options is a double-edged sword: you can get
many different strategic views, but it is also your responsibility to effectively
and efficiently use these tools.

When transitioning into playing more PLO, I was in the same ineffective study rut
that I see plaguing my students. I would play some hands, review my database
for a little bit, watch half of a video, get interrupted or distracted and then come
back to the video forgetting what was going on when I left.

Sometimes I would watch a video while playing some hands which is an inefficient
way to study since learning poker is a complex and detail-oriented process that
requires your full attention. In trying to study and play at the same time, I ended
up doing both poorly. I would miss a nuance in what the instructor was saying
or fail to digest a key hand that would have given me a read on my opponent.

I have found that the most effective way to study is to set aside blocks of time
that are devoted to focusing on a single type of study with an effort toward
avoiding distractions. In my experience, poker study takes as much or more
brain power than playing.

The problem with the above solution of setting aside blocks of time to study
poker is that life often gets in the way. If you have a job, family, or a lot of
responsibilities, blocking off an hour to watch an uninterrupted video isnt easy.
To solve this problem, I have developed a learning process that will hopefully
allow people with a busy schedule to get in and get out of poker learning in a
concise way.

My web/smartphone app, allows users to test themselves with poker strategy

questions and then immediately hear or read my detailed feedback on the
answer. In addition, the app gives you statistical information about how others
answered. You can learn from relevant, interesting poker questions in five to
fifteen minute chunks, which is perfect for people who want to study poker
while commuting to work or on their lunch break or any time they have a few
extra minutes.

Here is the link again, if youd like to see more: PlusEVPoker.com

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road you think that past success
block means future success
Just because you used to be a world class tiddlywinks player doesnt
mean you will be a good poker player. It also doesnt mean you will
naturally progress faster or better at poker than someone else. The
assumption that you have a leg up on your opponents because of some previous
success might be true, but it is no guarantee and it should not be used as an
excuse to not work hard at poker.

The same is true for past poker success. The games are constantly becoming
more challenging and serious players try to increase their edge in different
ways. It takes more work today than ever before to make big money at poker.
Breaking even for 100,000+ hands happens. Some of todays fish could have
been winners in the games five or ten years ago. This is not to scare you, its
simply a warning that becoming an efficient poker learner is more important
now than ever before.

When I make these statements to people they have one of two reactions:
1 They get scared and want to quit.
1.
2.
2 They get more motivated to work hard and be one of the successful players.

Which type are you?

road
block you are scared of poker math
Yes, I know poker math is boring. And yes, I know Phil Hellmuth won a
gazillion bracelets while thinking AKo is a better hand than AKs because
AKo can make two flushes. People can win without knowing the math,
but you will be a far better thinker with it.

You dont have to do fold equity and g-bucks calculations until your fingers
become raw, but you should at least familiarize yourself with the ideas behind
them. Play around with the various tools and simulators. Many of them are free
and cheap. Look at your favorite video training site and you will probably find
some videos showing you some basics on how to use them. I produced 8 videos
on DeucesCracked that teach poker math, starting from the basics and working
up to the more advanced. There are also books that teach these concepts.

Do yourself a favor and get comfortable with poker math. You dont have to
be an expert, but if you struggle with the ideas behind hand range analysis,

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 hand combinations, frequency of bluffs and value bets, expected value (EV),
polarization, odds and ratios, you are doing yourself a disservice by ignoring
this part of poker. For those of you who are tournament players, this could be
even more important for you than the cash players, specifically late game push/
fold strategy.

Understanding math concepts such as risk/reward calculations, fold equity, and

hand combinations allows you to model common situations in a way that helps
you make better decisions. Have you ever wondered what an optimal continuation
bet size is against a certain player? How would you go about figuring that out?
If you can do some basic work in Excel and know a bit about EV calculations,
you can create models of poker situations that will help you get a better overall
understanding of how to approach a certain spot.

