The best free PokerStars Learn alternative in the US is Poker Skill, which we make: lessons from the rules up, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day, with a reason after every answer. Poker Skill is free. Forever. From the US, PokerStars Learn’s pages open FanDuel’s home page. PokerCoaching and DTO Poker have free versions too.
PokerStars Learn and its alternatives, in four lines
Free forever. Plus is optional
Poker Skill.OursLessons from the rules up and coached hands, with a reason after every answer
Free forever. Short lessons from the rules up, a Daily Puzzle and coached hands against AI. Pick this if you are starting from zero in the US.Free no sign-up, where it opens
PokerStars Learn.A free poker course to read on PokerStars' website
A free course to read, with no sign-up. Pick this if you live where its pages still open, as they do in some countries outside the US.
Free to start Premium $147 a month or $999 a year
PokerCoaching.Jonathan Little's training site: courses, video classes, hand quizzes and live coaching
Courses, video classes and hand quizzes from Jonathan Little’s team, with a free tier. Pick this if you learn best by watching a pro.
Free plan Beginner $9.99 a month on the web
DTO Poker.A GTO trainer that grades each decision against solved strategy
A GTO trainer with a free plan. Pick this if you already know the rules and want to drill spots.
Prices and features checked October 2026. For more free apps that teach, including WSOP Academy and Ollin, see the best free poker apps.
The comparison at a glance
| Option | Opens in the US | Free version | How it teaches | Explains each answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poker Skill Ours | Yes | Every lesson, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day | Lessons you answer, puzzles and coached hands | Yes, after every answer |
| PokerStars Learn | No, FanDuel opens | Every lesson, no sign-up | Articles to read | In writing, as you read |
| PokerCoaching | Yes | Sample lessons, limited PeakGTO drills and community access | Courses, video classes and hand quizzes | Its quizzes explain each hand |
| DTO Poker | Yes | Every preflop cash solution and one cash postflop spot | Spots against a GTO bot | A grade on each decision |
The four in detail
Poker Skill
Lessons from the rules up and coached hands, with a reason after every answer
Free forever. Plus is optional
Best for Beginners in the US who want a free course from the rules up, with a reason after every answer.
Skip if You want Omaha or stud, because Poker Skill teaches Texas Hold'em only. Or you want long video classes from a pro, which PokerCoaching sells.
Free version Every lesson, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day. Plus is the only purchase.
Where it runs iPhone, iPad and Android
Lessons start with the rules and hand rankings and take a few minutes each. You answer first and Coach Max explains after. A new Daily Puzzle arrives each day, and in Practice vs AI you play full hands against AI opponents while Coach Max grades your decisions. Nothing is played for real money, and there are no chips to buy.
PokerStars Learn
A free poker course to read on PokerStars' website
Free no sign-up, where it opens
Best for Readers in countries where its pages still open who like to learn from articles, starting with the rules.
Skip if You are in the United States, where its pages open FanDuel's home page instead.
Free version Every lesson, with no sign-up, where its pages still open.
Where it runs The web, in some countries outside the US. No app in the US App Store or Google Play.
PokerStars Learn teaches through articles grouped into courses. Basics covers the rules and hand rankings, and Core moves on to outs, pot odds, bluffing and continuation bets.
Compared with Poker Skill: PokerStars Learn is the pick where its pages open, if you would rather read than answer questions, while Poker Skill opens in the US and has you decide on every screen.
PokerCoaching
Jonathan Little's training site: courses, video classes, hand quizzes and live coaching
Free to start Premium $147 a month or $999 a year
Best for Players who learn by watching a pro talk through hands, with quizzes to test themselves.
Skip if You want the whole course free, because the full library is Premium.
Free version Sample lessons, limited PeakGTO drills and community access, with no credit card.
Where it runs Web, iPhone, iPad and Android
PokerCoaching is the training site Jonathan Little founded. Premium opens its courses, among them a Master the Fundamentals path, along with video classes, more than 1,500 interactive hand quizzes and live coaching webinars. PeakGTO, its separate trainer, drills solved spots. Every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Compared with Poker Skill: PokerCoaching is the pick if you want pros on video and live classes, while Poker Skill gives you every lesson free on your phone.
