Pokercode is an online learning platform and community that’s designed to take
your poker game to the next level.
It was founded by Fedor Holz, two time WSOP champion.
Fedor is also one of the head coaches on Pokercode, so you can be sure that
you’re getting coached by the best.
Pokercode was originally aimed for multi-table tournaments, but has since
expanded to cover cash games as well headed by
long time high stakes pro Steffen Sontheimer.
So let's cut right to the chase...
Is Pokercode Worth It?
Here is the short answer:
Pokercode is a decent option for beginner poker players. However there are many significantly better poker training options available these days for serious players.
This is why Pokercode did not make the list of my top recommended online poker programs.
This Pokercode review will give you everything you need to know about
Pokercode, the pros and cons of the course, what’s included in the course, and
whether or not it’s a good fit for you.
I do want to mention right off the top though, that for beginners or those struggling in small or mid stakes, there are many good free options these days to get you winning quickly.
For example:
If you just want to know the basic strategy to start winning consistently, without spending a dime, you can just grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Alright, on to the review.
1. Pokercode Review - General Overview
Pokercode has everything you would expect from an online learning platform.
Its videos are arranged in broader topics, so you can skip around to focus on
the particular part of the game you want to work on. Or you can just follow
along the course as it’s laid out, depending on your preferences.
Either way, you can learn at your own pace to get the most value out of the
experience.
The videos vary in length from only a couple of minutes to more than an
hour, depending on the complexity of the topic.
All the videos are time stamped, so you can skip around, increase or decrease
the playing speed and so on.
You can also add notes to the lessons, which is very useful to improve
retention.
There are also subtitles if you’re not a native English speaker, which is a
nice touch.
The lessons are comprehensive and easy to follow along. The interface is very
slick, and works well across all platforms.
The overall user experience is good, and it feels very much like other
streaming platforms. It’s like Netflix for poker content, if you will.
Speaking of content, Pokercode has an ever expanding library of 160+
advanced poker training videos, 60+ hours of high level coaching, that’s
updated with new videos and live coaching, weekly.
This way, you can be sure you’re getting access to all the cutting edge
strategies you need to crush the game today.
Poker strategies are constantly evolving, and what used to work 10 years ago
might not work today.
So enrolling in Pokercode is a great way to stay up to speed with the very
latest cutting edge poker knowledge.
By the way, Pokercode is just one of many good poker educational tools and software available today.
With all of that said, many other comparable online poker training programs do outperform Pokercode in many of these areas these days with better quality videos, a deeper library and better coaches.
For the full list of everything I recommend and use as a 10+ year poker pro, click here.
2. Pokercode Review - The Pros
Let's start with the Pros of joining Pokercode first and we will get to the
Cons a bit later on in this article.
No poker training software these days is perfect, so you can be rest assured that I will give you both sides of the story here, not just the good, like most other reviews.
You Can Learn Poker From Established Pros
With great coaches that have a proven track record of great results behind
them, you know you’re getting your money’s worth.
You can learn all the advanced poker strategies directly from many of the
current best poker players in the world.
Along with being coached by Fedor Holz, no introduction necessary (Two-time WSOP champ and $34+ million in winnings)...
You’ll also be coached by Matthias Eibinger (over $11 million dollars in
tournament winnings) and Simon Rønnow (over $8 million dollars won in online
poker tournaments).
And if you prefer to play cash games, Pokercode has one of the top high stakes pros in the world, Steffen Sontheimer, who has an impressive additional $13 million dollars in tournament winnings to boot.
And if you prefer to play cash games, Pokercode has one of the top high stakes pros in the world, Steffen Sontheimer, who has an impressive additional $13 million dollars in tournament winnings to boot.
Now keep in mind that these are just tournament earnings, There is no way to know how much actual profit this amounts to. Likely considerably less.
However, these are still strong results nonetheless.
Good Design and User Experience
Pokercode interface design is very slick, intuitive, and easy to use. It’s
very easy to navigate through the lessons, and the whole course feels very
much like a streaming platform.