If youre Phil Ivey, feel free to skip all of this stuff. If youre one of the rest of us
mere mortals, get to work!

road
block you are too results oriented
You made it to the river with top pair, medium kicker. You think your
opponent is bluffing. Villain has been a maniac all day, missed value
bets left and right, is super polarized and heavily weighted toward air.
Villain goes all in and you call. Villain has the nuts.

What is the first thing that enters your mind here? Damn, I should have folded!
or I knew he had it! or Ugh, I made a bad call, I had a 9 kicker! If these types
of things enter your mind on a regular basis, you might be too results oriented.

Poker is a game of incomplete information. We make the best estimate of our

opponents range and use that to determine what action to take. Even when we
make the correct decision (given what we know), some percentage of the time
will be wrong. The question is not, Does villain have it? The question is, How
often does villain have it? Stating the question that way acknowledges that
sometimes villain will have it and sometimes villain wont.

We examine the pot odds and compare them to our estimations of villains hand
range. If the odds are favorable, yet we called and lost, we still made a profitable
play. Exclaiming afterwards, I should have folded! without any new reasoning or
insight that might change our original assumptions is worthless and distracting
to your poker development.

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road
block You make the same mistakes over and over
This roadblock is one that we can all relate to in one way or another.
Some common instances of this mistake might be ignoring your stop
loss or playing above your bankroll, however this roadblock is deeper
than that. We can find instances of this mistake happening during all of our
poker-related activities: playing, discussing, learning, etc. Fixing these mistakes
can reap some of the biggest benefits to your overall progress simply because
mistakes can manifest themselves often and repeatedly.

One example of this road block which might not seem immediately obvious is
the effect of making an informational mistake. This mistake affects me when I
dont take into account all of the information my opponents give and use it to
my advantage. I repeat the same faulty assumptions, even though they have
given me new information that would let me avoid the mistake.

Im playing an opponent heads up. I have seen that he is the type of opponent
who will routinely checkraise the flop, if he has top pair or better. If I fail to
realize this and dont adjust my cbet range, the range I call his checkraise with
and the range of hands I expect him to have when he doesnt raise, then I am
going to make a lot of mistakes. If I recognize the information when it is first
given, I can avoid repeating the same mistake over and over. The longer it takes
to see the mistakes and make the correct adjustments, the more money we leak.
The lesson here is to always pay attention and ask yourself what you can do to
avoid turning one mistake into multiple mistakes.

Another example related to poker learning might be your study habits. Are you
the type who only watches videos right before bedtime? Every time you turn
on that new WiltOnTilt video you start sawing logs? Maybe its time to realize
that your study time would be more productive if you watch videos while alert
and awake and not as a sleep aid. Its easy to think that youre improving and
retaining information when you might not be doing so as much as you think.

road You want to be a jack-of-all-trades

block and become a master-of-none
When it comes to online poker and small/mid stakes live poker, it is better
to become a master of one game rather than dabbling in multiple games.
One exception to this might be if you play somewhere with consistent
mixed game action. If the mixed game you play always has the same format,
and runs often, then for this discussion mixed games will count as one game.

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 The conventional wisdom of the poker grey beards is that you want to be good
at everything so that no matter what game the fish wants to play, you will be able
to play with them and make money. If you are reading this book, this wisdom
will generally not apply to you. There are some exceptions, but your best bet
is to focus on one game until you have achieved a certain level of mastery. An
indicator of mastery is when you feel that you have a consistent, sizable edge in
the games/stakes you normally play. At that point branching out to new games
makes some sense, but until then trying to be a jack-of-all-trades will stunt your
growth.

Online poker allows for high hand volume. You can play multiple tables and get
in hundreds of hands per hour. The poker knowledge you retain can lead to a
favorable growth in your poker study time ROI. This is one of the reasons why
poker is so popular: the idea that eventually you can get good enough to move
up stakes and perhaps quit your job.

