PokerStarter is a free poker school created by the PokerStars team to help poker newbies master one of the most popular card games. Essentially this no deposit bonus at PokerStars for registration.

Poker is an exciting game that is growing in popularity. If you want to win, you must master the appropriate gaming strategies. That's why PokerStars gives you the opportunity to study free poker school PokerStarter, where you can go through a comprehensive and absolutely free poker basics training from PokerStars. To do this, players will be asked to complete several training courses. Once completed, you can apply for no deposit bonuses from PokerStars. Poker School from PokerStars is essentially a poker academy.

All bonuses from the poker school are divided into 2 parts: no deposit bonuses in the amount of $12.5* + tickets to tournaments from the poker school, as well as free $20 for your first deposit at PokerStars. The total bonus amount will be $32.5 + tickets.

*Tickets are issued for a deposit made within 18 days of completing the course.

It is recommended that you take the training courses one at a time, as the knowledge and skills gained in earlier courses will be needed when studying more advanced material. Users will also have the opportunity to put the acquired knowledge into practice and practice at the PokerStars tables in special freerolls and Poker Leagues from PokerStars.

There are currently 7 courses and their number is constantly increasing, and the materials are being supplemented. After completing each course, you can take a test and find out how well you learned the material. After successfully passing each test, you will be able to take advantage of a variety of prizes, bonuses and tickets to tournaments.

Free Poker Stars

Courses and bonuses from the PokerStars poker school

1. Basic course. Poker School Membership Ticket

After reading all the articles in this course, you can try to pass the test. If this is successful, it means that the student is ready to train with real opponents. As a reward he will receive Poker School Membership Ticket, which will give the right to take part in tournaments from poker schools PokerStars(with limited participation), for example in Poker League tournaments. And this, in turn, is a great opportunity to play poker for the first time against real opponents!

2. Cash games course. $8 free with Bankroll Builder promotion

This training course will cover the basic concepts of cash tables, including preflop, flop, turn and river strategy. From it you can find out general information about pot odds, outs, selection of starting hands and tables. You can also get $8 free with the Bankroll Builder promotion.

3. SnG tournaments (sit and go). 3 tickets to $1.50 buy-in + $20 free

The course materials on Sit & Go tournaments will take you to the next level! Non-depositing users will receive three tickets to $1.50 buy-in tournaments. To receive these tickets, a deposit must be made within 18 days of passing the course. There is also a special bonus code FREE20 at the time of deposit (deposit amount = $20), which in addition to 3 tickets of $1.5 will give an additional $20. The final bonus will be $20 + 3 tickets.

4. MTT course. 5 x School Pass VIP tickets

Once you have mastered the course on multi-table tournaments, you can begin to take part in tournaments with low buy-ins. Practice to move up the limits while maintaining bankroll management. As a reward, you can receive 5 School Pass VIP tickets, which can be used in special MTT satellites exclusive to Poker School participants.

Additional conditions for tests from PokerStarter

• PokerStars account must be no more than 7 days old
• The interval between two tests must be at least 24 hours.
• Tests must be taken in the order described on the PokerStars website

Information about bonuses from PokerStarter

• Tournament tickets are issued without need to enter bonus codes.

Natalya Shibanova

Pokerstarter sets modern standards for learning poker games and offers interactive training. This is the best option for consolidating the acquired knowledge in practice.

What kind of training these are, when they take place and how to participate in them, you will learn from our article.

What is the essence of interactive training and what are the player’s benefits from participating in it?

