The best PokerCoaching alternative for beginners is Poker Skill, which we make: short lessons, the Daily Puzzle and Practice vs AI, with Coach Max explaining every move. Poker Skill is free. Forever. PokerCoaching is still the pick for live coaching and video classes. Upswing Poker fits a step-by-step course, and GTO Wizard fits solver study.
Pick by what you want to learn
- Poker Skill, for learning from zero.
Free
- PokerCoaching, for video classes.
Free tier
- Upswing Poker, for courses.
$99 a month
- GTO Wizard, for solver study.
Free plan
The four at a glance
| Option | Best for | Free version | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Poker SkillOurs | Learning from zero on your phone | Every lesson, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day | Free forever. |
 PokerCoaching | Video classes, quizzes and live coaching | Sample lessons, limited PeakGTO drills and community access | Premium, $147 a month |
 Upswing Poker | A step-by-step course from a placement quiz | Hundreds of strategy articles, quizzes and 8 preflop charts | Lab, $99 a month |
 GTO Wizard | Solver study once you know the basics | A free plan with 10 Trainer hands a day | Starter, $49 a month |
Prices and features checked October 2026.
Two more training sites, Run It Once and Red Chip Poker, are weighed against Upswing Poker and PokerCoaching in poker training sites compared, and the best poker training apps compares apps that teach.
The four in detail
Poker Skill
Short lessons, the Daily Puzzle and Practice vs AI, with Coach Max explaining every move
Free forever
Best for Beginners who want to learn on their phone, free, and see why each play works.
Skip if You want video classes, a human coach or a game other than Texas Hold'em.
Free version Every lesson, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day.
Where it runs iPhone, iPad and Android
Lessons are short and start from the rules and hand rankings. You answer first and Coach Max explains after, in plain words. A new Daily Puzzle arrives each day, and in Practice vs AI you play full hands against AI opponents while Coach Max grades each decision.
PokerCoaching
Jonathan Little's training site: courses, video classes, hand quizzes and live coaching
Free tier Premium $147 a month or $999 a year
Best for Regular players who learn by watching pros talk through hands, then testing themselves on quizzes.
Skip if You want the whole library free, since its courses and classes come with Premium.
Free version Sample lessons, limited PeakGTO drills and community access, with no credit card.
Where it runs Web, iPhone, iPad and Android
Premium opens every course, series and lesson, interactive hand quizzes, live coaching webinars and hand reviews from its coaches, for cash games and tournaments. PeakGTO, its GTO trainer, is sold on its own or in a bundle with Premium, and every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Compared with Poker Skill: PokerCoaching is the pick if you want coaches on video and in live classes, while Poker Skill teaches you free on your phone, with Coach Max explaining each answer.
Upswing Poker
A training site co-founded by Doug Polk, with the Lab as its main course
$99 a month for the Lab, or $699 a year
Best for Players who want one step-by-step course that starts where a placement quiz puts them, for No-Limit Hold'em cash games and tournaments.
Skip if You want a free trial, since the Lab has none, only a preview of each level.
Free version Hundreds of strategy articles, quizzes and 8 preflop charts.
Where it runs Web, in its members area
Lab 2.0, rebuilt by coach Uri Peleg, starts with a placement quiz. Its first levels run from terms and concepts through preflop and postflop strategy to solvers, and later tracks cover live cash, online cash and tournaments. It holds hundreds of lessons with new ones each week, a preflop charts app in the browser and a private Discord with the coaches. First-time Lab members get a 30-day Fair Play guarantee.
Compared with Poker Skill: Upswing Poker suits a player ready to pay for one long course, and Poker Skill starts you free from the rules, explaining each answer as you go.
GTO Wizard
A solver study site: solved spots, a trainer and hand analysis, with a free plan
Free plan Starter $49 a month
Best for Players who know the basics and want to study solved spots, then drill them against solver strategy.
Skip if You're still learning hand rankings and position, since solver answers come as ranges and frequencies that read easier once the basics are in place.
Free version 100 preflop solutions, 1 postflop solution and 10 Trainer hands a day.
