Online cash game poker courses: how to choose the right one for your stakes

What to check before choosing a poker course

Before comparing syllabuses, check five things:

1. Focus on the format you play. If you play No-Limit 6-max cash games, a tournament course teaches sizes, stack depths and decisions you will not use.
2. Practice, not just videos. Watching someone play is not the same as deciding yourself. Look for drills where you choose fold, call or raise and the size.
3. Explained corrections. Knowing you were wrong helps little; knowing why (the opponent's range, the price, position, stack depth) is what changes your game.
4. Conditions in plain sight. Every poker answer depends on something: position, effective stack, size and opponent. A good course tells you under which conditions each piece of advice holds.
5. A way to try before you pay. If you can use the full course for a few days, you will know whether the method works for you.

Which course to choose for your stakes

POKER AULA levels are ordered by the cash stakes they prepare you for:

A quick self-check: if you cannot yet calculate pot odds or do not have opening ranges by position, start with Beginner. If you have them but do not know how to respond to a 3-bet or defend the BB, Intermediate. If you already do that and want to count combos, MDF and geometric sizing, Upper Intermediate. If you want to compare lines by EV and build a complete 100 bb preflop strategy, Professional.

The levels are cumulative: each one includes all the previous ones in full.

What each POKER AULA level includes

Beginner (16 modules). Rules, hand rankings, positions and blinds, first preflop decisions, facing previous action, basic postflop, outs and probability, pot odds, bet sizing and the most common mistakes, with a final exam.

Intermediate (14 modules). Ranges by position, defending against opens and 3-betting, responding to 3-bets and an introduction to 4-bets, blind defense, SPR, position and EV, board textures and range reading, c-bets, turn and river play, implied odds and multiway pots, adjusting to opponents and the mental game.

Upper Intermediate (14 modules). Combos and ranges with numbers, MDF, alpha and indifference, blockers, measured advantage, geometric sizing, overbets, three-street planning, deep river play, 3-bet and 4-bet pots, and calculated push/fold.

Professional (15 modules). A complete 100 bb preflop strategy (opens, 3-bets, 4-bets, 5-bets and blinds), flop strategy by texture, check-raising, polarized turn and river play, comparing lines by EV, low SPR pots, multiway and squeezes, advanced exploitation, variance and bankroll.

Each level ends with a final exam and includes the Training and Calculator for that level.

The method: learn, practice, decide and understand why

The whole course follows the same loop:

1. Learn: a short lesson with one concept and hand examples with positions and sizes.
2. Practice: questions and situations on that concept, right away.
3. Decide: in Training you sit at a table with a position, a stack and previous action, and choose fold, call or raise and the size.
4. Correction: each decision is graded and you see the best play.
5. THE WHY: the explanation behind that decision, with the range, price, position and size that justify it.

Your mistakes are saved and come back in spaced reviews, so you practice most what costs you most. That loop is what turns theory into decisions that come naturally at the table.

Tools included with the course

• Interactive Training: table situations with corrections and THE WHY, full hands and "what changed" comparisons between two similar spots.
• Calculator: pot odds, outs, equity, SPR, combos, MDF, EV of lines, ICM and variance, with every result explained step by step. Tools unlock according to your level.
• 100 Preflop Charts: 6-max cash at 100 bb, plus charts for 40 and 200 bb, with the size of every action and an explanation for each group of hands.
• 241-term glossary: every term with a definition, an example and a question to check you understood it.

If you prefer to practice without the lessons, Training and the Calculator are also available on their own.

What no course can promise you

No poker course can guarantee profits. Poker has variance: you can make good decisions and lose for thousands of hands, and your results also depend on your opponents, the rake and your bankroll discipline.

What a course can do is show you your leaks and give you a method to fix them: reviewing your hand histories, drilling the spots where you make the most mistakes and understanding why one decision beats another. Be wary of any promise of quick profits or a guaranteed win rate.

How to start: the 48-hour free trial

POKER AULA offers 48 hours of free access to everything: all four levels, Training, the Calculator and the Preflop Charts. You only need to sign up and confirm your email; no card required.

To make the most of it:

1. Take the welcome diagnostic in the Beginner level or go straight to the level that matches your stakes.
2. Complete a lesson and drill its situations in Training.
3. Open the Preflop Charts for the positions you play most.
4. Use the Calculator on one of your own hands that left you in doubt.

When the 48 hours are over, you will know whether the method works for you and which level fits your game.