Hey guys,

I'm trying to teach a friend of mine how to play poker, and am having a difficult time. I was a winning player at NL50 and break even at NL100 back in the Full Tilt days, and have since switched to live where I'm currently grinding up a roll at 1/2.

At present, I've had him deposit $200 on America's Card Room to teach him the basics at 2cent/5cent, and in the meantime he's going to save up a bankroll to make the switch over to live poker. I did my first session with him tonight, and his poker knowledge is pretty lackluster (as expected). He's played in some casinos and home games, and if I weren't coaching him, I'd imagine he plays like a weak station type game. He doesn't really understand position, terms like 3 and 4 bet, or hand ranges. Like I said, very new.

What resources should I point to him to read and/or watch?

Thank you for any pertinent input.

Hi Pilot,

Written literature I think is something that would help, just a basic NLHE and cash game book. I'm not too familiar with what is out nowadays, the books I read when I was starting in 2004 and 2005 I wouldn't say are too valuable nowadays.

Maybe evnen the old Ed Miller books everyone used to rave about.

This is what taught me the basics of winning poker: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/3...thread-340027/

Easiest way to use interactive preflop hand range is the PokerSnowie app for iOs, it is made for 6max play but i mean you can generalize EP and MP over the first five positions and use CO range for HJ also to start. Keep in mind each range is a little bigger or smaller given the exact position on the table if used for 9 handed play. Tool also allows to input how to respond to other position's opens with what range we can play and how to play them (3 bet pot 100%, call 100%, 3bet or fold with frequency of raise, call or raise with freq of raise, call 100%, and obviously fold 100%)

Alternatively, sites like Best poker coaching or Doug Polk offer NL preflop charts you can get your hands on and keep them on the computer while he plays online. I personally like the snowie app since i just input what the current situation is and it populates the range I should play rather than scrolling through the multiple charts on a PDF to find what position I am at, then what the villain did and how to respond.

Honestly, the concept of ranges solidified for myself as a visual learner once I got my hands on the tables and charts of ranges rather than listings them as letter terms like in these forums (ie only 3bet in this spot with ATs+, AJo+, TT+, KQs/o etc etc etc)... Terms like that are kind of meaningless to a new player since they can't grasp ALL of the hands involved and not involved. Seeing a chart can put an image in their head of what a range actually is.

Postflop, eh that's a bit harder to teach honestly. I would probably say understanding the c-bet in 2018 is definitely crucial. You can't just bet 2/3 pot every flop you PFR and know you take it down 80 percent of the time. I would say having him understand that he must c-bet for a concrete reason ONLY.

Such reasons might be
LESS IMPORTANTLY villain only calls with nuts and i have a large sample of this to back this thought up so i pound a cbet and win, if V calls, I fold all but nuts.

MORE IMPORTANTLY only CBET with some type of EQUITY in the hand to be made>>>>ie Hero made a hand, hero has a monster draw, or hero has a weak draw>>>>KEY NOTE IS THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TO CBET OUR MIDDLE STRENGTH HANDS we can sure, but this will put us in bad spots too often when called. Middle strength hands can be cbet on certain textures (dry to take down), but usually these types of hands we want to check and control the pot size, hope to get to a river and realize the value of our 2nd pair, pocket pair with an over on the board, etc type hands.

If I was starting over, knowing what I know today, I would want to be taught how to play the Button, CO, HJ & LJ & Button+4 seats 1st.
I would want to be told to play nothing but JJ+, UTG - UTG+3 aggressively, because I'm a NEWBIE. Fold everything else, including AK, except 77+ because they qualify for BBJ.

You want to play 77+ as it qualifies for the BBJ, but you don't want to be playing it aggressively out of position. Go to the flop cheap, flop a set or fold.

If I had concentrated on becoming a solid winner OTB & the 1st 3 seats to the right of it, it would have been so much more of a confidence builder.

I believe someone who can win OTB & the 1st 3 seats to the right of it, can fold in all other positions without looking at their cards & win, if they're good in those 4 seats.

I would want to be told to read all the stickies on this forum and post questions. I would want to told to view all the splitsuit & pokerbank vids on youtube.

Math: you've got to be able to math at the table. No way around it.

This is the way I'd teach my wife to play if she was using my money.