The problem is, poker is hard and becoming an expert at a certain game takes a
significant amount of time and energy. If you are constantly changing between
different games such as full ring NLHE, heads up PLO, 6max LE, and 6max 2-7
triple draw, these games are different enough where there wont be a significant
amount of overlap when you are starting out. Once you gain more experience
at a certain game, you might be able to draw some parallels, but in the early
stages of learning poker, trying to learn it all will lead most people down a path
of consistent mediocrity. Being mediocre usually doesnt lead to much money
in poker.

If you need a break or you want to play a new game with some friends for
fun, go for it. There is nothing wrong with that, but use good judgment. Have a
separate bankroll for your dabbling games. Realize that the time you spend on
this other game is an opportunity cost to progressing at your main game. Dont
complain that youve been playing online poker for 3 years and are still not
winning when youve bounced around the map and havent dedicated yourself
to really improving.

road
block You choose a bad coach
There has been much discussion recently about poker coaching.
Some coaches have been correctly roasted for scamming students
and portraying themselves as something they arent. Some have
put out e-books stating impossible claims. Others have doctored graphs or
databases to show phantom winnings. The market has become very predatory
and it is difficult for an inexperienced poker player to tell when they are being
fed bullshit. It creates an environment where buyer beware is especially true.

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How does one choose a good coach?
There are different motivations for coaching poker. Some coaches like teaching;
some like the ego boost of watching their students succeed; some like the
variance free money. All of these have applied to me at varying parts of my
poker career and are all legitimate. Other coaches have different reasons that
arent legitimate, however. One of the worst being that they coach because they
dont have an edge when playing. These are the people you should be wary of.

There was a long discussion in a recent thread on 2+2 about whether or not a
coach needs to be a long term winning player to be a good coach. The logic
some people cited was similar to Tiger Woods golf coach cant win on the PGA
Tour, yet he is still valuable to Tiger, therefore poker coaches that cant win at
poker can still provide value to their students. While Im sure there could be
some set of circumstances where this is true (perhaps a very knowledgeable
coach has extreme mental stability problems), generally speaking you should
avoid coaches who arent spending most of their work-time grinding hands. If
someone is coaching more than they are playing, that is a red flag.

For the sake of argument, lets say these people are correct, that non-playing
poker coaches can still provide you value. So what? With so many poker coaches
out there, you have the option to choose between those who play and coach
compared to those who only coach. The decision is simple.

Another ma jor consideration is whether or not a coach has teaching skill. A good
way to find out is to watch their videos on the various training sites. What if they
dont make videos? I would take a similar stance as the previous paragraph:
With so many poker coaches making videos, why not choose one who you can
listen to their thought process prior to hiring them? It doesnt only have to be
videos, the same could be said for posts on a poker forum or a podcast or
something of that nature. Do some research and consume the information they
have already put out there. Make sure what they are saying makes sense to you.
Its possible to find good players who you do not agree with their teaching. I
watch poker videos on occasion just to see how other people are thinking about
different spots and I disagree with certain strategy and teaching methods that I
have seen from other profitable players. The point is, try before you buy.

Before hiring a coach, ask for some references or try to find others who have
taken lessons from the coach. Hearing about someone elses experiences will be
valuable. Ask questions like these:
Was the coach able to deliver on promises?
...consistently on time?
...available for questions between lessons?
...friendly and considerate?
...thought provoking?
Were your eyes opened to new concepts?

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 These types of questions will help you determine whether or not a coach is for
you and are more valuable than asking for the students results after hiring
the coach. While the student results can be correlated to the coaching, it isnt
a 100% cause and effect relationship. Many of the reasons why, as you might
guess, are outlined as roadblocks in this book.

Still having trouble finding the right match? Try asking someone you respect
for their opinion. Ask some of the lead coaches on the training sites who they
might suggest for you. For instance, I have coached several players who are
now coaches themselves on a few of the different training sites. Its difficult for
a person relatively new to poker, especially online poker, to accurately assess
someone elses poker knowledge. Ask for advice from those whom you trust.