From the name it becomes clear that the classes:

Functionality overview

1. Online broadcast, i.e. the PokerStarter instructor’s play on the PokerStars boards for real “greens” is demonstrated in real time thanks to a special tool - a browser. More details below.
2. Meticulously prepared workouts using a repeating handout tool. So, guests of the training game can view the most exciting and useful hands in terms of learning poker. And at the same time, training participants will have time to ask questions to the instructor and discuss with him all the details of the game.
3. Comments in audio format. Using special technology, the trainer can give clear and precise comments. And he will be able to immediately respond to the questions and wishes of the training guests.
4. Chat. Thanks to the chat, training participants can ask the PokerStarter instructor any questions they have about the game.
5. Special tools that experts have in their arsenal. These devices allow you to make diagrams, take notes while at the board, or somehow highlight certain participants in the game, dividing them into several groups.

Interactive training process

Each participant in a particular training session can watch how an expert plays on the PokerStars boards online using a special browser.

Participants see the hidden cards of the coach, who not only comments on what he is doing at one time or another, but also tells in detail his gaming strategy. There is also feedback in the form of a chat (discussed above).

How to register for training?

To become a participant in training courses, follow these 4 simple steps:

Stage 1: Registration

To take advantage of all the benefits of the PokerStarter school, register on its official website - PokerStarter.org.

Stage 2: Registration for participation in training courses

To register for training, select one or another course in the calendar (see photo below).

Registration for training at the poker school on PokerStarter.org

For a more detailed description of the course, click on its name. In addition to information about the course and its start time, you will see information about the number of unoccupied places, the duration of the lesson, the name of the instructor and the level of VPP points required to participate in a particular training (see photo below).

Required VPP Level

A certain level of VPP will be required to participate in certain training sessions.

After you select a course, click on the “Add” button, which is located opposite the workout you selected. See in the photo above - it’s a red tick.

So, the corresponding workout has been added to your personal calendar (see number one in the photo below). This means you have registered for a training session.

Important! You can start a workout in just 15 minutes. before it starts. It may be that you have registered in several courses, but do not remember when and which one starts. No problem. At any time, click on “Full Schedule” (see number two in the photo below) and you will see what time each class starts.

You can start your workout 15 minutes before it starts.

It happens that you no longer want to participate in a particular course. Then just click on the “Cancel registration” button. Thus, by leaving the training, you make room for another participant in the PokerStarter school. Because training conferences have a limited number of seats.

Stage 3: Training Conference

Before starting the conference, open the window with information about it again (the “Open” button). By clicking on this button, you go to the conference. But it will begin only after the coach appears.

Important! If you have AdBlock software installed, be sure to disable it before training. Otherwise, you cannot avoid problems both with displaying boards and connecting to a training session.

Before starting your workout, be sure to disable the AdBlock application!

Stage 4: During the conference

So, the conference began. The coach will play online at PokerStars boards, considering easy and difficult cases. To make each conference more effective, you must carefully observe what the coach does in a given situation.

If there is something you don’t understand, feel free to ask the instructor questions via chat. Always write “VT” before starting your question. This way, he will see your question faster.

During training, you must adhere to certain rules of behavior. It is better to familiarize yourself with them before registering for the training conference. Read on for more details.

Training rules

1. During the conference, it is strictly prohibited to contact the live board in any way. According to Starz rules, this is “cheating.”
2. When using the chat functionality, participants are strictly prohibited from advertising anything unrelated to Pokerstarter or PokerStars.
3. Participants must not insult PokerStars or their PokerStarter school.
4. Collusion between participants by disclosing their pocket cards or in any other way is strictly prohibited.
5. You cannot ask questions or write comments in the chat that are completely unrelated to poker.

This article examines the most common mistakes that poker players (both new and experienced) make in cash games. This article is primarily intended to help cash players, but in fact, the tips can also be useful for tournament players - one striking example of a hand is taken directly from a tournament.

"Scared" game

Lack of courage in the game is one of the main pitfalls of many beginning poker players and even quite experienced players. This is the face that everyone, including Doug Polk, has had to shed at some point in their careers in order to reach their true potential.

