Awareness

Poker Teaches More Than Poker

The cards matter, but what keeps players coming back year after year is everything happening underneath the surface. No matter what stakes you play, poker is constantly testing your ability to think, adapt, manage emotions, and make decisions under pressure.

Awareness

The Dreaded River Check-Raise

Most recreational players aren't running elaborate river bluffs. They aren't spending three streets setting up a sophisticated check-raise bluff because they think your range is capped.

Patience

Balancing Poker and Life: How to Build a Game That Lasts

The goal is to build a poker life that can coexist with everything else that's important to you rather than constantly competing with it.

Awareness Featured

Why Following Poker Influencers Can Hurt Your Game

One of the biggest mistakes recreational players make is confusing a good result with a good decision.

Exploitation

TAG Gets You Started - Adaptability Gets You Paid

Playing tight-aggressive will keep you out of trouble, but it won’t maximize your profit on its own. The real edge in live poker comes from adjusting to the players at your table and exploiting the mistakes they make.

Awareness Featured

Downswings: Why They Happen and How Strong Players Handle Them

Downswings are part of poker, but how you respond to them is what separates winning players from everyone else.

Awareness Featured

Poker Is a Battle: You Don’t Win Every One

Poker isn’t about winning every session, it’s about staying level-headed and making good decisions no matter how the game is going.

Exploitation

Set Mining 101: How to Play Pocket Pairs the Right Way

The biggest mistake is treating a small pocket pair like a hand that wants to see every flop. It doesn’t and it’s not supposed to.

Patience

Poker is Supposed to be Boring

Winning at $1/$3 and $2/$5 isn’t about constant action, it’s about waiting for the right spots and playing a strategic game against the players at your table.

eXecution

Why You Keep Missing Thin Value (And It’s Costing You)

Most players miss value by checking hands that are actually ahead. Learn how to spot thin value opportunities and get paid in spots others overlook.

Exploitation Featured

What Story Are You Telling At The Table?

Poker isn’t just about the cards you hold, it’s about the story you tell with every action at the table. Learn how to recognize predictable patterns, control your own narrative, and exploit players who don’t even realize what they’re revealing.

Awareness

Tilt is Just an Emotion

“We are not disturbed by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens to us.” – Epictetus

Exploitation

How to Beat Super Loose Aggressive Maniacs

Against someone who is willing to put money in with almost anything, you do not need to get fancy. The better adjustment is to tighten up your starting range and wait for hands that can comfortably play big pots.

Patience

5 Simple Tips to Improve Your Win Rate in Live $1/3 Cash Games

You don’t need advanced strategies to beat $1/$3. Most of the edge comes from doing the simple things consistently well.

Awareness

Ranges: What They Are and How to Think About Them

A player’s range is just the collection of hands they could realistically have in a situation.

eXecution

eXecution: The final pillar of the APEX framework

A lot of players recognize the right play in a hand. They see the situation clearly. But when it’s time to act, they freeze up. And that hesitation costs them money.

Exploitation

Exploitation: The third pillar of the APEX Framework

It’s not about always betting or always being aggressive. It’s about understanding how someone plays and putting yourself in the spot where their mistake costs them the most chips.

Patience

Patience: The second pillar of the APEX Framework

Patience Creates Opportunities. At these stakes, you don’t need to force the action.

Awareness

Awareness: The first pillar of the APEX framework

Awareness starts before you even play a hand. The first 30-60 minutes at a new table is incredibly valuable if you pay attention.