Some coaches offer blocks of lessons at a discount. Be careful about entering

into one of these agreements unless you are very sure you are comfortable with
the coachs personality, availability and poker knowledge. Try the coach out
for an hour or two first, then buy the block of hours if you are satisfied. If the
coach is flaky or unavailable for questions by email or by some kind of text chat
program between lessons, then find a new coach.

road
block You expect to be spoon-fed
Poker is not a game where simply sitting down and being told what to
do will lead to lasting success. It is much more important to learn how
to think about poker and situations, specifically from a hand range
and strategy adjustment perspective. Nobody cares as much about your poker
success as you do, therefore it is up to you to take an active role in your learning.
When you dont understand something, ask! If you are having trouble with a
certain situation, send a message to your favorite training site coach and ask
them for their opinion. If you are in a coaching session and the coach is saying
something you dont understand, stop and focus on that before moving on.

Being passive and hoping that the video you are watching or the coach you are
hiring will teach you step by step what to do to win is a losing proposition. In a
given hand, there could be hundreds of subtle concepts at work. Learning each
concept in isolation isnt possible. Even if you could do it, figuring out how to
apply what you learned isnt easy. Its the interaction of each of the concepts
together in a given hand that makes poker a hard game to master and also
allows for creativity and expanding edges over your opponents, if you can more
accurately assess, adjust and exploit the information.

Try to isolate the concepts that you are missing and then go after them. Dont
wait for the knowledge to come to you.

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road
block You dont know what you dont know
You dont know what you dont know is one of my favorite phrases.
The sooner you can identify that there are things going on in a poker
hand that you arent even aware of, the more open your mind will be
to taking in all the information around you.

When attempting to learn stock investment strategies over the last several
months, I found myself constantly making this observation. There is so much
going on with valuing a company or identifying a good trade, or assessing the
profitability of a new market that I got overwhelmed at times. I realized that
for each concept I learned there were probably ten that I didnt even know
existed and therefore had no idea I needed to seek them out. While making this
realization made learning to invest a bit of a daunting task, it did help me avoid
the DunningKruger effect.

The DunningKruger effect is deadly in poker, as well as investing and other

pursuits in life. In short, the cognitive bias called the Dunning-Kruger effect
states that those who lack skills and experience in a given field tend to assume
they have some intellectual superiority and rate their skills higher than average,
while those who are highly skilled in a subject area underrate their own skills.
In other words, once you gain a few skills, you tend to think you are much better
at poker than you are. Once you actually get a lot better, you realize how much
more there is to know.

The first part of the Dunning-Kruger effect is directly related to this roadblock.
When you learn some basic skills and start winning at smaller stakes, you might
assume thats all there is to it and you are significantly more skilled than others.
The problem is that you dont know what you dont know. Once you get more
experience and become highly skilled, you might actually start overvaluing
other players abilities, assuming they know what you know and more. This can
also be a problem, especially as it relates to battles between the regular players.
You could make a play that will only work when your opponent has a very high
level of understanding of the game dynamics. You might overrate their abilities
and thought process and have the advanced play youre making blow up in your
face as a result.

Perhaps we should put an addendum to this roadblock. Not only is it you dont
know what you dont know, but also that you dont know what others know. Both
can be harmful, but the former is much worse than the latter. Overconfidence is
one of the most common bankroll killers.

Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.

-Charles Darwin

18 +evpoker
road
block You are a video zombie
Which videos are you most excited to watch? Are they the high stakes
videos with big money stacks flying around or are they the ones that
are at your current stake level? Do you like the theory videos with lots
of powerpoint slides and discussion or do you prefer fast action videos with the
coach talking as they are playing?

