1. Nobody can.
2. Why would I be limited in tools I could use?
3. Nobody.
The beauty of NLHE is that you can start playing in minutes, but it takes a lifetime of learning to maintain playing it well. If I was starting out again, I would read just one introductory book and then start playing at the lowest available limit (1cent/2 cent online or 1/1 live). At the same time, I'd spend the next couple of years reading the material available on 2+2 and participate in the forums.
If you disagree and think that it will just take a couple of lessons and tricks to become a winning player, ask yourself why you're posting on a website with players that have been often working on their games for years. We would have to be exceptionally dense not to be able to just pick up the couple of lessons and tricks you want to win. Why would you want our advice?
1. Nobody can.
2. Why would I be limited in tools I could use?
3. Nobody.
The beauty of NLHE is that you can start playing in minutes, but it takes a lifetime of learning to maintain playing it well. If I was starting out again, I would read just one introductory book and then start playing at the lowest available limit (1cent/2 cent online or 1/1 live). At the same time, I'd spend the next couple of years reading the material available on 2+2 and participate in the forums.
If you disagree and think that it will just take a couple of lessons and tricks to become a winning player, ask yourself why you're posting on a website with players that have been often working on their games for years. We would have to be exceptionally dense not to be able to just pick up the couple of lessons and tricks you want to win. Why would you want our advice?
The rules and hand-rankings would be the very first and most important thing to learn.
The tool that has been most useful to me is Equilab. I've used it almost every day for 5 years.
As for coaching/training, it would depend which game I was specializing in, and what my current skill level was. I wouldn't watch Doug Polk if I was learning how to play tournaments, for example, but I'd watch his heads up cash videos if that was my game.
You say learn the game, but you don't specify what game. Even if we assume you're a sheep and mean the snoozefest that is NLHE rather than poker as a whole, you're still incredibly vague in terms of cash (how deep?), donkaments (rebuys? Sats?) or donk and goes (standard? collude or nothing? 50/50?)
OP I'm going to pimp my 18-month-old post that I was hoping would come to be the gold standard answer for the question "How do I get started at poker?":
If you're looking into NLHE check out gripsed poker on YouTube. He has a lot of things from the very basics, to full tournament strategy, to full hand analysis of tournaments that have been won.
After learning a few things I'd suggest playing in some non cash games on pokerstars to get used to the layout of the software and how the games are played.
Once you feel you've got it down, at least enough to try to start real money. Load up twitch and follow/watch Jaime Staples, Doug Polk, and Tonkaaaap. As they are the best at analyzing and discussing what it is they're doing and why they're doing it.
Good software to have is Holdem manager 2 (for bankroll tracking and hand analysis), jivaro (for it's HUD), and pokerstove (for hand range and equity). Don't have pokerstove open while playing tho, you'll get a nasty message warning you that your account will be suspended. Only use it to go over your hand history and learn where you could get into more equitable spots for the future.
Just know that there are no run good schemes or anything like that. The only way to become a good player is to study, play (a lot), and adjust as you go. Just like any other profession out there. Adhere to good bankroll management, understand that there are many different styles of play and types of players, and learn the mental game before going broke with tilt after your aces get snap called by some donk with jack 2 off suit and you get sucked out by the river with 2 pair. Happens to everyone of us a lot more than you'd think.
