Building a poker study routine and why most players fail at studying
Many poker players say they want to improve, but very few have a real poker study routine. Most studying happens randomly. One day it is a video, the next day a forum post, then a solver screenshot with no context. This creates the illusion of work without real progress.
The main reason players fail at studying is not lack of intelligence or motivation. It is lack of structure. Poker is a complex game with thousands of repeating situations. Without a clear system, information piles up faster than it can be absorbed.
Another common issue is imbalance. Some players study too much theory without connecting it to their own hands. Others only review sessions emotionally, focusing on bad beats instead of decisions. Both approaches limit growth.
A good study routine does three things:
- It starts from your own mistakes.
- It organizes information into reusable patterns.
- It grows gradually with your skill level.
Studying poker is not about knowing everything. It is about knowing a little more today than yesterday and applying it consistently. A simple, repeatable routine beats intense but chaotic study every time.
Step one: building a foundation with notes and session reviews
The most overlooked study tool in poker is note taking. Many players take notes on opponents but almost none take notes on themselves.
A strong study routine always starts with session reviews and written notes.
After each session, write down:
- Three hands you were unsure about.
- One decision that felt uncomfortable.
- One spot you think you played well.
Do not analyze yet. Just record.
The purpose of notes is not accuracy. It is awareness. When you consistently write down similar spots, patterns emerge. Maybe you struggle with turn barrels. Maybe you overdefend blinds. These patterns guide your study.
Good poker notes should be:
- Short and specific.
- Focused on decisions, not results.
- Organized by category, not date only.
Avoid emotional notes like “I always lose with this hand.” Replace them with “Unsure about c betting frequency in this spot.”
Notes turn vague frustration into concrete questions. Without questions, solvers and videos are useless.
Hand history review as the core of poker improvement
If you had to choose only one study activity, hand history review would be it.
Reviewing hands bridges the gap between theory and practice. It shows you how abstract concepts appear in real games with real stack sizes and imperfect opponents.
A productive hand review process looks like this:
- Select hands where the decision was unclear.
- Reconstruct the action objectively.
- Ask what range you represent and what range your opponent likely has.
- Identify the decision point, not the outcome.
At this stage, do not jump straight to solvers. First, write your reasoning in words. This reveals gaps in logic that solvers alone cannot fix.
Group hands by spot:
- Single raised pots vs 3 bet pots.
- In position vs out of position.
- Early streets vs river decisions.
This categorization is crucial. Poker improvement does not happen hand by hand. It happens spot by spot.
Moving from intuition to structure: ranges, spots and categories
Many players rely on feel. Feel is useful, but it must be trained.
Structure comes from thinking in ranges instead of hands. Instead of asking “What do I do with this hand?”, ask “What does my entire range do here?”
To move toward structured thinking:
- Define opening ranges by position.
- Define typical calling and 3 bet ranges.
- Identify common board textures.
For example:
- Dry high card boards.
- Connected middle boards.
- Paired boards.
Each category has similar strategic principles. When you study by category, knowledge transfers across many hands.
This is where written notes evolve into study documents. Create simple files or notebooks for:
- Preflop spots.
- Flop strategies.
- Turn adjustments.
- River decision rules.
You are building a personal playbook. It does not need to be perfect. It needs to be usable.
Introducing solvers the right way
Poker solvers are powerful tools, but they are also the most misused. Many players open a solver too early and get lost in complexity.
Solvers should answer questions, not replace thinking.
Before using a solver, you should already know:
- What the spot is.
- What ranges are involved.
- What decision you want to test.
If you input random hands without context, you will learn nothing.
What solvers are good for and what they are not
Solvers are good for:
- Understanding optimal frequencies.
- Seeing how ranges split actions.
- Identifying which hands bluff or value bet.
Solvers are not good for:
- Teaching exploitative adjustments automatically.
- Replacing fundamentals.
- Providing simple rules without interpretation.
A good solver workflow:
- Review the hand manually.
- Predict what the solver will do.
- Run the simulation.
- Compare and note differences.
- Extract one clear takeaway.
One takeaway per session is enough. Overloading yourself with outputs leads to paralysis.
For technical explanations of solver logic and game theory optimal concepts, a respected educational reference is the poker strategy content published by Upswing Poker, which breaks down solver outputs into practical concepts.
How to combine notes, reviews and solvers into one routine
A complete poker study routine does not need to be long. It needs to be consistent.
Example weekly routine:
- Two playing sessions.
- One short session review after each play.
- One focused study session of 60 to 90 minutes.
In the study session:
- Review notes from the week.
- Select one recurring spot.
- Analyze several hands from that spot.
- Use a solver only for that category.
Over time, your notes become more refined. Your solver work becomes faster. Your in game decisions become clearer.
The goal is integration. Solvers without notes are abstract. Notes without solvers stay subjective. Together, they create progress.
Common mistakes when building a poker study routine
- Studying too many topics at once
Focus on one spot until it improves. - Using solvers without understanding inputs
Garbage input produces garbage output. - Reviewing only big pots
Small repeated mistakes cost more long term. - Studying passively
Watching content without applying it. - Inconsistent routines
Sporadic long sessions are worse than short regular ones.
Poker rewards compound learning. Small improvements applied consistently lead to big results over time.
Conclusion: from random studying to long term growth
Building a poker study routine is not about working harder. It is about working with direction.
The best players are not those who know the most theory. They are those who learn continuously without burning out.
If your study routine feels simple and repeatable, you are doing it right. Poker improvement is a long game, just like poker itself.
FAQ
How much time should I spend studying poker?
Quality matters more than quantity. One to two focused study sessions per week is enough for most players.
Should beginners use solvers?
Only after understanding fundamentals. Solvers are more useful once basic concepts are clear.
What hands should I review first?
Hands where you were unsure about your decision, not hands you lost.
Do I need expensive tools to improve?
No. Notes and structured reviews are more important than software.
How long before a study routine shows results?
Improvements often appear gradually over weeks, not days. Consistency is key.