There is room for all of these types of videos in your learning quest. Some of you
will learn best by powerpoint slides and theoretical discussion. Others of you
will learn best by focusing on each play the coach makes and the long winded
explanations just fall on deaf ears. There are some things to consider about
these different types of videos and figuring out which are best for you.

Should a small stakes player watch high stakes videos? Yes, as long as you are
actively listening and thinking.

Make liberal use of the pause button. Before a coach starts explaining the thought
process, pause the video and try to predict what will be said, then examine the
differences or additions. Take notes on the video. Write down time stamps of
situations you didnt understand or disagree with and ask someone (perhaps
your 1-on-1 coach or the person who made the video). There are a handful of
people on DeucesCracked who consistently ask me very good and thought
provoking questions. Typically they make use of the good questions that I
outlined earlier. Those people are maximizing their time spent watching my
videos as opposed to those who turn the video on and turn their brain off. Again,
no spoon-feeding.

While watching the high stakes video, be sure you are paying as much attention
to the thought process as possible. It is crucial for you to recognize the difference
between what the coach is doing in those videos compared to what you will
need to do as a player at smaller stakes. Typically, the higher stakes videos are
made by the lead coaches, and the lead coaches are typically the best thinkers,
so you want to pay attention to what they have to say. Be aware that you should
not always mimic what they do, but you should try to absorb their thought
processes and the variables or factors they think are important so you can mold
those to your own game.

The best videos for most of you are the ones where the lead instructors are
doing content at your stakes. Much of the content Ive made for DeucesCracked
is in this style of video, at stakes ranging from 10c/25c to $25/$50. Usually it is
video or hand history review of someone else playing in those games. These are
the best videos for two reasons:

19 +evpoker
 1 You get a high level thinker giving analysis on players who are at your skill
1.
level. This allows you to not only pay attention to the thought process but
more easily adapt it to your game right away.
2 The video reviews allow the coach to use the pause button to expand on
2.
concepts and not be rushed before the next hand is happening. (Same
applies to hand history reviews).

As for theory videos, these are important, but be sure not to turn your brain off.
When there is a lot of theoretical content thrown at you, it can be easy for your
mind to wander. I know it is for me. Try breaking them up or listening to them on
your way to work, when theres not much else to do aside from listening.

Although the videos made by the high stakes or lead coaches are best, there
is plenty of value in watching videos made by regulars at your stakes. You get
to hear how similar players think, both from a learning perspective and an
exploitability perspective. If you are finding yourself consistently disagreeing
with the coach, then ask someone you trust to take a look at the video and find
out what they think. Ive had people message me in the past asking about what
another coach did or said in the video. Sometimes I agreed with the coach,
other times I sided with the player.

Dont be a video zombie. Watch with a critical eye. Learn not only from what the
coach is doing and saying, but also from what youre seeing people on the video
show down in various situations. Get maximum use out of your time watching
videos. Avoid watching videos right before bedtime. There is so much cheap
content out there to learn from, yet most people cant be bothered with it.

The poker learning application at PlusEVPoker.com helps tackle this roadblock

by keeping each poker learning spurt short and concise. You no longer have
to sit through an hour long video to find something to learn from. There are
also statistics that allow you to compare your understanding of various poker
situations against your peers. Using this tool, you can get a lot of good information
about how others think. The next time you encounter an unknown player in a
situation youve studied using my application, you will have a better idea of
what the average players thought process is.

road
block too much or too little mental game focus
As poker becomes more difficult, people look to all areas of their
game that they can be improved for an extra edge. One of the areas
that has gained in popularity over the past couple years is the mental
game. Devoting an appropriate level of time and energy to your mental game is
a difficult task and one that varies from player to player.

20 +evpoker
 The mental game encompasses your focus, stability, ability to avoid or reduce
tilt, putting in more hours and the like. Two pioneers of this field have emerged
to help us increase our mental game: Tommy Angelo and Jared Tendler. Both
have written books that I highly recommend and both have approaches to help
with the mental game that many have found invaluable.

