“We are beyond excited to be announcing the resurgence of our most iconic charity event,” said Alexandre Meunier, One Drop Foundation’s Chief Marketing and Events Officer. He added, “It is an incredible feeling to be able to have the support of WPT and the Wynn to run our fifth edition of the Big One. There is always a palpable buzz in the air during the lead-up to the one-million-dollar affair. The magnitude of the buy-in, of the prize pool, and also of the funds that are directed to the crucial cause of access to safe water makes the Big One the event of all superlatives.”

As part of the new partnership, there will be three charity events taking place over the coming months that will raise funds for the One Drop Foundation:

The WPT World Championship at the Wynn Casino will be a spectacular setting for the return of the Big One For One Drop, which will distribute millions of dollars in prizes and raise money so that areas most in need can have sustainable access to water.

“The Big One for One Drop is such an iconic tournament in the world of poker. We are honored to put on this incredible event in conjunction with the One Drop Foundation and Wynn Las Vegas,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “The $1 million buy-in is a testament to the heights this industry can reach and the continuous evolution of the World Poker Tour.”

The Story of the Big One For One Drop

The million-dollar event made its debut in 2012 during the WSOP. That year 48 people took part, creating a prize pool of $42.6M. The nine finalists were awarded and among them were Mike Sexton (ninth), Brian Rast (sixth), Phil Hellmuth (fourth) and Sam Trickett (second).

The champion was Antonio Esfandiari, achieving the highest prize for a poker player up to that moment: $18.3M. Antonio celebrated by standing on top of the table and them jumping off directly on to his rail cheering him on. After that, he hugged his father with tears in his eyes and gave him the newly-won bracelet.

In 2014 the tournament returned. This time there were 42 players, with a prize pool of $37.3M. Daniel Colman defeated Canadian Daniel Negreanu in the heads-up final to become champion, earning $15.3M. The Canadian had to settle for an $8.2M for second place prize.

During that tournament an incredible bad beat happened where two pairs of aces met pre-flop and Cary Katz hit a flush eliminating Connor Drinan from the tournament. You can see the hand here:

In 2016 the Big One for One Drop left the United States and was instead played in Monte Carlo, with 28 people paying the €1M buy-in and playing for a €24.8M prize pool. Elton Tsang from Hong Kong was the winner and accepted a huge prize of €11.1M ($12.2M).

The last edition of the Big One for One Drop was held in 2018 during the WSOP in Las Vegas. It garnered 27 players, distributing $24.8M in prizes. Justin Bonomo was having the best year of his career and confirmed it by winning this tournament, earning $10M. Fedor Holz placed second and Dan Smith finished on the podium in third.

In December we will learn whether the new venue of the Wynn and the framework of the World Poker Tour World Championship will result in the largest field yet of Big One For One Drop players. Will we have a new record prize in poker history? We can’t wait to find out.

Pokercode Charity Event to Stream Live on Twitch

Pokercode’s exclusive Charity Event will take place at 6pm Central European Time (5pm GMT) so the world will be able to watch, join in and donate, too. With a livestream throughout via

Pokercode’s official Twitch page anyone who tunes in and donates will be delighted to know that Pokercode will match donations (via PayPal) to a total of €2,000.

Alongside the charity donations is an exclusive freeroll Home Game tournament. Every poker player loves something for nothing and the free-to-play event takes place on ClubGG, which is available in almost every territory out there.

With special guests appearing throughout the live stream, Fedor Holz’s hosting skills will be on show as the site he co-owns with Austrian high roller Matthias Eibinger explains what they’ll be up to in 2023 and beyond.

Join Fedor Holz for a special charity home game and play against the High Stakes boss himself

Don’t miss out!

– https://t.co/iCG0oufXpf pic.twitter.com/gsm8mo3L2B

— Pokercode (@_pokercode) December 19, 2022

How to Play the Pokercode Freeroll Home Game

Anyone who has already downloaded the ClubbGG software can register for the tournament right now within the lobby. Pokercode, who offer advice and tips such as their bankroll advice on their website are not only a site for great players to become elite. They help any regular Joe or Jane improve their game and the Home Game this Monday is a great opportunity to make it count.

If you’ve not downloaded ClubGG yet, you can do so via the GGPoker website, by joining the Pokercode Club by using the ID: 970951. When you’ve done that, register for the Freeroll Home Game and join in the Pokercode Discord group. Simply post the name you play under on ClubGG in the Nickname thread and you’ll be ready to play. You can also use the password ‘Charity’ to register for the Freeroll too.

ClubGG is a play money poker client, and therefore since you can’t lose any money, it should be available virtually anywhere. You can register an account via the ClubGG website at any time. The Discord regiatration is vital for anyone who wins, because that’s where Pokercode will head in order to pay you your winnings!

Meet Fedor and Chat Poker

Even if you don’t feel like playing the game but still want to take part, that’s cool too. If you’re a poker fan who wants to be in the known without having to sit down at the live or virtual felt, you’re just as important to Pokercode and ClubGG. You can simply pull up the Twitch stream, introduce yourself to Fedor and his special guests throughout the evening and watch what happens at the table when the action kicks off!

December is a really busy month on Pokercode, with a packed schedule of lessons, coaching and of course this special Charity Event night which will see the livestream and chat action go into the night. Since 2019, Pokercode was formed as a way to help poker players improve their games, but it has since turned into something way bigger, with the Pokercode Stream Team starting in 2020 during the pandemic.

Since live poker returned in a big way in 2021, Pokercode has been at the forefront of some key developments in the post-GTO landscape of the game. As Holz himself has said, “We believe people who are passionate about the game in the format of tournaments should be in one pool,” we believe people who are passionate about the game in the format of tournaments should be in one pool.”

Tonight’s Charity stream and tournament both represent a different way new players are both being welcomed and listened to by one of the most progressive brands out there.

In this article, we’re going to look at five of the top poker players from around the world. This list can change several times a year based on form and winnings, and of course it’s all subjective. However, we will try to compile the list based on skill rather than prize money.

We will avoid trying to rank them, as that may prove a bit too difficult. Instead, we will give you a brief rundown of our top five in no particular order. You may disagree with this list, and subjectively speaking, you can argue for other players, but these are the five we settled on.

Darren Elias

Elias is one of the top players in the world, and there’s absolutely no doubt about that. He currently holds the record for the most poker titles, having won the World Poker Tour title on four occasions. He also holds the tour record for most final tables and was recently named the WPT’s player of the decade.

One of Darren’s most notable attributes is his ability to read his opponents and study them meticulously. He then uses this knowledge to his advantage by reading their body language during games to decipher whether or not they have a good hand. And he of course also is frequently “in the lab” studying poker math and charts to boot. This list would not have been credible without his inclusion.