Sometimes your decisions in a hand will bring you big wins, sometimes they will cause you to lose big. As poker players, you have to accept both of these outcomes. If you are constantly afraid of losing, by playing this way you will reduce your advantage over your opponents, and thereby increase the element of influence of luck on the game. To win as much as possible over the long term, you need to accept fairly frequent losses in the short term.

Let's look at the example of a hand that was played at the final of the WPT Rolling Thunder tournament between Ian Steinman and Joe McKean. At this stage there were five players remaining in the tournament and the prize payouts were as follows:

1. 295 128$
2. 201 428$
3. 131 081$
4. 97 510$
5. 69 650$

Yen, with a 94bb stack, opened with K♦ K♠ (2.5bb). Joe with a 54bb stack in the big blind called with Q♣ T♦.

The flop is A 7♠ 5 . Ian decides to c-bet 2.5 BB. In fact, such a decision can be called erroneous. On an Ace board, it is better to c-bet with low pocket pairs like 88 or 99, as this will protect such hands from KQ and QJ (which are not a threat to AA here). And Joe makes an even bigger mistake and calls.

Turn: (A 7♠ 5 ) J♣. There are 11 big blinds in the pot and Ian checks. Joe made an inexplicable call on the flop with no equity, but now he has an opening. He bets 6 BB and gets called.

River: (A 7♠ 5 J♣) K♣

Ian has the second highest set and takes the lead with 13 BB. Joe closed and he had his 49 BB. Ian uses several time banks and finally folds.

In this particular situation, Ian's fold was correct, but if you analyze the play, it was a mistake. To understand why, you need to analyze the Yen's range. Ian would play AA and QT differently, so KK represents the top. If he folds the top of his range on the river, that means he will fold his entire range. And this should always be avoided, otherwise your opponent’s bluffs seem too profitable.

Some players may wonder, "What if Villain never bluffs here?" This is a risky assumption, and many amateur players tend to think so. Assumptions often turn out to be wrong - and this is true in poker. Take, for example, Joe's call on the flop. Most players will think that Joe simply could not make such a call, because he is an experienced professional player, and is unlikely to call his opponent's continuation bet with Q♣ T♦ on an A 7♠ 5 flop without having absolutely nothing. But he still made this unpredictable call.

The important thing to understand is this: when you have to make a difficult decision at a large bank, never base that decision solely on the fact that you are afraid of losing money. This would be a mistake. And it is this mistake that does not allow amateur poker players to improve their game, show decent results and move up the limits. Instead, focus on bringing your A-game and avoiding decisions that will exploit you, and you will be profitable in the long run.

Ignoring stack sizes

The depth of stacks (both your own and your opponents) is very important for choosing a strategy preflop and postflop, as well as for choosing the most effective sizings. But in general, tournament players tend to pay more attention to this than cash players. This happens because many people in the cash game usually play with the same stacks.

But in reality, stack sizes cannot be ignored. Don't assume that if you always enter a cash game with a stack of 100 BB, then the same is true for all your opponents. Keep an eye on your stack and the stacks of all your opponents, and adjust according to the information you receive.

For example, when playing with deep stacks, you should use larger 3-bets. You don't want to give your opponent good pot odds to call with speculative hands (such as small pocket pairs).

Stack depth also affects the range of hands you are willing to push all-in with. If you are playing with stacks over 200 BB deep, then you should be playing 4-bet and 5-bet with a narrower range than with 100 BB stacks. For example, you have AKo or JJ, you 3-bet against an open raise. If you have a very deep stack and your opponent 4-bet in the cut-off, then you are better off just calling. But with a stack of 100 BB or less, you can continue to be aggressive and 5-bet.

Not enough bluff

Any time you bet value, you should consider what hands you have in that particular spot. If you can't come up with any suitable bluffs, then your opponent will be able to exploit you by folding your bets more often.

