Overlapping Paradigms
Science and history are often viewed through the lens of overlapping paradigms. Newtonian mechanics sent men to the moon even though the scientific world was very much embracing Einstein’s relativity theory. Lots of poker players succeed within old learning frameworks. Some debate hand histories with friends, some learn from books, some watch training videos, but an ever-growing number have incorporated solver learning.
Hand history discussion is a fun but a largely inefficient form of study. The move toward book learning was the first big paradigm shift in poker and there are still great books being published every year. Just over a decade ago, training videos exploded onto the market place, giving birth to training sites that adopted both subscription and “pay as you go” models. Well-made training videos are succinct essays on a poker topic, played out in a more visually stimulating form.
remove the conjecture and guesswork when interpreting poker hands
Poker study has now entered “the solver paradigm.” Computer programs such as PioSolver, MonkerSolver, and Simple Postflop are very much a part of a modern poker player’s arsenal. The solutions provided by solvers can, with some limitation, approximate GTO (game theory optimal) play, and as such, remove the conjecture and guesswork when interpreting poker hands. Within each of these overlapping paradigms, the envelope is always being pushed. In fact, in this past week, we have seen the release of two premium products, a training video series and a training tool advancement, that are likely to be game-changers.
Pads on PADS
The elite poker training site Run it Once has just unveiled a 160-video series by high-stakes British poker pro Patrick “Pads” Leonard. The series, Perfecting Analysis Decision & Strategy (PADS), is $999 to purchase, but will be available at the introductory price of $699 for a limited time. PADS is comprehensive and contains over 80 hours of instruction from a man who has coached and overseen the coaching of over 1,000 players in his staking career. Here’s what to expect:
125 Theory Videos On:
- Postflop & Preflop Play
- Bet sizing
- Pushing equity
- The theory behind limping
23 Live Play Videos On:
- Sunday sessions
- Final table reviews
- Tournament series strategy
30+ ICM Videos On:
- Playing The Bubble
- Final Table Play
When a player of Leonard’s caliber pulls back the curtain, people should take note. The former #1 online tournament player in the world has a combined $15m in combined live and online tournament winnings. Speaking exclusively to VegasSlotsOnline, Patrick was asked if he held any ideas or concepts back. He answered: “Not intentionally, but every day things come to my mind and I’m like ‘f**k I should have included that too.’ Hence, the rationale behind continuing to add videos every month moving forward.”
Buying DTO is GTO
The people behind GTO poker trainer DTO have just released “DTO Preflop.” The popular app will now provide the solution for every preflop scenario within the 5-75 big blind range, offering a strategy that is perfectly balanced.
Dominic Nitsche and Markus Prinz introduced “DTO Postflop” to the market as a phone app in 2019. Since then, the pair have been continually making improvements, adding spots and eventually adding a desktop version. Subscription to the trainer has three price points:
- $89 per year (Grinder)
- $269 per year (Highroller)
- $899 per year (Super-Highroller)
With “DTO Preflop,” Nitsche and Prinz are giving the poker public access to a complete library of pre-flop charts for a one-time payment of just $399. In an interview with VegasSlotsOnline, Nitsche was asked about the motivation behind this latest release. He said:
Also, f**k those guys for charging $2,000 for preflop ranges.”
“I had all the stuff solved already so we could just release ‘DTO Preflop’ at a very low price point and undercut competitors by an absurd margin. Also, f**k those guys for charging $2,000 for preflop ranges.”
A deeper understanding of the game
A poker player’s journey to the moon may involve a different mode of transport or a reliance on a different theoretical framework. Books, training videos, and solver-based learning are all legitimate pathways in a poker world of overlapping paradigms. So, too, is having a preference for a combination of them all. These modes of communication do, after all, influence one another. As solver output has revealed previously unseen and unforeseen horizons, those findings have been the subject of some great books and videos.
it is as if a wall which separated us from the truth has collapsed”
On the subject of Einstein’s “Theory of Relativity,” Hermann Weyl said: “it is as if a wall which separated us from the truth has collapsed. Wider expanses and greater depths are now exposed to the searching eye of knowledge, regions of which we had not even a pre-sentiment.”
Thanks to people like Patrick Leonard and Dominik Nitsche, similar walls are coming down as poker’s searching eyes of knowledge gain a deeper understanding of the game.