Fedor Holz

Holz is one of the top players in the world, even though he often considers himself to be “retired” from the game. He has been ranked on more than one occasion as the top online player and is consistently in the conversation when it comes to the top players in the game. With a couple of bracelets to his name and still under the age of 30, Holz should continue to pick up tournament wins and boost his career winnings as long as he performs at the level he usually does.

Michael Mizrachi

Mizrachi is one of the top players in the world, and you only need to have a brief flick through his career achievements to realize just how talented a player he is.

He has five bracelets and 13 final tables at the World Series of Poker under his belt, the most notable of which are his three victories in the $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship. In addition, he has been named WSOP Player of the Year before, so don’t be surprised if he ends up in the Poker Hall of Fame before his career is over.

Daniel Negreanu

The Global Poker Index operates independently of any related poker organizations, so it is an impartial and reliable indicator. They named Daniel “poker player of the decade for the 2010s.

As of this publication, only two other players have won more money in live tournaments and he’s closed in on the $50 million mark with his latest win at the 2022 Super High Roller Bowl. Negreanu improved his game by taking to the online tables, and there are many places online where you can learn more about the game.

He also implemented lifestyle changes, which he identified as a key reason his game continued to operate at such a high level.

He was named WSOP Player of the Year twice and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. One of the all-time greats, for sure.

Carlos Mortensen

Carlos is the final player we will be taking a look at today. El Matador hasn’t made too much noise at the felt in recent years, but his list of poker accomplishments is undeniable. Carlos has three World Poker Tour titles and has cashed for over $6 million on the WPT alone. He was the first South American winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, and the Ecuadorian is a player who still commands enormous respect wherever he plies his trade.

He might not win any more WSOP bracelets or titles, but his ability to read his opponents and his knowledge of the game make him a dangerous adversary for anybody unfortunate enough to face him at the felt.

Many interesting characters play in the poker world, and many of them are considered the best poker players ever on one metric or another. From the early days of professional poker, we have Stu Ungar, Sailor Roberts, Johnny Moss, and Amarillo Slim. For many fans, these players represent what a poker professional should be. Later, during the Moneymaker boom, players like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Tom Dwan were regarded as some of the best poker players of all time. Today, players like Fedor Holz, Stephen Chidwick, and Jason Koon stand out as some of the best poker players in the modern, GTO-heavy game.

While each era has its standout stars, many people ask a surprisingly hard question: who is the best poker player of all time?

This is such a hard question to answer because of the varying metrics by which we evaluate poker players. If you were comparing two NFL Quarterbacks, you could look at overall wins and losses, completion percentage, interceptions, touchdowns, yards, etc. While these are not foolproof, as football is very much a team sport, over long enough careers you can at least compare two quarterbacks and make an argument about which is the more successful.

Comparing poker players is not nearly as simple. How do we compare a cash game player to an MTT player? What about a player who favors big bet games vs. another who favors limit games? Or a player who ground out $10 million in earnings playing $10k and smaller tournaments vs. another who won two super high rollers for the same amount?

You can see the problem that exists when comparing poker players. Despite the difficulties, some metrics can be used to compare players and identify the best poker players of all time.

Five Different Ways to Identify the Best Poker Players of All Time

1. Career Earnings

One of the favorite methods for identifying the best poker players is by examining Hendon Mob profiles. The Hendon Mob tracks players’ live tournament earnings. All WSOP, WPT, and other major tournaments are tracked here, as well as many other live casino tournaments that report to Hendon Mob. The Hendon Mob can help determine a player’s success at live tournaments. There are other databases that report online players’ earnings as well.

How can we use career earnings to identify the best poker players?

This metric shouldn’t just be used to see how much money a player has earned. For example, someone could have been a winning tournament player for a decade in their 20s but hasn’t had any significant winnings in their 30s or 40s, despite still being in the tournament scene. Or, someone could have played only five years of high rollers, crushed them all for $10million+, then retired to do something else. Someone could play 10,000 online tournaments each year and have the same results as someone who plays 200 live tournaments. It’s not always easy to judge who has the best record using tournament earnings. But if you find players consistently winning over many years and in many games, it is safe to say they are great poker players.

2. Cash Game Prowess

Cash game poker players are much harder to rank than tournament players due to the anonymity involved. Cash games are not usually televised, although we have seen an increase in streamed and televised cash games over the last five years. In general, the biggest poker games being played are not streamed, they are in rooms such as Bobby’s Room in Vegas and similar rooms in L.A. Since a lot of the results from these nosebleed games are not public information, it may be hard to use cash game prowess as a metric, but it is not impossible.

How can we use cash games to identify the best poker players?

We can look at the types of games candidates are playing. If the player hasn’t played higher than $10/$20 or $10/$25 no limit, they probably aren’t the best. While many players at these stakes are tough opponents, there are bigger games available. Players who have remained in the nosebleed games for a long time are going to be great. Here we are specifying the players who are straight-up poker pros, not the recreational businessmen and women who play nosebleeds, but the guys like Eli Elezra who have been crushing games in Legend’s Room (Bobby’s Room) for decades. If a player has been playing in the biggest cash games for a long time, they are likely a very strong player.

WATCH: Interview with Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra

3. Career Length

Career length is a fairly straightforward metric. How long has the player been winning at poker? This is important because plenty of one-time crushers will fizzle out as the game surpasses their skill set. Finding players who have been winning in the biggest cash games or shipping tournaments for a long time is key to identifying the best poker players. As with any metric, career length has its limitations.

Fedor Holz is regarded by many as one of the best No Limit Hold’em tournament players. Fedor had an amazing run in the high roller scene during the mid-2010s. He won seemingly every big tournament that decade and quickly amassed millions in earnings, including over $16million in 2016 alone. Fedor was absolutely crushing the high roller scene for a few years and then “retired” from being a poker pro. Today, he still plays tournaments, but fewer than he was seven years ago.

While Fedor may not have the longest professional poker career, it was by choice, not because he couldn’t win anymore. For the most part, players need a long-term winning career to be in the “best poker player” conversation. But we shouldn’t automatically exclude someone if they choose to have a short career.

READ MORE: An in-depth interview with Fedor Holz

4. Accolades and Trophies

There are many accolades and trophies awarded in poker. There are WSOP bracelets and Circuit rings, the PokerGO Cup, the Global Poker Index Award, WPT Championship, and many others. While most of these are awarded for specific tournament results, others are not. These accolades can be used to identify some of the best poker players.

Which accolades and trophies should we consider?

There are a few standout accolades that can help identify the best poker players. However, note that many of these skew toward modern players, as they have only existed for a limited time.

GPI Player’s Choice for Toughest Opponent

This GPI award is decided by other poker professionals. It is poker’s version of the NFL Top 100, as it is chosen by the players this person has competed against. Unlike the NFL, however, this award goes to just one individual each year. This is a very high accolade, as the professional poker community picks their toughest opponent – something every poker player wants to be.