Where it runs Web browser
You pick a spot, set it up and study the solved strategy, from preflop to the river, in Hold'em and PLO. Its trainer gives GTO and EV feedback on each move, and you can upload your own hand histories to find leaks. Its strategy articles are free.
Compared with Poker Skill: GTO Wizard is the pick for solver study once you know the game, while Poker Skill teaches the game itself, free, with Coach Max's reason after each answer.
What each one costs
Is PokerCoaching worth it?
For a player who studies most weeks, yes. Premium adds every course and video class, interactive hand quizzes, live coaching webinars and hand reviews from its coaches, across cash games and tournaments, ICM spots included. It costs $147 a month or $999 a year, so it pays off through the hours you put into it. The free tier gives sample lessons, limited PeakGTO drills and community access, and every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can see how its coaches teach before you commit.
Compared with Poker Skill: PokerCoaching’s Premium pays for courses, video classes and hand quizzes from its coaches. Poker Skill teaches the game from the rules up, free, with Coach Max’s reason after each decision.
Check a course before you pay for it
A good order for the basics, wherever you learn them: hand rankings, then position and which hands to play from each seat, as a preflop chart shows, then pot odds. A GTO solver site like GTO Wizard reads easier once you know them, because it shows its answers as ranges and how often to take each action.
Try this on any free version
Where Poker Skill falls short
Poker Skill teaches Texas Hold’em only, so a player who wants Omaha needs another app or site. Free lessons run on energy: each question costs one energy the first time you answer it right, and wrong answers cost nothing. When energy runs out, the lesson pauses until it refills. Free players get one Practice vs AI game a day, against AI opponents rather than people. There are no video classes or human coaches to ask, which PokerCoaching and Upswing Poker both offer.
How we compared
- What the free version gives
- How it teaches
- What the paid plan costs
We compared what each free version gives, how each one teaches and what its paid plan costs. Who each one fits is our judgment.
The four in one line each
| Option | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Poker Skill Ours | Learning from zero | Free forever. |
| PokerCoaching | Video classes and quizzes | Free tier, or Premium at $147 a month |
| Upswing Poker | A full course | The Lab at $99 a month |
| GTO Wizard | Solver study | Free plan, or Starter at $49 a month |
Frequently asked questions
Is PokerCoaching worth it?
Yes, if you play regularly and will use its courses, classes and quizzes. Premium costs $147 a month or $999 a year, and the free tier lets you sample the lessons before you pay. A beginner can start free with Poker Skill instead, which teaches Texas Hold'em from the rules up on your phone. Poker Skill is free. Forever.
Is there a free alternative to PokerCoaching?
Yes. For a beginner, the best free one is Poker Skill: every lesson, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day, with Coach Max explaining every move. If you already know the basics, GTO Wizard's free plan gives 10 Trainer hands a day, and Upswing Poker gives away hundreds of strategy articles, quizzes and 8 preflop charts. Poker Skill is free. Forever.
Is PokerCoaching good for beginners?
It can be. It lists beginners who want structured learning paths among the players it is for, and it offers Master the Fundamentals along with those paths. Its full library comes with Premium, and it says it is built for players who play regularly. A beginner who wants to start free on a phone can learn the rules, hand rankings and position in Poker Skill's lessons first.
What is the difference between PokerCoaching and GTO Wizard?
PokerCoaching teaches through its coaches: courses, video classes, hand quizzes and live webinars, with PeakGTO sold as its own GTO trainer. GTO Wizard is a solver study site: you set up a spot, study the solved strategy, drill it in a trainer and analyze your own hands. GTO Wizard's free plan gives 10 Trainer hands a day, and Starter costs $49 a month.
Does PokerCoaching have an app?
Yes. The Poker Coaching app runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, with preflop and push/fold charts, hand quizzes, video classes, courses and a hand and bankroll tracker. It is free to download, and the full library comes with Premium. Poker Skill runs on iPhone, iPad and Android too, with every lesson, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day. Poker Skill is free. Forever.