The level of importance you assign to your mental game compared to your
other skills can be a roadblock. While the mental aspects are important, they do
not trump your technical skills. Some might say what good are your technical
skills if you tilt like a monkey every time you get a bad beat? The better you
are at poker, the less your frustration will affect your level of play. As your skills
sink into your unconscious brain, it becomes easier for you to play well during a
bad run. As your technical game increases, even when playing your C-game, it
can be good enough to beat others A-game. This does not invalidate the mental
aspect of the game, but it can never replace the importance of technical skills. If
you have limited time and need to choose between working on one or the other,
the choice should be technical skills.

Some people completely dismiss the mental aspect of the game. There are
certain pregame routines or breathing techniques that people find silly. This is
also a mistake. While I do not personally practice these things, I think there is
value there for many people, so the goal here is to be objective enough to know
when it is necessary to seek help. Prioritize your time and work on your mental
game as needed.

road
block You ask for advice and then dont take it
This roadblock is rampant all over the web forums. Its human nature.
People want validation for their feelings or their choices and when
someone gives them advice they dont like, they tend to lash out and
argue. Im not talking about the natural process of debating and playing devils
advocate to try to find the best course of action. Im talking about the people
who lay out their problem and then proceed to disagree with everyone that
tries to help them--no matter what. It happens to all of us at one time or another,
but it is detrimental to your poker development.

Being able to adjust your thought process and adapt to different game conditions
is important. Being too rigid in your thinking or unable to see other viewpoints
makes it difficult to be objective when things are going badly. If you cannot
listen to others who are trying to be helpful, how can you trust yourself to figure
it out? You could be right and they could be wrong, but you should have a high
level of logic and evidence-based confidence that you are in the right.

21 +evpoker
 I once had a student who would constantly ask me for advice on what his overall
game plan should be. Which games to play, which videos to watch, which form
of poker to focus on, what stakes, what bankroll... everything. I didnt mind him
asking; thats what Im here for. What was frustrating was that every time I
would lay out the foundation and point him in the right direction, he would
either argue with me or not take my advice and be broke the next week. Why
bother asking for advice if youre going to dismiss it?

I finally had to tell him, Look, youre paying for my advice and here it is. This is
what is best for you, in my opinion. If you disagree, you are free to do whatever
you want. After a certain point, there is nothing else I can do.

I want to be clear that I am not trying to suggest that I (or any) coach will
always know what is best for you in every situation. Its impossible. However,
you should realize that the standard of evidence needed to go in a direction
different than what an expert tells you is higher compared to the same advice
from a layperson.

Imagine yourself at the doctors office. Your doctor tells you that unless you
make certain changes, you are going to have a heart attack in one year. Your
doctor could be wrong and you could dismiss the advice. Would you? What if
your neighbor who works in the fast food industry told you the same thing? You
must meet a higher standard of confidence and evidence that you are right,
compared to the doctor. It takes a lower level of confidence that you are right
compared to your neighbor. The same parallel can be drawn between your
poker coach and yourself.

If you want to vent your frustrations, that is understandable. There are people
who can listen and be far more qualified to help for significantly less money
than a poker coach.

road
block You have no respect for variance
This one covers all sorts of things: the stakes you can play, the bankroll
you can work within, win-rates, short term results and more. There is
hidden variance in almost everything in our daily lives and we are all
too quick to attribute good and bad decisions to various outcomes, but as you
can imagine this is especially true in poker.

If you are making determinations about your edge at poker after 50,000 hands,
youre doing it wrong. That might sound like a lot of hands to some of you,
but it isnt. Look at some of the variance simulators to see why. I used one in a
video I made for DeucesCracked on bankroll management. After 50k or 100k

22 +evpoker
 hands there can be a wide range of outcomes, from losing to winning significant
amounts, even for a person with a good theoretical win-rate.

