The best way to learn poker is to learn the rules once, then make a lot of decisions that get corrected, and the tool that fits depends on how you learn. Poker Skill, which we make, has you decide first and explains each answer, then deals full hands against AI opponents in Practice vs AI, free on iPhone and Android. Readers can start with Upswing Poker’s free articles and charts and watchers with PokerCoaching’s video classes. Anyone who wants one full course can take Red Chip Poker’s CORE.
The best way to learn poker, by how you learn
Each of the four teaches the same game through a different habit: deciding, reading, watching or working through a course.
Free forever.
Poker Skill.OursLearn by deciding, with the reason after each answer
Short lessons where you make the decision first, then the Daily Puzzle and coached games against AI opponents. Pick this if you learn by doing.
Free blog and charts
Upswing Poker.Free strategy articles and charts, then paid courses
Hundreds of free strategy articles, 8 free preflop charts and paid courses. Pick this if you learn by reading.
$147 a month for Premium, or $999 a year
PokerCoaching.Video classes, courses and hand quizzes
Video classes and hand quizzes from Jonathan Little’s team, some of them free. Pick this if you learn by watching a pro talk through hands.
$5 a week
Red Chip Poker.CORE, a course of over 200 lessons
CORE, a course of over 200 lessons with videos, quizzes and hand breakdowns. Pick this if you want one structured course from the basics up.
Books and playing at a table are the two ways missing from the cards. A good beginner’s book is a cheap way to learn the ideas, and our reading order for beginners lists five. Playing teaches the rhythm of a hand but grades none of your choices, which is why a free game works best alongside feedback. Poker Skill’s Practice vs AI gives you both: the rhythm of full hands and Coach Max grading each decision. PokerStars Learn, a free course that AI answers still recommend, sends readers in the US to FanDuel’s site. The order to learn things in, from how a hand runs to your first preflop decisions, is laid out in learn poker online free.
Ways to learn poker compared
Poker Skill is built around answering first, while the other three lead with something to read or watch.
| Way to learn | Example | What you do | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An app that has you decide Ours | Poker Skill | Answer a spot, then read why it wins or loses | Free forever. | Learning by doing, a few minutes a day |
| Articles and charts | Upswing Poker | Read a topic in depth, then check a chart | Free blog and charts, then Lab at $99 a month | Readers |
| Video classes and quizzes | PokerCoaching | Watch a pro explain hands, then take quizzes | Some classes free, then Premium at $147 a month | Learning by watching |
| A structured course | Red Chip Poker | Work through 200+ lessons with quizzes | $5 a week | One course from the basics up |
Prices and features checked September 2026.
The four ways to learn in detail
Poker Skill
Learn by deciding, with the reason after each answer
Free forever.
Best for Beginners who learn by doing, a few minutes at a time.
Skip if You learn best by reading or watching, or you want tournament strategy.
Free version Every lesson, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day. Poker Skill Plus is an optional subscription.
Where it runs iPhone, iPad and Android
We make Poker Skill, and it teaches Texas Hold'em by asking before it explains. Each lesson teaches one concept with hands that test it: you make your move, then the coach shows why it wins or loses over time. The lessons run from hand rankings and reading the board to position, preflop raises and continuation bets. After them, the Daily Puzzle adds a new hand each day, and Practice vs AI puts you at heads-up and three-player tables against AI opponents that run on Showdown AI.
Upswing Poker
Free strategy articles and charts, then paid courses
Free blog and charts
Best for Readers who want to study one topic in depth, for free, before paying for a course.
Skip if You want your own decisions graded, since the free side is articles and charts to read.
Free version Hundreds of strategy articles and 8 preflop charts. A crash course costs $7.
Where it runs The web
Upswing Poker's blog holds hundreds of free articles, sorted from introductory to advanced and by cash games, tournaments, online and live poker. Beginners who aren't ready for a course can take its 8 free preflop charts or a $7 crash course. Its Lab membership, the full training library with a private community, costs $99 a month or $699 a year.
