Both of these poker courses are popular poker training options available today so I wanted to do a deep dive comparison here on the blog.
By the way, Phil Ivey also has a Masterclass which I have actually already reviewed in the past as well, right here.
However, since I get asked about the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass quite a bit more often, I will be focusing on that Masterclass in this article.
By the way, Phil Ivey also has a Masterclass which I have actually already reviewed in the past as well, right here.
However, since I get asked about the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass quite a bit more often, I will be focusing on that Masterclass in this article.
Now, I do want to mention right off the top though that neither of these poker courses are going to turn you into a high stakes poker pro over night.
That takes years and years of dedication.
But for somebody who is motivated to learn and improve their game at the low and mid stakes, the Upswing Poker Lab and The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass are both decent options to help you improve.
By the way, if you're new to poker and you just want to learn a simple no BS system for exactly what hands to play, just grab my free poker cheat sheet.
Memorize the charts. Stop guessing. Start crushing.
Daniel Negreanu Masterclass is Better For Beginners
Alright, so if you are a total beginner to poker, I am going to give the edge to the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass here.
And by a pretty wide margin to be honest.
The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass is aimed more at the beginner level poker player. There is not a lot of super advanced math and theory in this course, unlike The Upswing Poker Lab.
Instead, Daniel focuses on teaching you the basics such as:
- What hands to play
- How to use position
- When to bet, raise and fold
- How to read their poker hand
- Basic (and a bit of advanced) poker math
- Fundamental strategy for both cash games and tournaments
- How to use table talk
- How to pick up tells
Basically, Daniel Negreanu gives a poker beginner an excellent crash course on the basics that every beginner or struggling low limit player needs to know.
Through dozens of video lessons, Daniel teaches you the fundamentals of winning poker strategy for both online poker and live poker in simple terms and language that anyone can understand.
In fact, this is one of the key strengths of the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass in my opinion.
Through dozens of video lessons, Daniel teaches you the fundamentals of winning poker strategy for both online poker and live poker in simple terms and language that anyone can understand.
In fact, this is one of the key strengths of the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass in my opinion.
First off, you know that you are learning from one of the best poker players of all time. Daniel Negreanu has over $40 million dollars in career winnings in live poker tournaments alone.
But even more importantly, Daniel does an excellent job of explaining how to play a consistent winning poker strategy in the simplest terms possible for beginners.
Unlike many other poker training programs, which include tons of complicated jargon, advanced math and complicated theories, there is none of that in Daniel's Masterclass.
This is why it is perfect for poker beginners in particular.
In fact, for anyone who is struggling to beat the very lowest stakes cash games or tournaments online or live, I would recommend enrolling in the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass.
I actually made a complete walkthrough of the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass on YouTube to give you a better idea of what is inside this poker training program.
In this video you will learn more about how the video lessons from Daniel work, along with the course workbook ("homework") that you get.
And also, you will learn how to contact Daniel directly through his "Office Hours" component of this course where he personally answers your questions.
This is something that also sets this course apart from many others. The personal touches like this.
You can enroll in the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass right here.
Not All Poker Training Has to be Expensive - Get My Free Poker Cheat Sheet Instead
Let's face it, a lot of the poker training available these days can be pretty expensive.
For example, both the Upswing Poker Lab and the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass cost hundreds of dollars to join.
What if you are a small stakes poker player though on a limited budget and bankroll?
This might be too much of an investment for you right now.
This is why I wrote this free poker cheat sheet for you.
This is the best completely free poker strategy guide available online today. It shows you how to crush the small stakes games step by step.
Learn exactly what hands to play and when to bet, raise and bluff all in!
These are the proven strategies that I have used as a 10+ year poker pro to create some of the highest winnings of all time in these games.
Enter your details below and I will send my free poker "cheat sheet" to your inbox right now.
Slight Edge to the Upswing Poker Lab for Advanced Material
Now, as much as I recommend the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass for complete beginners and those struggling to consistently turn a profit at the very lowest stakes, some people need something a bit more advanced than this.
Many poker players out there already have the basics down and maybe they have already had a bit of success either at the online poker tables or the live ones.
If this sounds like you, and you are looking for something that is quite a bit more advanced, then I would give a slight edge here to The Upswing Poker Lab.
While The Upswing Poker Lab does have plenty of material for struggling beginners, there is more for mid stakes and high stakes poker players.
While The Upswing Poker Lab does have plenty of material for struggling beginners, there is more for mid stakes and high stakes poker players.
For example:
- GTO poker theory
- Advanced solver analysis
- How to use blockers
- How to count card combinations
- How to check raise bluff
- How to play a loose and aggressive style
- How to read ranges and crush good players
And lots more.
However, I know that many of my readers are small stakes poker players who are on a limited budget and bankroll.
And at $100 a month to join, the Upswing Lab is out of the price range for many newer low stakes players.
So this is why I decided to create a free poker "cheat sheet" which teaches many of the basic poker strategies that you will learn in the Upswing Lab.
However, I purposely decided to make it 100% free.
You can download my poker cheat sheet for free right here.
How about for all you tournament players out there? Which one is better, The Upswing Poker Lab or The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass?
In this comparison, it is honestly not that close.
Daniel Negreanu is one of the highest winning poker tournament players of all time with north of $40 million dollars worth of live tournament winnings alone, and countless WSOP bracelets to go along with it as well.
In fact, if you have been around this game for awhile, you might remember Daniel Negreanu crushing the World Poker Tour as well on TV, along with many other prominent tournaments.