On the subject of win-rates, I am not a fan of the stat. I tell most of my students
to remove it or ignore it as much as possible. The reason for this is that by the
time you get a significant enough sample of hands to determine your win-rate,
many of the variables to determine it have changed. Your edge is constantly
changing (hopefully increasing). The table conditions are constantly changing.
Game trends shift. Game quality changes. Rake structures change. Governments
intervene. Im sure you can think of even more things that might come into play
after a couple hundred thousand hands. Focusing on this stat is a waste of time,
because it gives little indication of the future.

This isnt just to knock people down when they are running well. Its as important
to remember for those who are running poorly. If you constantly look at that
red, negative win-rate, its depressing and it may not be indicative of your
expectation. Use your time and energy to focus on other things in your database
that you have more control over, such as reviewing hands or comparing some
of your strategy-based statistics to your friends and see how they differ. Giving
too much weight to win-rates is a classic case of disrespecting variance and
being results-oriented.

Have you ever finished a session where you won and thought I really ran hot
that session!? Or, I run like death every time I play!? I know I have--and much
worse. Its easy to mis-attribute good play for good results while simultaneously
attributing bad results to a bad run. The bigger your edge the more that will be
true, but make sure to acknowledge that some of your winning days were from
running hot.

How many times have you heard a tournament winner say, I was playing the
best poker of my life! I felt like no one could stop me!? Respect for variance?
You be the judge.

road
block You arent trying to make poker friends
This might sound like a weird one, but many of us really need poker
friends. I know when going through rough patches, I lean on my
poker friends to help me get through it. Heck, during a bad run back
in 2007 I actually contemplated quitting poker and if it wasnt for Krantz I might
have done it. 6 years and over seven figures later, Im glad I didnt.

It helps to have trusted friends that you can bounce ideas off of, argue strategy
with, watch each other play and commiserate with. Poker is a tough game and

23 +evpoker
 going it alone adds unnecessary difficulty. Its good to have support in all areas
of life and its especially true in poker.

road
block What you know might be flawed
When you are trying to expand your strategies or learn new ones, you
start from a certain base level of knowledge. You can get into trouble
when there is something flawed in that base and you try to build on
it. There is a delicate balance to find between building on what you know and
regularly re-examining those foundational skills.

On one hand, if you arent able to adjust your thought process, it will be difficult
to evolve with the latest game trends. On the other hand, if you are constantly
challenging your fundamentals, you will be spinning your wheels and fail slow
your progress. The ma jor takeaway is that you need to occasionally take some
time to examine your fundamental thought processes and ensure they still apply.

When you take often repeated strategies for granted and dismiss them as
standard, you might be missing out on an area where the games have evolved
without you. An obvious example would be 3betting strategies throughout the
past decade. In 2003 a button 3bet range was vastly different than in 2005
which was different than 2007 which is different than today. If you are trying to
play a successful 2003 3betting strategy in 2012, you are probably a fish in the
game.

Its very important to keep up with or stay ahead of the latest game trends, if
you want to be successful. However, you need to be sure that your foundation is
solid.

Conclusion
We have examined 18 roadblocks in this book, but you may encounter more.
Remember that many of them are born out of motivations, results-oriented
thinking, work ethic and ego. If you can keep those in check, you will be well on
your way to avoiding most roadblocks whether they were covered in this book
or not.

These roadblocks have affected me, my friends and my students. Most of them
can be overcome with a little work and determination. Hopefully after reading
this you will be on the lookout for these issues in your own game.

24 +evpoker
Poker is hard, really hard, but its not impossible. With so many roadblocks
between you and success, its easy to see why the vast ma jority of poker players
do not win. Knowing which obstacles to avoid and having the determination to
work hard for your goals will put you ahead of the pack. Stay motivated. Stay
determined. Work hard. Achieve your goals and get that money!

Summary
You get 1-on-1 coaching too soon #1
Make extensive use out of the cheap and free resources.
Get enough experience playing that you can have some idea of how people
play in common situations.

