What topical resources do you often use to learn more about poker?

Question

To get information that's usually considered cutting edge, it's often good to discuss topics more candidly with experts forging new thoughts on well established theories.

Books of course mostly deal with this problem but the time gap between solidifying new theories and publishing that material can sometimes make the work seem more like conventional knowledge as the pace of discovery becomes quicker & quicker, making todays edge seem like tomorrows leak. It seems as though people are too reliant on the commonly known easily accessed sources and aren't challenging themselves enough with more complex study and self discovery.

It's only by combining new ideas with the old do we create notable advances in our abilities. To that end I'd like to know what resources you've found that standout above the rest that you consider to provide valuable topical material for poker players?

For example:

• What I'm hoping to discover are insightful bloggers, tweeters, peer-reviewed journals, eminent writers, amongst whatever else you often refer to when learning. Direct affiliation to poker topics is good but isn't necessary.
• I'm not expecting to see a plain list of favourites only due to their writing style, humour, wit, popularity, etc. although useful sources with these additional benefits would clearly be brilliant.

As long as you feel that what you suggest is current, relevant, and can offer substantive information that can help poker players in any/all areas of focus, whether that's Maths, Psychology, Strategy. Anything. Then it would be of great value to share them here.

Personally, an obvious choice would be Poker.StackExchange.com. Not so much for what it is right now but absolutely for what I imagine it could become! It has huge potential. I've also found the Social Science Research Network has given me many cognitive science scholarly articles that have helped me think creatively.

For each link/example it would be helpful to give a little information on the area of expertise you think it addresses, and perhaps how it helped you.

Thanks.

Answer 1

You're right: this site definitely has potential... if only it would be more popular.

Besides books and videos and tutorials, a very good choice is to be part of poker communities. Discussions about poker in these communities vary from beginner to expert, texas hold'em to razz and badugi and much more. So beeing active in such a community can only be good for you.

Reading books about the subject (and practicing what they teach you) is a powerful and efficient way to learn. But when that situation comes along (and it comes quite often) where you don't know what to do (even after the hand is over), you need people to talk to about it. Brainstorming about controversial decisions in poker is more important than in any other field.

I had a good experience with PokerStrategy when it comes to this. They have a section where you can post hands and have expert players evaluate them and give you feedback about what you did well and how you can improve your play when that particular situation occurs. This format just... works.

Answer 2

BeastsOfPoker an online community that shares professional poker players secrets & strategies - check their Learn Poker section for articles on how to improve your skills as a player.