28 Feb 2025 Beginner This material is for beginner players mental game mindset motivation moving up stakes studying The monthly income of professional online poker players can range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Income levels depend on skill, hard work, and bankroll – the amount of money set aside for playing. Each of these factors is very important. Hard work is straightforward: if you don’t play much, you won’t earn much. Your bankroll determines how much you can afford to play. At first, beginners are advised not to spend their winnings in order to move up the stakes more quickly. In this article, we'll focus on improving your skills and discuss five ways on how to become a poker pro. Let’s start! #1: Educational Content The internet is full of free poker training resources for both beginners and experienced players. Most up-to-date content is available in video format, including lessons on specific topics, recorded training sessions, and full courses. On our website, the video section offers hundreds of carefully selected free poker videos: both for professional becoming poker players and those who have already made it. These materials are created by active poker pros and coaches, ensuring high-quality instruction. Each video combines theory with practical examples, making learning more effective. Whether you're looking to improve your strategy, understand advanced concepts, or refine specific skills, you'll find valuable content tailored to different experience levels. Another key learning resource that helps to become professional poker player is related articles. While some believe written content can become outdated, that’s not the case on our platform. Articles on poker mathematics and psychology, for example, remain highly relevant over time. We recommend exploring the Getcoach poker articles section yourself – whether you're looking for strategic insights or fundamental principles, you'll find well-structured, expert-backed information to improve your level of game. #2: Hand Analysis & Discussion During a session, professional players mark hands where they faced tough decisions. Reviewing these hands later helps them gradually reduce uncertainty in similar spots, making their play more confident and precise. This is especially useful for situations that come up frequently. Studying difficult hands is another important stage for those who want to know how to play poker professionally. Detailed hand analysis also helps players spot patterns and improve their strategy. If an opponent made an unexpected move, it’s worth breaking it down to understand their reasoning. Sometimes, these reviews reveal effective plays that weren’t obvious at the moment. Many pros also analyze hands from top players, learning new approaches to incorporate into their own game. Poker is full of spots where multiple plays can be profitable, but the best option isn’t always obvious. Discussing hands with other players can help uncover strong but less apparent decisions. That’s why many successful pros regularly review hands together: whether in study groups, forums, or private discussions – to keep improving and stay ahead of the competition. Also read: Learn How to Analyze Your Hands Once and for All #3: Poker Software Another essential tip on how to become a professional poker player are specialized tools. In online poker, using software can significantly improve a player’s learning process. Trackers – programs that collect and store hand history data. They allow players to review every hand they've played. After a session, you can revisit key hands in a convenient replayer to analyze your decisions. Nowadays popular trackers among poker professionals include: Hand2Note. Known for its fast processing of large databases. The free version offers basic functionality, including hand history review, game statistics across different situations, and filtering by specific criteria. It also supports HUDs (Heads-Up Displays), which provide real-time stats on opponents at the table. Holdem Manager 3 & PokerTracker 4. These paid programs offer similar features but run slower than Hand2Note. However, they provide a wide range of tools for deep game analysis. They include extensive filtering options, allowing players to study specific hand situations by adjusting bet sizes, player positions, and board textures. DriveHUD 2. A user-friendly tracker that combines performance analysis with intuitive visualizations. It offers a customizable HUD, detailed hand histories, and post-game analysis tools. One standout feature is its graphical hand replayer, which presents hands in a more visual and engaging way, making it easier to spot patterns and leaks. Another useful category of poker software is equity calculators, which help break down hands and ranges in detail. At Getcoach website we provide not only calculators on equity, but also on variance, win rate, EV, rakeback, etc. It goes without saying that for even deeper strategic analysis, poker calculators are another valuable tool. They can help refine your decision-making and take your game to the next level. Explore our selection of poker calculators to enhance your study process on becoming a professional poker player. #4: Private Coaching Private coaching is one of the most effective ways to improve in any skill-based field, and poker is no exception. A personal coach can provide a strong foundation for winning strategies, quickly identify leaks, and help fix critical thinking mistakes. Another key benefit of working with an experienced mentor is building confidence. Every poker player experiences downswings, and during tough periods, self-doubt can creep in. Many players start questioning their decisions, overhauling their strategy, and ultimately making things worse. An experienced coach helps separate variance from actual mistakes, ensuring you stay on the right path instead of making unnecessary changes. A good coach helps separate variance from actual mistakes, ensuring you stay on the right path instead of making unnecessary changes. You can find a poker mentor in our Coaches section. Use filters to narrow down options by game format and pricing, then check student reviews to find the right fit for your needs on how to become a pro poker player and achieve all of your goals. #5: Putting Knowledge into Practice Most professionals advise spending more time on practice than on theory. After dedicating a few hours to studying a specific topic, it's recommended to spend at least ten hours reinforcing that knowledge on how to play professional poker through practice. Gradually, basic skills become automatic, and the poker player can play more tables simultaneously – multitabling. A poker player's mastery is not only shown by their ability to bluff and calculate probabilities. Success cannot be achieved without discipline, which in poker means the ability to make rational decisions and not be swayed by emotions. A professional plays a lot, strictly follows strategies, continuously learns, and stays within their bankroll limits. Poker is heavily influenced by variance – the deviation of actual results from expected outcomes. Long periods of bad luck are inevitable, and without a sufficient bankroll, a player risks going broke. This is especially true in tournament poker. Downswings, or periods of bad luck, are overcome more quickly by playing more. Poker professionals, thanks to multitabling, can play hundreds of hands per hour. However, beginners shouldn't start by opening too many tables – they won't have the concentration or experience for it. It's best to start with one or two tables and gradually add more as you gain distance. Every aspiring poker player dreams of reaching the top, of one day seeing their name among the greats. The life of a pro looks exciting, but it’s also tough. If you want to play poker for a living, understand that it’s not all fun. There will be stress, losing streaks, and tough moments. It’s a full-time commitment. Are you ready for that and start playing poker professionally? If you stick with it, the recognition and success will come in time.