You always have to be right; Your thinking is inflexible #2

If you need to always be right, it will be hard to see other points of view.
Lose the ego and take what others say seriously and examine it objectively.
Be open to making adjustments for shifts in game trends.

You ask the wrong questions #3

Relate your questions back to some piece of information that is already known.
Use your questions to expand the view of the situation and variables at play.
Frame your questions to have a better sense of the overall situation and
considerations.
Look for how often something happens and/or which variables to consider.
Unverifiable gut feelings shouldnt be the focus or questions.

Your poker study time lacks efficiency #4

There are many options available for your poker study. Remember that quality
is more important than quantity.
Dont try to study and play poker at the same time. Youll fail at both.
If youre going to study, block off some time without interruption.

You think past success means future success #5

The games are always evolving and variance can be deadly. Just because you
used to win, doesnt give you an excuse to be lazy now.
Having experience in a related field is nice, but it may not give you much of an
advantage when it comes to studying and learning poker.

25 +evpoker
You are scared of poker math #6
Being able to win without it does not excuse you from needing to learn it.
You dont have to be an expert, but you will be MUCH better off if you at least
understand the ideas behind the statistics and formulas.
Understanding math concepts helps you model poker situations in spreadsheets.

You are too results oriented #7

Focus on the long run and dont get bogged down by the results.
Have confidence in the reasons you are make decisions, not the result of them.

You make the same mistakes over and over #8

Missing a piece of information now could cost you repeatedly later.
Stick to what you know is right and pay attention to avoid the repeating mistakes.

You want to be a jack-of-all-trades and become a master-of-none #9

Being mediocre at a lot of games isnt an efficient way to play online poker.
Master one game and profit from it before moving to another one.

You choose a bad coach #10

Look for a coach that is professional, on-time and available for out-of-session
questions.
With so many coaches, get one who currently plays a lot of hands.
Choose a coach who you can see or hear their thought process before hiring;
dont rely on graphs or a tournament win.

You expect to be spoon-fed #11

Be engaged in your poker learning; dont expect progress to happen on its own.
Taking a passive role and expecting the video youre watching or the coach
youre hiring to teach you step-by-step how to win is wishful thinking.
Poker is hard; invest the time in yourself to get better.

You dont know what you dont know #12

Be cognizant of the fact that there are things going on in a poker hand that you
arent even aware of.
Avoid the tendency to think you know it all after gaining a little knowledge or
success.

26 +evpoker
You are a video zombie #13
When you turn a video on, dont turn your brain off.
Use the pause button to predict what the coach will say.
Focus on the thought process and the variables the coach discusses then try to
mold those to tendencies of the players in your games.
Watch videos with a critical eye and avoid studying right before bedtime.

you focus Too much or too little on your mental game #14
Mental game aspects are important, but do not trump technical skills.
Increasing your technical skills will help your mental game be less of an issue.
Do not dismiss the importance of your mental game for both your edge and your
overall happiness.

You ask for advice and then dont take it #15

Dont be the type of person who only wants their feelings validated and dismisses
advice they dont like.
Give more weight to advice coming from experts: ignoring it should come with
a high burden of proof.

You have no respect for variance #16

Dont focus on your win-rate; once you get a meaningful sample the games and
your skill have changed.
100,000 hand break-even stretches happen. Use a variance simulator and
understand that you could be running well above or below your expectation.
Variance occurs in all aspects of life, dont give too much weight to a cause and
effect relationship between your decisions and the outcomes.

You arent trying to make poker friends #17

Having a network of poker friends is valuable.
Getting conflicting viewpoints and examining different angles is important.

What you know might be flawed #18

Occasionally examine your standard plays.
Be open to reconsidering your current strategies.

You can find me on Twitter @WiltOnTilt or at PlusEVPoker.com, if you have any

questions or thoughts regarding this book or anything poker-related.

27 +evpoker