If you stop the lesson midway, it saves your progress, so you can continue
where you’ve left off. This is very useful particularly with some longer
lessons.
Once you’ve finished the lesson, you get a little checkmark, and the software
shows you the progress you’ve made through the course.
There’s also short quizzes at the end of the lessons, so you can see how
well you’ve mastered the material.
If you’ve made a mistake, you’re prompted to take the lesson again to better
understand the discussed concepts.
You can also provide your own feedback for the lessons and tell if there’s
anything you think could be improved.
It’s very clear that the team behind Pokercode puts a great emphasis on the
overall user experience, and want to keep improving the platform.
By the way, if you want to know how Pokercode compares to the competition, see my full list of the best poker training sites.
You Can Watch the Pros Play Live
Another great benefit of Pokercode I’ve personally enjoyed the most is the
live play from the coaches.
They don’t just fill your head up with vapid poker theories, charts and what
have you. They show you how to apply what you learn on the felt, and walk you
through their thought process as they play.
They don’t just tell you how to crush the game, they show you.
As we all know, theory and practice are entirely different things. Some people
may have great theoretical knowledge on the topic, but can’t necessarily do it
well themselves.
The opposite is also true. People who are experts in their fields have such an
advanced knowledge they can’t necessarily convey it well to people who aren’t
experts themselves.
With Pokercode, you’re getting the best of both worlds. You are learning from the very best in the field AND they teach you in a clear, comprehensible way.
With Pokercode, you’re getting the best of both worlds. You are learning from the very best in the field AND they teach you in a clear, comprehensible way.
I felt my poker game improving just by watching the guys play. Listening to
them articulate their thought process showed me new ways to think about the
game I haven’t even thought about before.
It also highlighted the potential leaks in my game I haven’t even been aware
of, so I realized which part of my game I should focus on improving next.
Another unexpected benefit I’ve gained from watching them play were the
improvements in my mental game as well.
It helped me to not take the bad beats and coolers personally, but to view
them as mere aberrations on an otherwise very profitable journey.
Listening to how pros approach the game inspired me to emulate their decision
making process, as well as their stoic approach to negative variance,
downswings, and other small misfortunes that are part and parcel of poker.
I had to learn a lot of this stuff the hard way during my 10+ year professional poker player career.
3. Pokercode Review - The Cons
Alright, so no poker training program is perfect. Let's talk about a few of
the potential drawbacks of Pokercode now.
Pokercode is Subscription Based
Pokercode membership comes with a monthly subscription based model, instead of
a one-time purchase.
This is huge downer when most other comparable online poker courses require a one-time fee only.
Pokercode does offer different pricing plans though, so you can choose the best one
for you depending on how much time you’re willing to commit to it.
There’s also a free plan available with limited options, as well as the money
back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the service for any reason.
With that said, there are many other poker training programs these days which far more cost effective especially for small and mid stakes players who are on a budget.
In fact, there are even many totally free options these days to learn the basic proven strategies you need to know, such as my free poker cheat sheet.
Pokercode Might Not be the Best Choice for Total Beginners
Pokercode is an ADVANCED course aimed at serious players who want to take
their game to the next level.
You should have the fundamentals of the game down before enrolling, because
chances are that some of the content might go over your head.
Advanced Preflop 4-betting range analysis for example.
Pokercode also course leans heavily into GTO strategy and other advanced poker concepts.
Pokercode also course leans heavily into GTO strategy and other advanced poker concepts.
So if you’re brand new to the game, some of this stuff might be a bit above
your current skill-set.
GTO is also a really bad strategy in most low stakes poker games that might end up costing you money.
So this is a huge drawback, when many of the people who read my poker blog are low stakes players.
I would recommend other courses that focus more on an exploitative style of play, which is proven to be much more effective in these games.
Pokercode Might be Cost Prohibitive if You’re Playing Small Stakes
There’s no such thing as free lunch, and Pokercode is no different.