WSOP $50k Poker Players Championship

Every poker professional has circled this prestigious tournament on their calendar. The $50k Poker Players Championship is regarded among the professional community as one of the highest tournament achievements possible. It features nine games, H.O.R.S.E, 2-7 Triple Draw, No-Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and No Limit 2-7 Single Draw. It is regarded as the best test of overall poker ability, containing a variety of mixed limit games and big bet no/pot-limit games. Winning this tournament is certainly a plus for a player to be considered as the best of all time.

PokerGO Cup

The PokerGO Tour, a more recent series, features many high roller tournaments in which players can earn points (and money). The tour is a set of standard tournaments, but at the end of the series, the player with the most points earns the PokerGO Cup. To win this trophy, players need to consistently win in some of the toughest fields in poker. Many of the high rollers are playing this series, so to have continued success, a player needs to be an absolute crusher.

While these awards are skewed towards current and recent players, coupling these accolades with other metrics previously mentioned can help identify the greatest poker players of all time.

5. Stories from Professionals

As the previous metric favored today’s players, this metric is for those who can’t win a GPI award or may not have been around to crush poker before result reporting became so popular

For more legendary players, we need to rely on stories from other professionals. I’m sure every poker player has heard tales of the great Stu Ungar, who reportedly won the 1980 WSOP Main Event having never played a No-Limit Holdem tournament. Doyle Brunson famously remarked that it was the first time he saw a player actively get better at the game during a tournament. Many other stories about players like Ungar, Brunson, and Slim showcase their ability to crush poker games over many years.

While stories from the past may not seem to hold up to the other metrics listed, I think they do. Results and accolades can only tell so much of the picture. Relying on poker professionals to tell us who are the toughest and best opponents is a great way to identify the best poker players of all time.

When you are comparing individuals to find the best poker players of all time, it is important to consider multiple metrics. The best poker players will be winning both tournaments and cash games over a long period, and usually across many different game types. They will be regarded as the best by other top professionals and have accolades to back that up. Simply looking at the all-time money list is not enough identify the best player of all time. As in other professional sports, it is hard to compare someone from today’s game to the 1980s, as poker theory has evolved so much. Many people find it easier to list a top five players than an overall best player ever.

Everyone’s top five will be slightly different depending on what they value in a poker player. GTO players will have a top five consisting of players playing close to perfect GTO, while exploitative players may favor more old-school players. Tournament players and cash game players may have very different opinions on guys like Phil Helmuth and Daniel Negreanu. If you love PLO, like me, you may have Phil Galfond in your top five, while NLH players wouldn’t even consider him. Mixed game players may place Eli Elezra in their top five. There so many skills and specializations in poker that it is hard to select a consistent top five players of all time.

Regardless of your priorities for an all-time great poker player, using as many metrics as possible is paramount. While we will likely never see an undisputed best poker player ever, we can at least formulate a list of top five to ten players based on the metrics identified above.

Image Credit: Motorsport Magazine

It’s a common enough question to wonder how competent each of the world’s best F1 drivers might be at poker, and some of them even refer to the game. For instance, former Ferrari driver Kimi Raikonnen has played:

Via Wolfgang Poker: I played poker with F1 legend @kimimatiasraikkonen in my recent vlog! just out here living my best life LFGGG!!! #Kimi7 #KR7 #USGP pic.twitter.com/djZnFgTNVO

— Raikkonen Indonesia (@KimsterIndo) December 15, 2021

 Sebastian Vettel rates his pokerface

Poker face #F1 #Vettel pic.twitter.com/ZhdR6vEEPd

— Sebastian Vettel #5 (@sebvettelnews) April 19, 2021

and the legend that is Michael Buffer even describes two areas of his own particular brand of expertise as including both F1 and the card game we all love more than any other.

I’ve already done 100s of announcements on 6 continents for..
NHL Stanley Cup
NBA Finals
NFL Champ’nships
MLB WorldSeries
NCAA
INDY 500
Formula 1
NASCAR
Tennis Titles
Poker Tournaments
Olympic Games https://t.co/dijAKKxhOR

— Michael Buffer (@Michael_Buffer) May 5, 2021

Have you ever wondered how good some of the biggest names in poker might be on the track? We couldn’t help ourselves. From World Series of Poker legends to online and live poker crushers, we’ve picked 10 Formula 1 drivers from the world of poker and predicted how they would perform on the track.

1. Bryn Kenney (U.S.A.)

Known for his ability to play at the very highest level of poker for plenty of his own money, Bryn Kenney isn’t afraid to put his foot down at the poker felt. How would he fare on the Formula 1 track? The Long Islander would be determined to qualify in pole position, putting himself in the best place for a dominant run to the checkered flag.

Holding on to the lead, as Kenney has shown in his epic pursuit of the all-time money list number one spot against rival Justin Bonomo, might be tricky, but he wouldn’t give an inch and every turn would be taken at breakneck speed.

Verdict: A certain podium finish, but just misses top spot after a late swerve and skid costs him the win. 3rd.

Image credit: Cardschat.com

2. Daniel Negreanu (Canada)

Kid Poker is perhaps the most recognizable face at the poker felt, but how would he fare under the helmet of an F1 driver? Negreanu would be all about the numbers, crunching his statistics in order to give himself the best chance of victory.

Playing under the restrictions of his own training, Negreanu would be a tough competitor, but relying on the numbers takes away the natural flow to his drive. At the crucial moment, Kid Poker would be too busy thinking about what he should do, instead of driving on instinct.

Verdict: A late look at his hairpin stats costs Negreanu the lead early, as he misses a car on the track and spins off into the tyre wall. Did Not Finish.

Image Credit: PokerNews

3. Justin Bonomo (U.S.A.)

The all-time money list leader may be impervious to criticism at the felt, but confined to the cramped space of an F1 car traveling at hundreds of miles per hour into every turn, things would be tougher for the top earning tournament poker player in the world.

Bonomo would be focused on the win at all times as he pursues Kenney around the track, but while he’d get close to Kenney and overtake him after the former’s risky hairpin near the finish line, Bonomo wouldn’t see another driver in a modified helmet race past him and take victory.

Verdict: Runner-up position for Bonomo, who refuses to spray champagne around the paddock, donating the bottle to charity.

Image credit: PokerGO News

4. Stephen Chidwick (United Kingdom)

The only British driver on the racetrack, could Chidwick’s temperament be the difference as he negotiates the curves of the raceway as he does the vicissitudes of tournament poker? There’s no doubting the calmness and posture of the man, but what about the car?

Formula 1 drivers have to hunch over for up to 70 laps of brain-crushing motion, so the idea of Chidwick in his comfort zone would be as far removed from the process of poker as it can possibly be.