To figure out how often you should bluff, you need to analyze your river bet sizing. To calculate the optimal river bluff frequency, you can use the following formula:

Bluff frequency = bet size / (1 + bet size * 2)

Here the bet size means a percentage of the bank. That is, if you are going to bet 70% of the pot on the river, then you need to bluff 30% of the time, because 0.75 / (1 + 0.75 * 2) = 0.3. It is worth noting that such calculations are only suitable for the river. On earlier streets, players can afford to bluff more often, and there are several reasons for this: bluffing on the flop/turn may have at least some equity; your opponent will potentially have to call another bet/bet later in the hand.

Once you have figured out how often you should bluff, you can start choosing the right hands. In short, there are two most important factors to consider when choosing hands to bluff: your hand equity and blockers. Hand equity matters on the flop and turn, but on the river the main factor is whether you have blockers.

Stopping Game Improvement

There is currently no perfect poker player in poker. This game has not yet been solved using artificial intelligence, which means that players always have room to grow and develop. But many poker players make a dangerous mistake - they reach a certain limit or win rate and stop there.

In poker you should always strive for more. By constantly working on your game, you can significantly increase your potential winnings and move up to higher limits. It is there that real prestigious victories and glory will await you.

But you shouldn’t assume that you have to devote all your time to theory and working on the game. Many professionals believe that the main thing in poker is still practice, that is, real play at the tables. Doug Polk recommends this ratio: 2 to 1 – practice to theory. This way you can both work on your game and invest a lot of time and effort into the poker process itself. But be sure to work through each session played, look for possible leaks and eliminate them as quickly as possible.

Poker Academy invites you to test your strength, pass special test, and receive a nice poker bonus in the form of branded products from the Poker Academy.

No matter how long you have known the game, our goal is to show that poker is a game that is accessible to everyone, and it is built on mathematics, calculations and chances.

Why is it worth taking the test?

The main goal, of course, is to get a poker bonus (Lucky Chip, deck of cards, poker set). However, in addition to this, you will gain experience in solving non-standard situations, test your knowledge in the level of thinking, calculating bank chances, and, most importantly, understand which aspects of the theory you need to “pull up”.

Poker set from Poker Academy

We guarantee that you will receive a free poker bonus for successfully passing the test!

Our goal is for every student at the Academy to become a real poker shark!

Don't believe me? Try it!

Poker bonus conditions

The skill test contains 30 questions, each of which takes 45 seconds.

You can score 30 points in total (1 point for each question).

And now about the pleasant things: pAs for the test results, you will have four possible outcomes:

• If you score less than 25 points, then, unfortunately, the poker bonus is not available to you;
• 25-26 points – poker bonus in the form of a Lucky Chip (luck chip) or a discount on education;
• 27-28 - deck of cards;
• 29-30 – poker set!

Lucky Chip

Second try

Didn't earn enough points? Dont be upset!

Poker Academy invites you to take the Skill test again to get a free poker bonus!

Education

If you didn’t score enough points the first time, then before going through it again, we recommend visiting our poker school, or signing up for a group course!

Today it is difficult to find a professional who does not have a deep level of poker mathematics. Miscalculation of the game and quick analysis of the opponent has become an integral part of every poker pro!

We will help you conquer the world and “pump up” your level of thinking!

Poker School

The “School” section contains the most important articles on the game. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, remember the most important thing is to constantly learn!

Poker trends are constantly changing. For example, if previously the vast majority played in a tight style, today everyone is inclined to play loose-aggressive. Time changes absolutely everything: styles, tells, strategies for playing with a deep stack, playing with pocket pairs, playing with a bankroll and much more.

Therefore, books written in the last century are unlikely to suit you today, even if they were written by great professionals (besides, I doubt that they will reveal all their secrets).

Cards from Poker Academy

Stages of schooling:

The first lessons are aimed at learning the basic basis of the game: terms, rules, classifications of psychotypes, how to behave at the table, etc.

The next two courses (advanced and professional) contain articles about a more in-depth analysis of the game. You will learn about levels of thinking, strategy for playing with "monsters", mathematical expectation and much more, which will undoubtedly help you conquer the poker scene!

