Whether you’re looking to improve your game in cash games, tournaments or sit-and-gos, the right studying approach will help you reach the next level. However, many players are misguided about how to spend their study time and often fail to accomplish their goals of becoming better.

The biggest mistake players make is jumping around in their study methods. They may watch a video on cbet strategy on Monday, read a article on 3bet strategy on Tuesday and then listen to a podcast about ICM on Wednesday. The human brain doesn’t learn well this way. Instead, it’s far more effective to focus on one aspect of the game at a time.

When a player begins to think about studying poker they will likely first turn to free resources. This is a great starting point because free content is often entertaining, and it will help beginners become familiar with poker terminology and strategy. However, as a player progresses, they should transition to more in-depth poker books and paid training sites that stay up to date with modern poker theory. These sources will give players the structure and guidance they need to develop their understanding of the game.

Once a player has mastered the basics of the game and has made some progress at the tables they should begin to focus on specific aspects of the game that can be improved through dedicated study. This could mean learning a new preflop range or working on their postflop play. At this stage, a good poker coach should be considered to ensure that the player is progressing as quickly as possible.

During this stage of study, players should also be utilizing poker databases like PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager to regularly run filters and review their play. This will allow players to find and fix leaks and start getting a feel for the profitability of different strategies.

As a player continues to move up the limits, studying should make up about 50% of their overall game time. This is because at this level, most of a player’s improvement will come from the tables and learning through direct experience. However, that doesn’t mean that playing should be done without any study, as players should still work on their game away from the table.

The best way to do this is by noting challenging situations that arise while playing and then studying them in depth at a later date. This will help players create a feedback loop between their study and play that can ultimately lead them to true mastery of the game. However, this is a difficult task to accomplish for most players. So, what can you do to improve? Keep reading to discover our top tips for how to study poker effectively.