Verdict: A battling 5th place, but it’s the stretch after leaving the car that Chidwick is chasing.

5. Phil Hellmuth Jr (U.S.A.)

The Poker Brat is a demon at the felt, but how would one of the best players of all-time be able to negotiate the bends of a Formula 1 circuit at 200 mph? Hellmuth is capable of hero calls and folds at the felt, but what about checking the rear-view?

For a player who constantly looks forward, Hellmuth would be brilliant at overtaking, but, vulnerable to what’s coming up from behind him as the youth of today accelerate towards him, getting out of the path of a young European (“idiot from Northern Europe”?) who cuts him up costs Hellmuth his race. Spinning out of control, he is asked to come into the pits, where he joins frenemy Negreanu in bemoaning his awful luck around the track.

Verdict: Spun off on the tracks, curse words trailing in his slipstream as he power-walks to the pits, Hellmuth cheers up over Sour Patch Kids and a vegan coffee with Negreanu.

Image credit: PokerStars Blog

6. Phil Ivey (U.S.A.)

A complete enigma at the poker table, how would Ivey fare under the spotlights and cheering masses on race day? With difficulty, we’d presume. But could he edge his way through the pack to finish first after all?

Ivey would no doubt be getting practice on the sly and show some great moves early on in the race. However, after missing qualifying entirely due to a particularly juicy cash game in Macau, Ivey is never able to catch up, lagging in second to last despite an early overtake and some solid lap times.

Verdict: 7th place. Ivey is on a private jet before the trophy is awarded to the eventual winner.

Image credit: Cardplayer.com

7. Michael Addamo (Australia)

Uncompromising, taking the best lines and utterly fearless, Michael Addamo might just be the most comparable poker player to a Formula 1 driver that the mind sport has ever enjoyed. The Aussie would have plenty to chat about with fellow Antipodean Daniel Ricciardo, but could he prove as successful as winning titles?

Addamo’s ability to adapt is without question, but after some early moves put him in the lead, he is surprised by both Bonomo and Kenney, who prove to have plenty of staying power. Addamo, in great form over recent practices, learns the value of experience as he slides from an early lead to further back by the home straight.

Verdict: 4th place, but lessons learned for GTO steps in the future.

Image credit: PokerNews

8. Erik Seidel (U.S.A.)

The New Yorker, fresh from his 83rd poker tournament of the year, would be Mr. Consistent at the racetrack. Dressed immaculately in a classic all-in-one, Seidel would be on point and up-to-date with all the latest moves. But can he turn that into victory?

Qualifying in third place, Seidel falls victim to the first corner as the polite poker player refuses to bump wheels for fear of causing injury. On the team radio, the nine-time WSOP bracelet winner is heard telling his colleagues in the pits: “I’d rather win clean or not at all, guys.” That transpires as the early corners cost him the chance of victory.

Verdict: 6th, but a clean conscience and with no one getting hurt on their way back to the paddock.

Image credit: PocketFives

9. Fedor Holz (Germany)

Flying into action, the German youngster would be innovation personified as he dons the helmet emblazoned with the words ‘Primed Mind’ on the front and Pokercode on his arms. Setting off at a fair pace, Holz flies around the first corner past a static Seidel, then pushes past everyone bar Bonomo and Kenney.

On the final corner, Holz overtakes them both, but as he evens up to take the flag, his car is bumped wheel-to-wheel by a rival he never saw coming. Perhaps it’s because he didn’t notice any sun reflecting off a helmet at all…

Verdict: It’s last place and 8th for the German, after he has to get out and push the car over the line following that late smash.

Image credit: PokerGO News

10. Doyle Brunson (U.S.A.)

Driving without a helmet and taking the win right at the death is none other than Doyle Brunson! Sure, the ‘Wild West’ legend of poker lore wasn’t expected to pull up any trees by many, but with a history of achievement in basketball this man could have been a sporting superstar instead of a poker legend.

With any old injuries banished to the past for one glorious final race, ‘Texas Dolly’ cuts a path through the entire field, and when he sees Holz making a beeline for the finish, tracks his every move. On the final corner, Brunson takes the opposite line and evens up his car ahead of Holz, who bumps into the back wheels of Brunson’s car and spins out. Holding his cowboy hat aloft, Texas Dolly crosses the line to the cheers of poker and Formula 1’s finest.

Verdict: Doyle Brunson is the finest Formula 1 driver poker has never seen…well, not yet anyway!

Think it won’t happen? Who would rule anything out in these days of pay-per-view sports and crossover appeal between like-minded gamblers? We’re just hoping the side bets won’t be too crazy.

Join Team Pokercode now! With the Pokercode Black Friday deal, you can grab a €100 discount on a yearly subscription! Now, instead of a monthly subscription costing €89/month, you can get in for just €50/month, a massive 45% savings!

What is Pokercode?

Pokercode was founded by German Super High Roller and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Fedor Holz, together with the #1 on the Austrian all-time money list, Matthias Eibinger. They were joined by Danish online crusher Simon ‘IgorKarkarof’ Rønnow to create the best study material focused on tournament poker.

Steffen Sontheimer is the latest addition to the team, having joined Pokercode in 2021 to provide cash game content. The high-stakes player knows his way around tournaments as he won the purple jacket at the inaugural Poker Masters, but he dedicates most of his life to his first love: cash games. 

A subscription to Pokercode doesn’t just give you access to an insane amount of study content on their own Netflix-like video platform; it also includes access to our community with like-minded poker players searching for improvement. Instead of approaching difficult topics by yourself, you have access to hundreds of poker players, including their top tier coaches, to help answer your questions. 

Community member Tim Bakker:

“From the very first moment I joined Pokercode it has been a warm welcome for me. The coaches are really great and helpful in all kinds of ways and the community is really mind-blowing. Everyone is always ready to help, they’re very friendly, and most importantly very passionate about the most beautiful game in the world: POKER!”

Live Study Sessions + The Best Tools

But that’s not all! Every Pokercode coach provides live study sessions exclusively accessible to Pokercode members. Plainly put: you can ask your questions directly to some of the world’s best poker players. And if you miss out on the live session, you can always watch it on-demand on our study platform and ask your questions to the coaches in the Pokercode community. 

If you want to take your study game to the next level a Pokercode membership grants you access to some of the biggest discounts for the best tools. Pokercode members get a 45% discount on ODIN; never use a solver again! Other discounts exclusive to Pokercode members include an offer for Hold’em Resources Manager, and Primed Mind. 

The Pokercode Community

The study material at Pokercode is one of the best tools to improve, but the Pokercode community is the catalyst to achieve your goals faster than ever. Whether you have a specific question for one of our coaches, are looking for a couple of brains to help you break down an ICM spot deep in a tournament, or if you’re looking for some advice on how to structure your study days, there’s an answer for everything. There’s an incredible amount of experience available to you to truly step up your game.   