Group courses

The Poker Academy offers three group training options:

• Academy Win Strategy 2.0;
• IRON MTT;
• BSS+HM.

Now let's take a closer look at each course:

Academy Win Strategy 2.0 is based on three pillars: playing with a short stack, fighting tilt and correct use of statistics.

In two weeks you will learn the answers to the main questions: how to win at micro-stakes, how to bluff correctly, why tilt is so terrible, and what statistics to look at to read your opponent’s hand?

Iron MTT - training in all types of tournament poker (both multi-table and single-table).

After completing the course, you will know the secrets of playing preflop and postflop, why you need to change your strategy at each stage of the tournament, how to play on the bubble and what to do with a small stack of 5 big blinds at the late stage.

BSS+HM – in-depth cash game training. The course is based on full stack strategy and learning all the statistics of Holdem Manager 2.

The full stack strategy is the most profitable as the pots are much larger! But don’t forget, you have to pay for big profits with iron discipline!

Hold'em Manager 2

Don't miss the chance to get another guaranteed poker bonus from the Poker Academy!

To do this, simply register on our website and enroll in one of the courses offered above (AWS 2.0, IRON MTT, BSS+HM).

Poker Academy gives Hold'em Manager 2 Absolutely free for all students, and our team will help you install and configure it correctly!

Individual training “To the result”

“To the result” is a unique training format in which you risk absolutely nothing. The only thing that is required of you is to strictly follow the trainer’s instructions, and believe me, success will not take long to arrive!

The main advantage of individual training is that you work one-on-one with a personal trainer, where the trainer will analyze in detail every aspect of theory and practice, and if you do not understand well, for example, the mathematics of poker, then as much time as you need will be devoted to it!

As a rule, individual training is limited to a certain number of hours, but the problem is that neither you nor the trainer can know how much time you need to spend to achieve success. Everything is strictly individual!

But if you choose “To Result” training, then the trainer will spend as many hours on you as necessary! We don't leave our students halfway!

Any person who begins to get acquainted with online poker will first learn about the largest room PokerStars. This community brings together beginners, amateurs and professionals around the world. Here you can pleasantly while away your free time playing and practice your skills. And for many, PokerStars is the main and main source of income.

To help beginners master the game, explain the rules and basics in the most understandable and accessible language possible, PokerStars has launched a free online poker school, PokerStarter. On the training site, users take lessons in text format and via video. All classes are designed by poker experts.

What does PokerStars poker school offer?

The educational site is divided into several blocks. Each of them allows you to choose the training option that you like best. Basically, the site logically combines the following topics:

1. Educational material. It is presented in the form of courses and video lessons. Video lessons are divided by topic. The courses consist of 4 levels. After each stage, beginners are asked to take tests to consolidate their skills.
2. Workout. To quickly master the material, there is an “Interactive training” block. Games are played with expert coaches in real time. For convenience, a schedule is drawn up, there is a registration form and the rules are described.
3. Video library. The “Library” is placed in a separate block. Here, in addition to online classes, game sessions are collected, training sessions are recorded, and distributions of the day are highlighted.
4. Forum. To make studying at the PokerStarter poker school not boring and productive, there is a player forum. Here you can discuss controversial issues, find out the opinions of others, and ask for advice from coaches. Communication with other users greatly helps in the educational process.
5. Blog. When a user registers, he can create his own personal blog. You can run it for any purpose:
   - Find like-minded people;
   - Express your own thoughts regarding the learning process;
   - Analyze successes and failures in games.
6. Poker League. After training, you can immediately begin to hone your skills and play for real money. Each school student becomes a member of a league in which players from all over the world compete. The main goal of the player is to score as many points as possible in order to take part in the fight for a prize pool of more than $35,000 in the tournament, which takes place every month.

