How to Study Poker Hands Away From the Tables

The Importance

Most poker players never study hands away from the table. They play. They lose. They play again. It's a grind with no learning.

The players who improve are the ones who study hands outside of gameplay. They review decisions, they analyze positions, they ask themselves: was that decision correct?

This is the difference between playing poker and studying poker. Playing is just running variance. Studying is building skill.

Hand Databases

You need a way to review hands. Options:

First: PT4 (PokerTracker 4). It's the standard. You run it while playing online. It records every hand. Later, you review.

Second: GTO Wizard. It's a GTO (Game Theory Optimal) solver. You input a scenario and it tells you what the optimal play is.

Third: Solvers like PioSOLVER or Simple GTO. Similar to GTO Wizard but more detailed and more expensive.

Fourth: Pen and paper. Write down the hand. Review it later. This works for live games where you can't use software.

The Method

After a session, review the hands where you made significant decisions.

For each hand, write down:

• Position
• Stack sizes
• Action preflop
• Flop cards
• Action on the flop
• Turn and river
• Final result

Then ask: was my decision correct given the information I had at the time?

Don't judge based on results. A correct decision that loses is still correct. An incorrect decision that wins is still incorrect.

Using Solvers

Once you have the hand recorded, plug it into a solver.

Input the positions, stack sizes, and action. Ask the solver: what is the optimal play here?

Compare your play to the solver's recommendation. If they match, great. If they don't, you've found a leak in your game.

Write down the leak. "In this position with this stack size, I'm playing too tight. I should be raising 60% of hands, not 40%.".

Studying Others

You can also study hands played by professionals.

Many pros publish hand reviews on YouTube or in poker forums. They explain their thinking. You can learn from their decision-making.

Watch these reviews passively at first. Just absorb the reasoning. Then, for the hands that interest you most, study them more deeply.

Group Study

The best learning happens in a group. Find other players interested in improving. Review hands together.

One player presents a hand. The group discusses: what would you do here? Why? What's the solver say?

This forces you to articulate your reasoning. Articulation reveals flaws. You'll discover gaps in your thinking.

The Frequency

If you play 20 hours a week, aim to study 10 hours a week. That's a 1:1 ratio of study to play.

If that seems excessive, consider it an investment. For every hour you study away from the table, you'll save hours of losing money at the table.

The Focus

Don't study every hand. Focus on hands where:

• You made a decision you're unsure about.
• You lost money and want to understand why.
• You won money but luck played a big role.
• You're in a position you rarely play.

These hands teach you. Hands you played perfectly teach you nothing. They just confirm what you already know.

The Implementation

Set up a schedule. Tuesday and Thursday nights, study hands from the weekend. Sunday afternoon, review the week's biggest pots.

Make it routine. The routine builds the habit. The habit builds the skill.

You can study solo or in a group. Solo studying is faster; group studying is deeper. Ideally, do both.

The Humbling Part

When you first start studying your hands systematically, you'll discover you're not as good as you thought. You'll find mistakes in hands you thought you played perfectly.

This is good. It means you're learning. Discomfort is where growth happens.

Keep studying. The mistakes reveal themselves. You adjust. You get better.