Community member Alex Baier (3rd place finisher in the inaugural Pokercode Festival in Bratislava):

“I was part of a lot of different communities so far but I’ve definitely felt the most welcome at Pokercode. I was fortunate enough to win my first 3 months through a promotion of Steffen Sontheimer. I met a lot of community members during the first live event and I made friends with them and started studying with some of them. It helps me a lot, looking at hand reviews. The coaches regularly post their opinions on and give feedback on the proper thought process that we should apply. It keeps me motivated having a lot of like-minded players around me that I can talk to, celebrate wins with, and cheer for each other!”

Company founder Fedor Holz of course knows all about what it takes to win, and he is dedicated to giving Pokercode community members the support and tools it takes to get to the winner’s circle:

“Progress doesn’t happen overnight. It’s something you need to continuously work on. However much time you want to dedicate, we are there to help you set and achieve your goals. Whether you just like the challenge, want to become a full-time pro or move up the stakes, we can help you.”

Pokercode Grindhouse Showcases the Power of Community

You might be jaded at listening to fancy marketing talk, telling you how good Pokercode must be. So rather than do that, we’ll just demonstrate it to you.

Pokercode decided back in 2020 to trial a project with a select group to showcase the power of community. Mario Mosboeck and some of his friends were the chosen ones and after spending two months in a house living, breathing, eating, studying, and playing together, there was no proof yet if they were successful in their approach. 

After the project, however, they went on a tear.

The Pokercode Grindhouse boys collectively won over $1,000,000 in a week during a trip to Las Vegas, and Mario himself was crowned SCOOP Main Event champion after he took down the $1,050 Main event for well over $800,000. 

We’ve decided to repeat this project for a shorter time frame in 2022. All episodes are available on the Pokercode YouTube channel.

Negreanu’s previous challenge against Doug Polk seemed to ignite a new wave of interest in hyped-up heads-up matches. We know of at least two more challenges expected to happen before the end of the year, one of which sets billionaire recreational player Bill Perkins against 21-year-old poker prodigy Landon Tice.

The Galfond Challenge promises Phil Galfond against Dan “Jungleman” Cates at some point as well. These upcoming matches just scratch the surface of what’s possible in poker’s hottest form of content at the moment.

Image credit: capitalbay.news

What other heads-up matches could set the poker world ablaze? Let’s take a look at five heads-up challenges the poker world needs to see:

Fedor Holz vs. Chris Moneymaker

I’d pay money to watch poker icon Chris Moneymaker take on the semi-retired 27-year-old Fedor Holz. What’s not to like about this matchup, pitting the man who started the poker boom against a player who embodies everything about how the poker dream evolved into the 2010s and beyond?

These two players haven’t announced any such plan to engage in a heads-up battle for the ages. The announcement of the Joker’s Gambit charity chess event, which involves poker pros playing chess for charity, did give us this short exchange between the two:

Fuck that. No getting in labs. Play street chess like the rest of us

— Chris Moneymaker (@CMONEYMAKER) March 4, 2021

Moneymaker is ready to take it to the streets for Joker’s Gambit, while Holz is headed to the lab. A heads-up poker match between the two would likely feature that same approach to preparation.

Holz just came off a win in a heads-up match against Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski. That challenge featured Holz and Malinowski trading needles over Zoom while they battled.

We need the same setup for Moneymaker vs. Holz.

Doug Polk vs. Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski

Heads-up “supreme leader” Doug Polk isn’t ever shy about evaluating another player’s poker acumen. The Upswing Poker founder wasn’t impressed with Malinowski’s play against Holz, going so far as to say Malinowski played badly on purpose in an effort to get future HUNL action against other high stakes pros:

Is @Iimitless2 actually this bad or is he playing badly on purpose?

— Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) March 5, 2021

Polk might not have a lot of poker playing left to do in 2021, as he’s indicated his return to the game to engage in the match against Negreanu marked a temporary return to poker.

The High Stakes Feud battle between Polk and Negreanu yielded delayed stream coverage on multiple poker media channels for every chapter of the match. That simultaneous coverage of the same match is something we’ve never really seen before in poker.

Anything Polk does at the table is must-see at this point, and a Polk-Malinowski match seems like a natural progression from each player’s previous heads-up challenge.

Phil Hellmuth vs. Johnnie Vibes

What kind of dynamic would unfold if modern-era cash game vlogger Johnnie “Vibes” Moreno took on 15-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth heads-up? The upcoming Hellmuth-Negreanu High Stakes Duel II match has the poker community talking, and that match is shaping up as perhaps the biggest poker story of 2021.

Moreno contends that the list of players that are willing to battle Hellmuth heads-up is “a mile long,” and includes Johnnie Vibes himself:

It’s tough cause I agree that PH is an all time icon in poker. But in the year 2021, I have my doubts that he works as hard as the professional field. There’s a list of people a mile long that would be willing to play him HU for 25K hands. I’d join that list.

— Johnnie VIBES (@JohnnieVibes) March 6, 2021

Moreno, a straight shooter and one of the more interesting creators in the poker content space these days, would be a fascinating counterpart to Hellmuth in a HUNL match. Let’s get the live Zoom feed going for this one as well.

Joey Ingram vs. The World

Joey Ingram’s hours of commentary on the Polk-Negreanu challenge seem to have inspired in him a newfound passion for heads-up no-limit hold’em. He’s succeeded in taking down a pair of live heads-up tournaments in Las Vegas since the end of High Stakes Feud.

Both the live appearances and the HUNL play are rare for Ingram, whose playing days were heavy on Pot-Limit Omaha before he settled into his current role as one of poker’s most influential content creators.

Ingram isn’t done with his new venture into HUNL:

I need to find some people to play HUNL sessions against at mid stakes to help me see how my game is coming along gotta test myself against someone else besides the bots

Also – looking for a platform to play games on

— Joey Ingram #passion (@Joeingram1) March 7, 2021

Ingram’s call for HUNL opponents prompted Matt Berkey, Benny Glaser, and David Tuchman to accept Ingram’s challenge.

Any of those matches would make for highly entertaining content. The list of potential other opponents for Ingram is amazing to contemplate; how about Ingram vs. Polk or Ingram vs. Hellmuth?

Tom Dwan vs. Gus Hansen

Season 8 of the newly rebooted High Stakes Poker from PokerGO has featured Tom Dwan in every episode, and Dwan has continued his long-running tradition of dominance on the show. Fresh off of that run, the poker world needs to see the inventor of a seminal heads-up match, the “Durrrr Challenge,” return to those heads-up roots.