While it's definitely worth the price if you’re serious about improving your
game and you want to make sure you’re getting the best quality information, it
may be a bit cost prohibitive if you’re only playing small stakes.
Pokercode comes with different billing options (monthly, quarterly, and
yearly), but it’s advised to take advantage of the yearly option, as it
provides the most value.
Also, with the vast amount of content included, you can’t expect to go through
it all in one sitting. Improving your poker game takes time.
The problem is,
Pokercode
may well be out of your price range if you’re just playing the microstakes
online.
For my complete list of all the best free poker training these days, click here.
4. What’s included in the Pokercode Course?
So what is actually included when you join Pokercode? Let's talk about that
right now.
Pokercode Has Over 160 Video Lessons
The core course has more than 160 video lessons. These are all high quality
professionally shot videos with great editing.
There’s no fluff here, no long-winded meandering to pad the runtime.
Aside from the short introduction, it’s more than 60 hours of pure high
level poker strategy.
The coaches are concise and straight to the point, without wasting your time,
much like you would expect from Germans.
It’s worth mentioning that most of the lessons are focused on tournament
poker, but there’s plenty of content for the cash games players as well.
Pokercode also constantly expands their library of content with new weekly
videos, so it pays to stay tuned in for more to come.
The lessons are divided into broader sections and subsections so they focus on
the specific part of the game in great detail.
For example, Fedor’s MTT Masterclass is divided into three
sections:
1) Preflop
2) Postflop
3) Start Crushing now
The preflop section is then divided into more specific areas of the preflop
play, like the fundamentals, big blind defense, facing 3-bets and so on.
Each of these consists of individual video lessons.
The lessons are extremely detailed, and Fedor and the other coaches leave no stone unturned.
The lessons are extremely detailed, and Fedor and the other coaches leave no stone unturned.
The level of analysis is akin to taking a university level lecture, and it’s
not for the faint of heart.
It may take a while and a few rewatches to let the lesson fully sink in, so
taking a pen and a notebook with you is advised.
If you want to learn from the best, there’s no place for half-assing in. You’d
better come prepared.
Weekly Live Coaching Sessions
Aside from the core course, you also get access to weekly live coaching
sessions with Fedor and the other coaches, 8 per month.
This is why Pokercode is much more than your standard poker course.
It’s not just a couple of videos you get to watch at your convenience, you
actually get to ask questions to your teachers directly.
This is the best way to get the most bang for your buck with Pokercode: by
directly participating in the lessons yourself, instead of just passively
consuming content.
There are also often Kahoot! quizzes in the lessons, so you can flex and test
your knowledge with the other students.
This is optional, of course. You don’t need to participate if you didn’t come
prepared for the lesson. Slacking off is not advisable, but it’s permitted.
If you’ve missed the live coaching, you can of course always watch it later.
There are new lessons coming in every week, so there’s always some new nugget
of wisdom to pick up.
Pokercode Community at Discord
Apart from the great content, another benefit of joining the Pokercode is
getting access to the community of like-minded players on Discord.
For most players, poker is a solitary endeavour, especially when you’re
playing online. If you want to improve as a poker player, you’re often left to
your own devices.
Suppose you’re doing a hand history review and you feel stumped with a certain
spot. You aren’t sure if you’ve made the right play or not, and you want to
get feedback from other players.
You can post the hand on some poker forums or groups, but the answers you’re
likely to get are going to be lackluster at best, or outright conflicting and
wrong at worst.
By joining Pokercode, you’re getting access to the community of engaged
players that will actually give you helpful answers on everything poker
related.
Joining a community like this has the extra benefit of actually motivating you
to keep improving your game, because you get a sense of accountability.
When you’re left to fend for yourself, it’s easy to get demotivated and to
procrastinate with your studying (something virtually all poker players are
guilty of to an extent).
With access to the Pokercode community, you can discuss the hand histories,
database reviews, or even talk about the mental game of poker at length.
Whatever it is you want to discuss, there’s always someone to lend an
ear.
You also get access to the exclusive community coaching.
This is what I’ve meant when I said that Pokercode goes beyond your standard
poker course.