DTO Poker
A GTO trainer that grades each decision against solved strategy
Free plan Beginner $9.99 a month on the web
Best for Players who already know the rules and want to study preflop ranges and drill spots against a GTO bot, starting free.
Skip if You are starting from zero. DTO Poker is built for drilling solver strategy, and its explanations use terms like range and board texture.
Free version Every preflop cash solution and unlimited training in one cash postflop spot.
Where it runs Web, iPhone and Android, with cash games and tournaments as separate apps
DTO Poker deals you common cash game and tournament spots against its GTO bot and grades every decision as you play. Its Virtual Coach explains why the solver's play works, and the Beginner plan opens 21 cash spots.
Compared with Poker Skill: DTO Poker is the pick for drilling solver strategy once you know the game, while Poker Skill starts from the rules and explains each answer in plain words.
What each one costs
What happened to PokerStars Learn in the US?
From the United States, PokerStars Learn’s pages now open FanDuel’s home page, a site for sports betting, casino games, fantasy sports and real-money poker with no course on it. PokerStars Learn itself is PokerStars’ free poker school on the web, articles grouped into courses from the rules of Texas Hold’em up, with no account needed. In some countries outside the US it still opens as before. In New Jersey and Michigan, PokerStars’ Learn pages go to a FanDuel poker page that sends beginners to the PokerStars YouTube channel.
Where to learn what PokerStars Learn’s course covered
Every topic in PokerStars Learn’s Basics and Core courses has a free page on this site, listed in the order a beginner needs them.
| To learn | Read it free |
|---|---|
| How a hand runs | Texas Hold’em rules |
| Which hand wins | Poker hand rankings |
| Why acting last helps | Position |
| Which hands to play | Preflop chart |
| Whether a call pays | Outs and pot odds |
| When to bluff or bet again | Bluff and continuation bet |
Poker Skill teaches the same topics as questions you answer, with Coach Max’s reason after each, as the learn poker app page shows. Once you know them, a GTO trainer such as DTO Poker drills spots against solver answers and ranges.
Check a free course before you settle on it
Try this on any free course
Where Poker Skill falls short
Poker Skill teaches Texas Hold’em only, so a player who wants Omaha needs another course. Free lessons run on energy: a question you get right the first time costs one and a wrong answer costs 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. And there are no video classes.
How we compared
- Opens in the US
- What the free version teaches
- A reason after every answer
We compared where each one opens, what its free version teaches, whether it explains each answer and what more costs. Who each one fits is our judgment.
The four in one line each
| Option | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Poker Skill | Starting from zero in the US, with a reason after every answer | Free forever. |
| PokerStars Learn | A free course to read, where its pages open | Free |
| PokerCoaching | Learning from pros on video | Free tier, then Premium at $147 a month |
| DTO Poker | Drilling GTO spots once you know the rules | Free plan, then Beginner at $9.99 a month |
Frequently asked questions
Is PokerStars Learn available in the US?
No. From the United States, PokerStars Learn's pages open FanDuel's home page, a site for sports betting, casino games and real-money poker with no poker course on it. In some other countries the free course still opens. To learn free in the US, Poker Skill teaches Texas Hold'em from the rules up on your phone. Poker Skill is free. Forever.
Is there a PokerStars Learn app?
No. PokerStars Learn is a website, and there is no PokerStars Learn app in the US App Store or on Google Play in the US. For an app that teaches the same beginner topics, Poker Skill's lessons cover the rules, hand rankings, position and pot odds, with a reason after every answer.
What is the best free alternative to PokerStars Learn?
For a beginner in the US, Poker Skill: every lesson, the Daily Puzzle and one Practice vs AI game a day cost nothing, and every answer comes with a reason. PokerCoaching's free tier suits players who want to watch a pro, and DTO Poker's free plan suits players who already know the rules and want to drill.
Is PokerCoaching free?
Partly. Its free tier gives sample lessons, limited PeakGTO drills and community access, with no credit card. The full library is PokerCoaching Premium, at $147 a month or $999 a year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Is DTO Poker good for beginners?
For players who know the rules, yes. Its free plan opens every preflop cash solution and unlimited training in one cash postflop spot, with a grade on each decision. If you are still learning how a hand works, learn the rules and hand rankings first, then use a trainer like DTO Poker to drill what you learned.