Daniel Negreanu has quite literally been the face of poker for the last decade or two, and his incredibly consistent results have a lot to do with that.
While the Upswing Poker Lab has some solid tournament coaches they are not in the same league of Daniel's ability and knowledge.
Here is some of the tournament skills Daniel teaches youy:
Daniel also includes his expert advice for example on many subtle details of live poker tournaments such as picking up on physical tells, table talk, how to put people on tilt and so on.
Daniel Negreanu Masterclass Wins for Tournament Players
How about for all you tournament players out there? Which one is better, The Upswing Poker Lab or The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass?
In this comparison, it is honestly not that close.
Daniel Negreanu is one of the highest winning poker tournament players of all time with north of $40 million dollars worth of live tournament winnings alone, and countless WSOP bracelets to go along with it as well.
In fact, if you have been around this game for awhile, you might remember Daniel Negreanu crushing the World Poker Tour as well on TV, along with many other prominent tournaments.
Daniel Negreanu has quite literally been the face of poker for the last decade or two, and his incredibly consistent results have a lot to do with that.
While the Upswing Poker Lab has some solid tournament coaches they are not in the same league of Daniel's ability and knowledge.
Here is some of the tournament skills Daniel teaches youy:
- Early stages (80+ big blinds)
- Middle stages (30 big blinds to 80 big blinds)
- Bubble
- Final Table (30 big blinds or less)
Daniel also includes his expert advice for example on many subtle details of live poker tournaments such as picking up on physical tells, table talk, how to put people on tilt and so on.
And my favorite section of all, how to make the big bluff at the Final Table.
I learned more from this one section alone than anything else to improve my poker tournament results.
I learned more from this one section alone than anything else to improve my poker tournament results.
By the way, I also have a huge article on my website for tournament poker strategy, which is of course 100% free.
If you are a cash game player, then in this comparison, it is pretty close. Although I still give the slight edge to Daniel's course. See more on why below.
The Upswing Poker Lab is a far better poker training program for cash game players, and this especially includes fast fold style games like Zoom, Snap, Zone, Fast Forward and so on.
In both the Upswing Poker Lab and the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass you will learn:
The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass goes a little bit further though.
Many people forget that Daniel Negreanu is actually a highly successful cash game player as well. And once again, his expertise in a live cash game environment specifically is just unparalleled.
For example, his breakdown of live physical cash game tells and live hand reading is the best I have ever seen in a poker training course.
Also, as a 20+ year poker pro, Daniel is able to break down the mental side of the game (surviving the ups and downs), from a level of experience that is simply unmatched by nearly all other pros.
Which is Better For Cash Games and Zoom? Upswing Poker Lab vs Masterclass
If you are a cash game player, then in this comparison, it is pretty close. Although I still give the slight edge to Daniel's course. See more on why below.
The Upswing Poker Lab is a far better poker training program for cash game players, and this especially includes fast fold style games like Zoom, Snap, Zone, Fast Forward and so on.
In both the Upswing Poker Lab and the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass you will learn:
- How to play a cash game short stack, mid stack and full stack
- How to balance your ranges in cash games
- How to play preflop, flop, turn and river
- How to play in 3bet, 4bet and 5bet pots
- Deep stack poker strategy for cash games
The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass goes a little bit further though.
Many people forget that Daniel Negreanu is actually a highly successful cash game player as well. And once again, his expertise in a live cash game environment specifically is just unparalleled.
For example, his breakdown of live physical cash game tells and live hand reading is the best I have ever seen in a poker training course.
Also, as a 20+ year poker pro, Daniel is able to break down the mental side of the game (surviving the ups and downs), from a level of experience that is simply unmatched by nearly all other pros.
Once again, if you aren't ready to invest in these poker training options yet, I also have several completely free cash game strategy options here on my website.
For example, see my free guides for:
Upswing Poker Lab vs Masterclass Price Breakdown Comparison
Finally, let's have a look at the price breakdown between The Upswing Poker Lab and the Daniel Negreanu Masterclass.
Which poker training program offers the better bang for your buck?
The Upswing Poker Lab is a monthly based subscription membership starting at $99 per month.
The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass on the other hand is a one time payment of $90, or you can access the entire Masterclass library (which includes the Phil Ivey Masterclass, Gordon Ramsey, Steph Curry etc.) for $180.
So on a simple price comparison, Daniel's Masterclass clearly wins here.
So on a simple price comparison, Daniel's Masterclass clearly wins here.
Daniel's course offers solid value as well especially for the newer poker player who wants a complete package of video lessons from one of the game's all-time great players, that will help them start winning fast.
And you only have to pay once. No recurring fees.
I know that many people who read my poker blog are not ready to make an investment yet though in their poker training.
So once again, for small stakes players on a limited budget and bankroll, I created a totally free poker cheat sheet for you.
So what is the final verdict here?
Final Thoughts
So what is the final verdict here?
The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass is the better poker training option for poker beginners.
If you are quite literally brand new to poker or you are still struggling to turn a consistent profit in the lowest stakes games online or live, then I would recommend starting with The Daniel Negreanu Masterclass.
You are learning from arguably the best poker player of all-time and Daniel has a unique ability to explain highly complex poker theory and strategy in simple bite size pieces that any beginner can benefit from.
However, if you are an experienced poker player, who has perhaps seen a little bit of success, and you are looking for something a bit more advanced, then it is close in my opinion.
If you play tournaments, Daniel's course wins hands down. For cash games, once again, it is close.
I hope this comparison of these two popular poker training options was helpful for you. And once again, if you aren't ready to invest your hard earned money yet, just grab my free poker cheat sheet.