Register on PokerStarter

To gain access to the training and other features of the PokerStarter poker school, you need to complete a simple registration form - it is free. The procedure is as follows:

• Create an account on the PokerStars poker room and download the client to your computer.
• Register for a poker school
  1. Go to the room lobby, select the “Poker School” tab and click “Register”;
  2. You will see a window where you should create a new password for your account at school and select the language of instruction;
  3. After activating your account, log in to the school using your username and new password.

After registration, all school materials will be available to you. You can also immediately assess your level using a test. It is located in the top right corner of the PokerStarter home page.

School bonuses and promotions

While studying at Poker Stars School, players receive pleasant bonuses and can participate in promotions. During the entire period of training, beginners compete in tournaments that take place between students of the PokerStarter school. There are separate promotions for those who do not participate in tournaments and for those who do.

Bonuses for training

Students receive motivating gifts. Each training course has a specific bonus:

1. If the player successfully passes the test after the basic course, he is given a ticket to the tournament and a prize fund of $1000;
2. If a player passes the test after the second year, then he receives 2 tickets to the tournament as a gift;
3. After the player successfully completes the third educational stage, he receives 3 tickets;
4. For the fourth stage of training, a beginner is given $20 to increase his deposit at the PokerStars poker school.

Note that in the first two stages, players receive prizes, even if their game account has not yet been replenished.

Not registered on PokerStars yet? Open an account and take part in a promotion for new users from the poker school: complete educational mini-tasks and receive bonuses for it.

Bonuses and promotions for participating in tournaments

Promotion “Card of Luck”. It works like a lottery with tickets with a protective layer that needs to be wiped off. First you need to go to the “Promotions” page. Select one of the “Luck Cards” there and erase all the fields of the scratch card. If you collect three identical symbols, you will receive a prize. Every week, each player can receive ten cards, up to three per day. Those users who make their first deposit at PokerStars receive an additional six cards every week.

“Cards of Fortune” prizes:

• School Pass and Monthly Freeroll ($500 added);
• Tournament tickets with buy-ins of $0.10, $0.50, $1.10;
• Progressive Jackpot.

Bankroll Builder Bonus. The bonus is available to players who do not have a deposit yet. Essentially, this bonus opens up the opportunity for beginners to play for real money. You get $8 cash game money and related training. Also, your hands will be analyzed by a coach, and an instructor will help you during the game. To receive the bonus, the user needs to open a topic on the forum in a special section after registration. This section is dedicated to the Bankroll Builder promotion. A personal instructor will contact you in the future. He will tell you the next steps to complete within 31 days.

School Pass tickets. School students registered in the room can take part in satellites, where School Pass tickets worth $1,000 are raffled off. You can also get them for successfully passing the test in multi-table tournaments, for participating in training sessions and mini-promotions.

Monthly freeroll “Bounty Hunt”. PokerStars poker school encourages its forum members in every possible way. As an incentive, the community hosts a “Head Hunt” freeroll every month. The prize fund is 10,000 FPP points (points for which you can buy incentive gifts in the poker room). Together with the forum members, PokerStarter coaches and moderators play at the tables. You need to knock your opponents out of the game. For each head you will receive an additional $5.

To take part in the tournament without a fee, you need to be a registered forum participant and write at least one message per month. It should be understandable and provide useful information for all forum readers. To play in the freeroll, register in a separate topic on the Home Games forum of the Headhunt club with the number 708054. You can find it using the search bar on the site. A week before the tournament you will be given an invitation code.

School website

We should also highlight the user-friendly interface of the PokerStarter poker school website. All elements are conveniently divided and displayed in the menu header. Sections are duplicated in the footer. There is a search bar in the upper right corner that works well and returns the desired results for articles based on keywords.

In general, the site and the training system itself are very competently and intelligently thought out. There are many nice bonuses and privileges. Beginners can fully immerse themselves in the subject of poker. PokerStars justifiably confirms its high title as the most famous room.