If we’re thinking of opponents for Dwan in a “Durrr Challenge” revival, why not Gus Hansen? Seeing these two poker boom icons go at it in 2021 could potentially make for the most intriguing heads-up match on this list.

A mythical Dwan vs. Hansen match probably would be low on solver-approved play and high on entertainment value. Let’s get this high-stakes match going in a live format at the PokerGO Studio.

The Pokercode Academy – WSOP 2020 is a special eight-week coaching program with some of the best coaches in the world. Pokercode’s own Fedor Holz, Matthias Eibinger, “IgorKarkarof”, and their friends Claas Segebrecht, Steffen Sontheimer, and mindset coach Elliot Roe teach you how to prepare for the World Series of Poker and crush it! Players can enroll for only €199 and they will get access to eight live coaching sessions, an interactive and supportive community with like-minded poker players, and Pokercode’s state-of-the-art content platform to go back and re-watch the live coaching sessions. 

Holz and his cadre of coaching cohorts will take students through all aspects of tournament poker. They will discuss early deep stacked play, important ICM situations around the bubble, and of course on the final table. They will do everything they can to prepare their students in the best way possible in the quest to WSOP gold!

With dozens of cashes, many millions of dollars in tournament winnings, and loads of deep WSOP performances and memorable runs among them, the Pokercode team is immensely qualified to teach you their tricks such that you can hopefully emulate their successes and possibly even win a bracelet of your own.

Players who sign up for the the Pokercode Academy – WSOP 2020 will have full access to the Pokercode community as well as the Netflix-like content platform for the months of July, August, and September where they are free to re-watch the live coaching session content as many times as they like. Plus, they can discuss everything taught by the instructors with other students in the community as well as the coaches themselves. 

WSOP bracelet winner Fedor Holz remarked that “I think it’s a great way to work very closely with people, but also put out relevant content that will help them perform better throughout the WSOP series. I personally like that I can share my results and my journey. My ups and downs. I’m excited for the academy and I’m looking forward to welcoming a lot of new people.” 

With some of the best players in the world in various poker formats on the coaching team, the Pokercode staff is equipped to help you will all facets of your tournament game.

Matthias Eibinger added, “I am happy to open up the Team Pokercode Community over the course of the WSOP so that also other players can enjoy the like-minded community feeling and get accompanied by other players in this intense time of grinding the WSOP online series.”

What’s certain is that beyond being highly motivated to have a successful 2020 WSOP online, Holz, Eibinger, and the rest of the Pokercode coaching team are equally as driven to ensuring their students have a solid shot at success of their own by enrolling in the Pokercode Academy – WSOP 2020. 

The Pokercode Academy – WSOP 2020 kicks off on July 12th! Plug your leaks and get coached by the best in the world

Learn more on https://t.co/Pkyeut4F9p #Poker #pokercode #WSOP pic.twitter.com/xzraisPuze

— pokercodeofficial (@_pokercode) July 6, 2020

I can’t help but think about some of the names that haven’t appeared much, or at all, in televised  poker games in recent years. The following list includes 10 players, in no particular order, that I’d love to see get back in the mix in 2020:

Doug Polk

This one’s probably not going to happen any time soon, as the Upswing Poker founder has stated on numerous occasions that he’s done playing poker.

He certainly doesn’t have anything else to prove in the game. The last time we saw Polk grinding it out was on live stream, during his $100 to $10,000 bankroll challenge.

Image source: Doug Polk Twitter

Polk completed that challenge in August 2018, and at the conclusion announced his intentions to not play poker anymore. He did play a couple of events at the 2019 WSOP, but other than that Polk’s been true to his word.

Always an entertaining presence, and a genius poker mind, a return to poker from Polk in any televised/streamed form would be welcome.

Fedor Holz

Much like Polk, I’d love to watch Fedor Holz play poker in any televised form. The last time we saw the German phenom on a major broadcast was the 2018 WSOP $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop, where he finished second for a career-high $6,000,000 payday.

Holz’ brings an unmatched presence to any poker game his in, from a spectator standpoint. Maybe it’s staredowns of his opponents, the glimpse into his poker mind, and the mystique of a guy who’s won more than $32,000,000 in his poker career but is “retired” at age 26 and looking to improve the world.

Holz has made a couple of appearances in Triton Poker high roller events in 2019, including the  €1,200,000 Triton Million in London. Televised/streaming coverage of Holz playing poker since 2017, however, is sparse.

With the recent release of Pokercode training course, Holz is still involved in the game, and I’d love to see him back in action at the table.

Sammy Farha

High Stakes Poker is still considered by most to be perhaps the greatest poker television program of all time, and Sammy Farha was the heart and soul of that show.

His unpredictable playing style and personality at the table made any poker show a must-watch when Farha was in the mix. He may have first appeared on our televisions as the runner-up to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP Main Event, but Farha’s lasting legacy is the personality that we got to know during the run of High Stakes Poker.

It’s fun to imagine how Farha’s playing style and table talk would interact with some of poker’s modern-day TV regulars.

Jamie Gold

The preceding legendary hand doesn’t happen without Jamie Gold, who first appeared on High Stakes Poker in the Season 3 run, which began in January 2007.

Fresh off his win in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, Gold was the perfect person to add to the mix on High Stakes Poker, as his mix of speech play, fearless bluffing, and brash personality made for fascinating interaction with the game’s regulars like Farha and Doyle Brunson.

Gold has made a few appearances on PokerGO programming over the last couple of years. If we could get guys like Gold and Farha to appear regularly on televised poker shows in 2020, I’d watch every minute.

Gus Hansen

Much like Farha, Gus Hansen is one of the legends of poker whose presence would make any show must-see TV.

Hansen, like Gold, does make the occasional appearance on PokerGO programming, but most of his time at the poker tables in 2019 was spent in Bobby’s Room, playing high stakes cash games at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

We can only imagine what goes down in those games, but perhaps none of the high stakes regulars that frequent Bobby’s Room are as intriguing as Hansen. The “Great Dane” gave us a glimpse into his life with his epic Instagram posts over the course of the past year.

Joey Ingram

There really isn’t a ton of footage to be found of Joey Ingram playing poker on television/livestream. Poker’s lead investigator has made a few appearances on Live at the Bike, as well as Poker After Dark’s ‘Run It Once’ week, which aired on PokerGO in April 2019.

Ingram has admittedly taken a step back from playing the game to focus on his YouTube channel and Poker Life podcast. In that respect, nobody is creating more essential and important poker content than Ingram, who’s at the pinnacle of investigative journalism within poker.

Seeing the 2020 version of Ingram mix it up at the poker able would be fascinating, and let’s hope we get to see more of that in the coming year.

Tony G

We’re already seeing Tony G get back into the mix after taking time off from poker to focus on his political career. Like Farha and some of the other classic personalities from the Poker Boom era, Tony G was always an unmistakable presence on any televised poker show.

