Testing a Player’s Poker IQ: When and What to Get Out of It
There are a number of ways to go out and discover someone’s IQ, but discovering someone’s poker IQ is a whole different story. There are websites out there that will help a player find out what level a player’s Texas Hold’em level is at, and these listed below are the best even free. Whether its through Pokerspace’s free online poker school or taking the very long Donkey Test there are ways to discover just where a player is at in their poker education.
How Pokerspace Can Evaluate a Player’s Poker IQ and Develop It
wIn the past Pokerspace actually had a poker IQ test, but has since replaced it with a comprehensive set of Texas Hold’em lessons, tests, and quizzes that will effectively improve a player’s poker game and also roughly tell them where they are in regards to their poker knowledge. The poker school is divided into four different levels from Basic Poker Knowledge all the way up to Advanced No Limit Theory that are accompanied by quizzes and tests. There are 20 lessons in total and several have video tutorials also.
Besides the obvious benefit to gaining a free poker education and testing one’s poker knowledge by passing the quizzes and tests, there is another section of courses that are about Pokerspace and award members PS Points that can be used to enter special tournaments like exclusive freerolls and other very popular promotions. The only criticism of the Pokerspace courses is that they end and there are no additional lessons to be found. There is a lot more to Pokerspace than the school too. There are special poker room deals that can be found and a community of poker players all trying to improve their game. This is an excellent stop in any player’s poker journey.
The Donkey Test and It’s Ability to Humble Poker Players
Another popular stop for players searching to test their poker knowledge or roulette odds and discover their poker IQ is DonkeyTest website. It offers a free poker test that is as comprehensive as the one from Pokerspace, but is tremendously longer and can easily take an hour to complete. And it must be completed all at once. The average poker player should not expect to score high the first time around as some poker pros have not even scored well.
For those who do take the test and want to try to improve their score there are 5 free training sessions that include videos as well. The main difference in these lessons and the one’s from Pokerspace are that there isn’t a set curriculum. The Donkey Test is a good start for those who truly want to test their poker IQ, but be prepared to be humbled as it is a difficult test to do well on.
No matter what it is important for a poker player to find out where they stand in their poker development. It truly is the first step in any player’s development as knowing where to begin at the tables and what kind of bankroll management should be used.
Where to Find Poker Advice and Guidance
Becoming better at poker is a process. Overnight success in poker is fleeting; sustainable success is what’s desired. To ensure continued success in poker it is integral for players to always be learning and strive to become better at the game. In recent years there has been an explosion of poker information and training guides as the online poker industry has brought the game into the homes of fans around the world. The problem lies in finding the best sources of poker information and training.
Finding Poker Advice on the Internet for Free
The first stop for most people these days is naturally going to be the Internet. Luckily, there are countless places to find information on becoming a better poker player. Let’s start with the free poker advice websites. For poker advice and education Pokerspace.com is a nice place to start. Pokerspace is one of the largest online poker communities out there and is the home of some very good players. Pokerspace also has its own poker school complete with tests and quizzes to see how its members fair.
The major online poker room Full Tilt Poker also hosts its own popular poker school the Full Tilt Poker Academy. This is a free poker school that contains poker videos and tutorials from their in house poker pros. The videos are nice, but the situations the pros present are sometimes off topic. Most players will not be playing at the high stake levels the pros do, and therefore changing the universal nature of the lessons.
Finding Poker Advice Online at a Cost
The first two paid sites that come to mind are DeepStacks University and Deuces Cracked. Deepstacks University is a newer online poker school, but has some of the best pros and technology backing it. DeepStacks University, or DSU, is led by WSOP Champion Mike Matusow and other legendary poker pros like Tom McEvoy. DSU is made up of a series of interactive video lessons and tests that make students react to a change in a situation. Where Full Tilt Academy relies exclusively on instructional videos alone, DSU makes students actively learn. DSU comes at a cost, but a worthy investment.
Deuces Cracked is an online poker school and community that is very much like Full Tilt Academy, except at a cost. Deuces Cracked is made up of a series of “premium” strategy videos and a community of other players. The cost to join is reasonable to a point. The videos are of decent quality, but it depends on what a player wants to get out of them. An option to at least look at.
Finding Poker Advice in Books
Learning to play better poker has often been reserved for the book industry. There is a number of amazing poker guides out there. The most popular is still Doyle Brunson’s Super System (Cardoza, 2002, ISBN: 9781580420815) and Super System 2 (Cardoza, 2009, ISBN: 9781580422314). Super System was the first major poker strategy book when it came out and is still very applicable today. Another source would be Daniel Negreanu’s Power Holdem Strategy (Cardoza, 2008, ISBN: 9781580422048). All three of these books are excellent sources of information.
No matter what direction a player takes in their poker education the act of continuously learning is the most important step. Whether a player joins a poker community like Pokerspace to seek poker advice or the solace of a poker strategy book like Super System fits a players needs, there are options that are both free and at a cost.