The ability to interact with the coaches directly, as well as other students,
adds a ton of value to the overall experience.
When you make an account, you’ll be prompted to join the Discord community
right away. You don’t have to do this immediately, and you can always do it
later.
You’ll still get access to the core course, but you’d be definitely missing
out if you don’t join the Discord.
The community is very engaged, and you’re
sure to find a helpful answer with anything you may be struggling with.
By the way, if you want to know how Pokercode compares to the competition, here is my list of all the best poker courses.
Pokercode Rangeviewer Tool For All Preflop Situations
In addition to over 60 hours of the core content (plus the added
community coaching session), Pokercode comes equipped with their very own
Rangeviewer tool.
Rangeviewer is a Pokercode-exclusive preflop chart-like tool that shows you
the optimal ranges for virtually all preflop situations.
You can choose the preflop parameters on the right-hand side of the software, and it will show you the optimal range to play in that spot.
You can choose the preflop parameters on the right-hand side of the software, and it will show you the optimal range to play in that spot.
For example, you want to know the optimal 3-betting range from the button when
the villain open-raises from the cutoff.
Or you want to know the range for big blind defense when your opponent
open-raises from the button.
Basically any preflop situation you can imagine, Rangeviewer has you
covered.
You can also choose the different effective stack sizes, so it works for both
tournament and cash players.
The tool is very slick and easy to use, and it’s a ton of fun, even if you’re
not a huge solver nerd.
I’ve personally invested a ton of time on the Rangeviewer part of the software
alone, analyzing different ranges, and comparing them to the way I usually
play certain spots.
I didn’t realize how fast time goes by when just looking at a bunch of preflop
charts.
Pokercode Review Final Verdict - Is Worth It For You? (3/5 ★★★☆☆)
Pokercode is a decent option for newer poker players but there are many significantly better poker training options available these days for serious players.
This is why Pokercode did not make my list of the top poker educational tools.
Pokercode is primarily aimed at multi-table tournament and cash game poker
players who are serious about taking their game to a world class level.
It is for people who are looking to achieve the best poker winrates in today's games.
Going through the course requires a certain level of focus and commitment.
The
strategies in the course go well beyond the poker fundamentals, and lean in
heavily into advanced GTO strategy.
This is why I could not recommend this course for small stakes players. GTO is simply a bad strategy to use in these games.
It’s also advised to be familiar with the poker lingo in order to not get
overwhelmed with the amount of information thrown at you.
As far as the lessons themselves are concerned, it’s precisely as
advertised: you’re getting coached by some of the very best poker players in
the world today.
And therefore, you know you are learning the very best cutting edge poker
knowledge to crush today's games.
There’s also no fluff involved, it’s just pure high level strategy from start to finish.
There’s also no fluff involved, it’s just pure high level strategy from start to finish.
This is exactly what you'd expect from a high level poker course where the end
goal is getting you world class results in this game.
Sidenote:
Fedor and other coaches DO talk about the mental game aspect and their overall
approach to poker as well.
Still, their overall approach is very analytical and data-driven.
I personally wouldn’t mind hearing more about how the top pros manage their
emotions and solve their tilting problems, since this also plays a huge part
in their success as well.
With all that in mind, Pokercode is not the best choice for complete
beginners, or players who are simply casual about their improvement as a poker
player.
You can still get value from the course, no doubt, but to truly get your
money’s worth, you need to:
A) Be very serious about improving your poker skills.
and
B) Already have the poker fundamentals down before enrolling.
I also think that there are many much better options for online poker training these days with more current material, top level coaches and depth of content.
However, if you are a serious poker player, looking to take your game to a world
class level, and you want to learn from the very best, then Pokercode might be a good fit for you.
But the subscription based system might be too much of a financial investment for many small and mid stakes players who are on a budget.
And when you compare this to the multitude of totally free poker training options available these days, it makes it a bit of a hard sell for most poker players.
For example, if you just want a quick simple proven winning strategy, I would recommend just grabbing a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.