Poker training sites are worth it if you study with them properly, and a waste of money if you don’t. The maths is usually on your side: a subscription costs little compared with the buy-ins most regular players put in each year. The catch is that most people watch training videos like entertainment, and that’s where the value disappears.
The maths: how much better do you need to get?
Training sites typically cost somewhere between about $25 and $200 a month, depending on the site and the tier. Solver-based study tools sit in a similar range. Compare that with your yearly buy-ins:
| Study cost per year | Buy-ins per year | ROI increase needed to break even |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | $100,000 | 0.5% |
| $1,200 | $150,000 | 0.8% |
| $1,200 | $50,000 | 2.4% |
If you play a reasonable volume, you only need a small improvement to cover the cost, and you keep the knowledge for every tournament after that year. If you play very little, or barely use the subscription, the numbers can easily go the other way.
Why most players don’t get their money’s worth
- Watching while playing. If you’re multi-tabling with a video on in the background, you’ll remember almost nothing.
- Watching instead of applying. Ideas only stick when you try them in your own games and check your results.
- No plan. Jumping between random videos feels productive but rarely fixes your biggest leaks.
How to get the most out of a training site
- Single-task. Set dedicated study blocks of 30–90 minutes with nothing else running.
- Take notes. Write down key ideas in a notes document and review them before sessions. A light warm-up review works better than heavy study right before you play.
- Pause and predict. Before the coach acts in a hand, decide what you’d do. Compare, then rewind anything you don’t understand.
- Ask questions. Leave comments on videos and join community discussions. Most sites have coaches or members who answer.
- Work on one or two leaks at a time. Don’t change ten parts of your game at once. Pick a topic, study it, then use it at the tables.
- Measure it. Use your tracker to check whether your stats in that spot actually change.
For a full routine, see how to study poker tournaments.
Training sites vs. 1-on-1 coaching
Training sites are cheap and broad: thousands of hours of content for the price of one or two private lessons. One-on-one coaching is expensive and targeted at your specific leaks. Most players should get the most out of free and low-cost resources first, then add private coaching once they have solid fundamentals. See is it worth getting a poker coach? and how much a poker coach costs.
Getting coaching included with a stake
When you’re staked by a stable, the training is usually included. At Pocarr there’s no out-of-pocket cost for coaching: players get our private video library, live webinars, group sessions, solver and ICM analysis, and custom study tools that aren’t available on the market.
There’s another advantage too. A training site gets paid whether or not its members improve. A stable only does well when its players do, so coaches have every reason to share everything they know. See how it works or apply now.
Get coached while you play on our bankroll
Coaching comes free with every Pocarr stake: videos, webinars, one-on-one sessions and a manager on Discord. Management typically reviews applications within 24 hours.
