We rate 5 of the best online training sites out there vying for your cash…
Over the past 12 months there has been a massive upsurge in the popularity of online, video-based poker training, the market swelling from a few established sites to a huge range of competitors. But which are the best-value sites for your buck? Pokerplayer picks out the cream of the instructional crop…
1 Cardrunners
Primary instructors: Brian Townsend, Cole South, Taylor Caby, Mike Schneider, Eric Liu, Brian Hastings
Approx. number of videos/new videos per week: 1,000+/12
Games covered: Most games and formats
Subscription details: $ 99.99 sign-up fee, then $ 27.99 per month
Free trial: Day passes available – email support@cardrunners.com quoting ‘pokerplayer xmas daypass’ (no downloads)
The current market leader, both in the number of videos available and the quality of instructors, CardRunners offers videos on most games and formats. Begun as a bedroom business by Taylor
‘Green Plastic’ Caby and Andrew ‘muddywater’ Wiggins in 2005, it has grown out of all proportion to their initial dream. With the operation now run by Lee Jones, the former cardroom manager at PokerStars, the site has recently responded to competition from other sites, strengthening its mid stakes no-limit pro base and moving into a more planned and series-oriented delivery of content. CR has also partnered with StoxPoker to offer discounted joint memberships. Therefore, although not cheap, a membership to CardRunners is a valuable investment for any serious or aspiring poker player and one that is sure to pay for itself in no time.
www.cardrunners.com
2 Deuces Cracked
Primary instructors: Krantz, FoxwoodsFiend, Vanessa Selbst, Joe Tall, DeathDonkey
Approx. number of videos/new videos per week: 500/12
Games covered: Most games and formats (except MTTs)
Subscription details: No sign-up fee, $ 29 per month (discounts apply for longer subscriptions)
Free trial: Seven-day free trial (unlimited downloads)
Formed from the ashes of the threebet.net and old Deuces Cracked sites by a group of prominent high stakes no-limit and mixed game players, Deuces Cracked represents the main threat to CardRunners, both in terms of instructional quality and volume of content. Launched at the beginning of 2008 on the back of six months’ detailed planning, the site quickly built up a following on the basis of high quality videos and a less restrictive content management policy than other sites. What this equates to is that anyone can sign up for a free trial and download as many videos as they like, to watch whenever they want, without having to pay a cent. The site has also tried to up the ante in terms of presentation, emphasising the entertainment value of their videos by producing content in ‘seasons’, with episodes released over several weeks, and a detailed schedule of new episodes as well as amusing intros to each. The main draw, however, remains the quality of the instruction on offer and the now considerable library of past videos. Therefore, while Deuces Cracked is probably not the greatest business model in the poker training world, it’s definitely a fantastic proposition for the consumer.
www.deucescracked.com
3 StoxPoker
Primary instructors: Nick ‘StoxTrader’ Grudzien, Bryce Paradis, Dusty Schmidt
Approx. number of videos/new videos per week: 650/10-12
Games covered: Most games and formats
Subscription details: $ 27.99 per month (discounts available)
Free trial: No
StoxPoker was the brainchild of high stakes limit Hold’em players Nick ‘Stoxtrader’ Grudzien and Bryce ‘Freedom25’ Paradis, who set out to create a training site that not only covers most areas, but also has a few innovations of its own. These come in the shape of classroom-style videos and a ‘poker university’ section, as well as leftfield entries such as sports psychologist Jared Tendler’s series on the ‘mental game’. It’s probably the best site around for limit Hold’em, and the no-limit section is also strong, while the content on other games and formats is mainly provided by lesser-known players. StoxPoker is a good option for anyone wanting to gain a solid grounding in Hold’em – and for members of CardRunners it should be given extra consideration due to the discounts on offer for players who join both sites.
www.stoxpoker.com
4 PokerXFactor
Primary instructors: Sheets, JohnnyBax, Rizen, BeL0WaB0Ve
Approx. number of videos/new videos per week: 800/7
Games covered: Mainly no-limit Hold’em tournaments and sit-and-gos
Subscription details: $ 119.95 sign-up fee, $ 24.95 per month
Free trial: No
PokerXFactor is an established site that’s been putting out videos for over two years, led by well-known pros Eric ‘Sheets’ Haber and Cliff ‘JohhnyBax’ Josephy. It is the only large site to focus more or less exclusively on tournament play, with a strong cast of guest tournament pros like apestyles and AJKHoosier. The site recently merged with Pokerfox.net, acquiring all that site’s content and beginning the process of diversifying into other poker formats.
www.pokerxfactor.com
5 Poker VT
Primary instructors: Daniel Negreanu, Boosted J, Annette15
Games covered: Mainly Hold’em cash and tournaments
Approx. number of videos/new videos per week: 275+/10-15
Subscription details: $ 127.49 for three months
Free trial: No
Fronted by Negreanu, the recently launched Poker VT boasts a small but extremely strong stable of instructors. The presentation is excellent and, although there are some advanced sections, it takes a different and less specific approach to training. Negreanu’s comprehensive course on small-ball poker is just one example of why this is an excellent choice for beginner/intermediate players who want to learn how to win or radically overhaul their game.
www.pokervt.com
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