Compared with Poker Skill: Upswing Poker is the better pick if you learn by reading a topic in depth, while Poker Skill teaches one concept at a time in an app for iPhone, iPad and Android.
PokerCoaching
Video classes, courses and hand quizzes
$147 a month for Premium, or $999 a year
Best for Players who learn by watching a pro explain hands, then testing themselves with quizzes.
Skip if You want to start without a subscription, since the courses sit behind Premium, which has no free trial.
Free version Free classes on its site, e-books, preflop charts and cheat sheets. The pricing page shows no free plan.
Where it runs The web, iPhone, iPad and Android
PokerCoaching is Jonathan Little's training site, with over 600 video classes and webinars, more than 70 structured courses and over 1,500 interactive hand quizzes. Premium costs $147 a month or $999 a year with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and the site keeps a page of its best free classes.
Compared with Poker Skill: Pick PokerCoaching for a big library of pro video classes and hand quizzes, and Poker Skill for lessons that take a few minutes each and start from hand rankings.
Red Chip Poker
CORE, a course of over 200 lessons
$5 a week
Best for Players who want one structured course, from poker math to tournament stages, taught on video.
Skip if You want to learn by playing hands with feedback, since CORE teaches through lessons, videos and quizzes.
Free version CORE is paid from the first week. The free side is a podcast, strategy articles and preflop range charts.
Where it runs The web, on any device
Red Chip Poker's CORE course runs to over 200 lessons with videos, quizzes, hand breakdowns and range charts, from poker math and preflop play to tournament stages. Ed Miller teaches its cash-game course and Chris "Fox" Wallace its tournament course. It costs $5 a week and you can cancel any time, and Red Chip's PRO membership at $50 a month includes it.
Compared with Poker Skill: If you want coaches on video walking you through cash games and tournaments in order, Red Chip Poker's CORE is the stronger choice, while Poker Skill turns the early steps of Hold'em into questions you answer.
What each way of learning poker teaches best
Each way teaches a different part of the game. Reading gives you the ideas and the words for them, and video shows a strong player using those ideas on real hands. A course puts both in an order so nothing gets skipped. Their quizzes check what you remember after a lesson, while answering spot after spot, with a correction each time, builds the habit of making the play yourself. That’s why it pays to mix two ways: one that explains and one that makes you decide.
Poker Skill is built for the deciding half. Each lesson asks for your move before the coach explains it, so a mistake shows up while the hand is still in front of you. A coach who reviews your own hands is the step after that, once you have a game to review, and free poker coaching compares where to find one without paying.
Who should not pick Poker Skill to learn poker
Pick Upswing Poker or a book if you learn best by reading an idea in depth before you try it. Poker Skill’s lessons cover Hold’em fundamentals, from hand rankings to continuation bets. Pick PokerCoaching or Red Chip Poker if you want a pro on video explaining hands or course material on tournaments and live cash games, and a training site if you’re chasing advanced theory.
How we compared
- How it teaches
- What you get free
- What it costs
We picked one product for each way to learn and compared them on how they teach, what you can use for free and what the paid part costs. Each company’s facts come from its own site and store listings, read in September 2026, Poker Skill’s included. Which way suits which learner is our judgment.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best way to learn poker as a beginner?
Learn the rules and hand rankings once, then make decisions and have each one explained. Poker Skill is built for that stage. Red Chip Poker's CORE course and PokerCoaching's free classes suit beginners who would rather watch a pro first.
Can you learn poker for free?
Yes. Every lesson in Poker Skill is free, and so is one Practice vs AI game a day, with each decision graded. Upswing Poker gives away its blog and 8 preflop charts, and PokerCoaching keeps a page of free classes. A free play-money game adds the rhythm of a hand, though it grades nothing you do.
Should I learn poker from a book, videos or an app?
Use whichever you will keep coming back to, and add feedback either way. Poker Skill's lessons check whether you can use an idea, one answer at a time. Books and videos go deeper into the ideas themselves.