Working for PokerNews, I had the opportunity to cover Tony’s win at the €25,000 Triton Short Deck High Roller at partypoker MILLIONS Europe in August. Watching him play poker and interact with some of poker’s other top personalities was a real treat, and that trip to King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic was one I’ll never forget.

Over the course of that event, I saw Tony matched up against Phil Ivey, Leon Tzoukernik, Paul Phua, Cary Katz, and Rob Yong, just to name a few. Can we get more of that on my television screen?

Here’s a look at Tony G mixing up with the modern-era high rollers in a Triton Poker cash game, and let’s just say Tony’s personality hasn’t wilted at all since his break from poker.

Annette Obrestad

Taking the poker world by storm during the peak of the poker boom, Annette Obrestad began racking up online accolades as a teenager. By the time she appeared on the live tournament scene as an 18-year-old, Obrestad was a force to be reckoned with.

She became the youngest player to ever win a WSOP bracelet with her win in the WSOP Europe Main Event in 2007. At that time Obrestad was one day short of her 19th birthday, and over the course of the next few years the Norwegian poker prodigy was a regular invitee to a number of poker television programs.

It’s been a while since we’ve been able to watch Obrestad play the game. Let’s take a look back at a big cash game hand between Obrestad and Justin Smith, with Doug Polk providing analysis:

Vanessa Rousso

Another one of the TV regulars from the poker boom, Vanessa Rousso was always a dynamic personality whenever she was in the mix.

We haven’t seen much of Rousso on TV/stream over the latter part of the 2010s, but it would be great to see her come back to the big screen. Rousso currently sit at more than $3.5 million in career tournament earnings, but her appearances at the poker table, televised or otherwise, have been somewhat sparse in recent years.

Here’s an infamous hand involving Rousso and another member of this list, Tony G:

Huck Seed

The 1996 WSOP Main Event champion may not be as boisterous or talkative as some of the other entries on this list, but I still miss the days of Huck Seed as a regular on poker television.

Perhaps the all-time king of prop bets, Seed always carried a certain mystique at the poker table.

We haven’t seen Seed in a televised game in quite a while, and I’d be fascinated to see him match up against some of today’s TV regulars.

Personally, I felt a bit scared starting it all up as I had never done any poker study before trying Pokercode. This was going to be my first proper go at becoming a better poker player. The lectures started out very welcoming, with Fedor referencing a book outside of poker that helped him get in the proper mindset. That one word — MINDSET — is something he talks about a lot in the first couple of videos and that sets the tone for what you will eventually learn during the course. Right from the get-go I immediately began to feel some sort of change happening in my head that motivated me to tackle the beast that is the Pokercode and become a better player.

Holz is very clear that this course is based on GTO play, but he will also teach you how to adjust your strategy so you can exploit your opponents and their weaknesses. He does have separate videos at the end of most sections of the course that illustrate how Fedor himself adjusts and deviates from GTO strategy to exploit his opponents even more.

The Pokercode consists of five parts, and the first part begins with a general introduction called “Getting Started: Pre-flop.” After the introduction we begin diving headfirst in the first bits of poker strategy, and — WOW — we zoom from 0 to 100 really quickly! I have to admit that I was pretty overwhelmed by the rapid-fire of information that was given over in the first couple of sections.

Before going any further, let’s break down the Pokercode by the numbers:

• 5 parts
• 24 sections
• 100+ lessons
• 60+ hours of video content
• 30+ hours of community coaching added since day 1
• 1 weekly live coaching session
• 3 brilliant minds (Fedor, Matthias, and Simon Rønnow)
• 1 brilliant host instructor (Fedor)
• 1 hurting brain at the end (mine!)

Getting Started: Pre-flop

The first part of the course consists of 24 videos varying from a couple of minutes to about 15 minutes in length. The videos are split up into five sections:

• Introduction
• Pre-flop Fundamentals
• How to Defend the Blinds
• Playing in Position
• Facing 3-Bets

All sections contain multiple videos and after each video there’s a quiz. The questions are either multiple choice or true/false and you will get 1, 3, or 5 points depending on how many tries it takes you to give the correct answer.

If you don’t get the answer after three tries, you have the option to skip the question, but you are actively encouraged to re-watch the video. It’s really critical to understand the first part of the course before moving on to the next part. I must admit that I had to re-watch some of the videos because there was just too much information for me to absorb. This might not be the case for most students, but since I had never studied poker properly before it was a bit overwhelming.

Pokercode Quiz; sample questions

The first couple of quizzes I did were manageable, but the deeper I dove into the course the tougher the questions ended up being. At first, I didn’t even realize I was able to skip the questions so I just re-watched the videos, which I feel is a good thing. Fedor explains at the beginning of the course that your pre-flop mistakes can do more damage when you continue post-flop. Like most players, ideally I want to get better at poker quickly. That’s why I felt it was great for Pokercode to encourage that you get the pre-flop fundamentals straight before hopping over to the post-flop section. Just like in poker, you can’t force the action!

I internalized an important thing from this course, namely that there is no shortcut to getting better: you must learn one video and one concept at a time. The quizzes helped to give me a great idea as to whether I had correctly understood the concepts being taught. It’s one thing to understand the rationale given for decision-making in one specific situation. It’s another thing entirely to be able to understand the underlying decision-making rationale and be able to apply it to all situations that come up at the poker table.

Disclaimer: Complicated strategy ahead!

I feel it’s important to note that the Pokercode is not designed for complete beginners. You need to have a good understanding of the game’s basic strategy or you’re going to have a tough time understanding what Fedor is talking about. Also, you need to be more than “just a little bit motivated” to learn and improve your game because these videos are not made for casual, passive viewing. Focus is required and the subject matter being taught is very tough, but there is tremendous value in making the effort to study properly. That said, it would’ve been good to see some sort of disclaimer at the start that this course can get complicated.

After about one hour of study, I started to feel a bit of information overload, so I quit for the day and started again with a fresh head the following day. There’s a lesson in there for you if you’re thinking of subscribing to Pokercode: don’t think that you can just zip through all the poker training content in one day. Your head will explode! You’ve got to give yourself enough time to process and internalize each of the lessons before moving on to the next steps and videos.

Once you reach the “How to Defend  the Blinds” portion of the course, you’ll for the first time be exposed to… Charts! Glorious charts! Fedor will explain to you how the charts work and in which situations they’re relevant. While charts might be a familiar sight to many poker players, they still scared me a little bit as I had never taken such a deep dive into poker strategy before. The charts not only tell you what actions to take and when, but also how frequently you should take a certain action. I understood these general concepts pretty quickly, but figuring out specifically how the charts were supposed to work kind of rattled me in a way that I didn’t expect when I started the course.

For me, this was my first time actively learning about frequencies, and I finally came to understand what “balancing” meant. (Spoiler: It’s not standing on one foot and trying not to fall over.) I had to watch and re-watch the videos multiple times to understand what Fedor was telling me, and — once again — the quizzes helped me gauge whether I properly understood the concepts being taught.

Adaptation is the Name of the Game

At the end of some lecture sessions, Holz will share with you his personal adaptations to the GTO strategy. He will explain how he adjusts his playing style to exploit his opponents, which gives you the tools to do so yourself. This is where I feel there’s a lot of the value in Pokercode. You can learn GTO poker from many different coaching websites, but Fedor Holz sharing his personal tips, tricks, and exploits is something else and felt incredible to watch. Watching those videos on the train where he explains how he personally adapts gave me the feeling that I needed to cover up the screen on my laptop. It felt as if I was watching porn on the train and no one else should be allowed to see what was on my screen.

Pokercode dashboard

I noticed some changes in the way I approach playing poker after I was done with the first part of Pokercode. Fedor gives you the right tools to start thinking in terms of ranges rather than just specific hands. I was aware that the top pros do this, but I had no clue how to exactly approach it and start doing so myself. Since I’ve begun using the Pokercode I do think I have a better understanding of this concept. I’ve also started to feel more and more sure of what to do in certain spots, which has been a personal breakthrough. I used to sort of guess with my decision-making and never used to analyze any spots after the fact. Now I’ve started asking myself the right questions that help me arrive at what I believe is the best decision, with increasing speed.

Post-flop

The second part of the course consists of six sections with a total of 22 videos. This is where I started to struggle a little bit, but I am already looking forward to re-watching most of these videos to get a better understanding. There’s just so much valuable information to master!

This is also the point where the videos begin getting longer; few of them are shorter than 10 minutes at this point. Within the Pokercode, the videos are labeled as easy, medium, and hard. All of these post-flop sections are labeled hard, and I understand why. There are lots of charts and Fedor presents multiple situations where we can choose to deviate from GTO strategy.

Fedor tackles short-stacked examples, deep stacked examples, looser opponents, tighter opponents, and more. Ranges are examined thoroughly, as well as where and how we can decide to deviate from optimal play. I managed to get through the first video, but the next ones made my head spin. Video is the optimal medium, and the Pokercode lessons are extremely well-produced, but it really takes maximum concentration to try and keep up with Fedor as he goes through the charts and different situations. (I guess if this were easy, everyone would be beasting tournaments and winning millions, right?)

Processing Raw Information

As far as my personal study process, like I mentioned already, I had to pause videos multiple times and re-watch. Even so, I found myself failing the quizzes. While it’s a frustrating process, this did motivate me to keep learning and improving; and this has been happening slowly but surely. That’s what “getting in the lab” to study is all about!

Once again, it’s important to clarify that Pokercode is not a course for beginners or amateurs who just enjoy playing recreationally!

As I progressed through the course’s additional Post-flop sections including: The Turn, The River, 3-Bet Pots, Blind Versus Blind, and Multi-way I noticed that while on the one hand the videos were getting tougher and tougher, their value kept rising At a certain point, I doubled back to review some of the pre-flop sections, so I could get a better understanding of ranges again. This certainly helped in terms of my processing the post-flop lessons. I even started getting more answers right on the quizzes.

One thing I’d recommend: don’t implement a certain strategy in your game yet if you don’t fully understand the concept of why you should implement it in your game.

Next-level Poker Instruction from a Next-level Player

When I try to teach my girlfriend how to play poker, she sometimes says that I explain it in a way that is already too complicated for her. Trying the Pokercode finally made me truly understand what that means. I had a tough time keeping up! That’s not to say that Fedor doesn’t explain things well, but rather that the material itself is just very dense and complex. Even so, I think I have tons to gain by taking the course.

Fedor Holz presenting Pokercode

READ MORE: An Interview with Fedor Holz

I admit that it likely takes me longer to understand all the concepts than it does a medium or high stakes crusher. Even so, in poker it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to reach the finish line, so long as you eventually get there. Pokercode will get you there! You just need to pay close attention to every lesson as you keep building your personal knowledge base.

Perhaps “finish line” isn’t the right term though, as I’m unsure if you can actually finish this course. I feel like the Pokercode is a course that keeps on giving and continues to maintain its value, even if you have already watched the videos and lectures multiple times. You can really get in Fedor´s head throughout this course and it truly feels as if he is your personal coach.

The Pokercode – Start Crushing Now

This is the third part of the course where things got fun for me once again. Winning at poker isn’t just about GTO strategy; it’s about mindset, your behavior at the table, tells, and other important information like how to deal with ICM. This last part of Pokercode consists of four lessons and a combined 19 videos.

First, you’ll learn about ICM, which is a critical subject for tournament players to understand. After explaining the idea, Fedor guides you through how ICM can be applied to your game, and then how to adjust your game after taking into account ICM considerations. Even if you think you have a good understanding of ICM, I’m pretty certain that after watching the six videos in this part of the course you’ll have learned a lot. In other words, whether you’re a starting pro or already an advanced player, there’s value to be had here.

The next lesson, entitled “live game” was my absolute favorite. The videos here take you through all the different aspects of live poker that you don’t have playing online. One of these is obviously trying to profile players and to see if you can spot any tells. After demonstrating how to spot tells, Fedor also teaches you how to mask your own tells and elaborates on the importance of table image. It was quite fun to watch, and really made me eager to hit the tables! I felt sad when this part of the course ended and there were no additional videos of this category to watch.

Mindset, Again

PRICING

While it’s undeniable that Pokercode will boost your poker game and enable you to add tremendously to your overall skillset at the felt, as with most things in life there’s a price to pay. Astute students of poker, however, realize that when it comes to poker training, it’s not a cost, but rather an investment, which is likely to generate anywhere from decent to excellent ROI.

Pokercode recently revamped it’s pricing model to allow for three options:

• Monthly: €99
• Quarterly: €214
• Yearly: €699

While you get the best value by exercising the Yearly option, the other pricing points give you the ability to try out all facets of Pokercode without having to make the full financial commitment if you’re not ready to take the plunge and prefer to just dip your toes in the water. Moreover, you even get a 14-day money-back guarantee!

Conclusion

While I’m sure there’s plenty for cash game specialists to take away, the course is focused on tournament players, as illustrated by Fedor talking about situations that are 20, 40, 60, or 100 big blinds deep. The videos are impeccably well-produced and easily navigable. The quizzes at the end give you a good grasp of how well you understand a certain concept and you can always re-watch a video as many times as you’d like to improve further. This poker training course isn’t for everyone, but if you are interested in learning how to play tournament poker at the very best level, you should definitely give Pokercode a try.