The poker world is flooded with different training sites and learning tools, all of which promise their users one thing: that they’ll make them better at poker. Some come with a price tag while others are free but seem to struggle to find new ways to communicate with their targeted audience. This is the aspect via which Poker VIP poker school tries to implement novel, engaging ideas, and the best part, in my opinion, is that they do it free of charge.
Interactive Poker Learning
Although the idea of interactive learning is not something new on the Internet and has been used for quite some time by different sites, it is certainly underused in poker. PokerVIP offers an interactive arcade-type game of model for beginner users to test their knowledge by getting the right answers in the shortest amount of time. If you get the question wrong or your time runs out, game’s over and you have to start all over again. It can actually become quite addictive! Of course, the idea is that while trying to beat the high score in the game, users will gradually improve their fundamental poker knowledge as well. There’s even a “gamification” element in that they’ve got a list with the best all-time scores to the right of the game, for even greater player motivation.
The entire concept of learning with this poker product revolves around interaction. As people join the site and start taking their lessons, they will be offered with interactive quizzes for different stages of their poker development. Each of the quizzes will offer easy access to related learning materials in the event you have missed on something or are unclear about a particular question. At the end of every quiz, you will be awarded a certain number of points, depending on the number of correct answers and the time it took you to solve it.
The courses are arranged in categories according to the difficulty and to the specific fields they deal with, for example Heads-up, PLO, Tournament Poker, Mental Game, etc.
Poker Learning Materials
There is a significant library of different poker resources presented as videos and articles, ranging from the stuff for beginners to the more advanced materials. The articles are set in categories for easy browsing, while the video library has an easy-to-use search feature enabling users to filter out exactly what they need in terms of the game type, buy-in levels or particular coach. The list of coaches is quite extensive and there is also a biography page where you can find out the background of any particular coach if you are interested in their references and playing history.
Also, aside from the Web app, the software is also available for use on your mobile device, for those so inclined. It’s available in the App Store and Google Play.
Leaderboards and Awards
As I noted above, to make the environment more entertaining and exciting, there are leaderboards that list the people who achieved the best results in particular quizzes as well as the “Hall of Fame”, which displays the users who have earned the most lifetime points. This is an additional incentive for people to become better at poker. I believe that this added element of competition with other players learning to get better at poker is likely to make people even more likely to brush up on their test scores, as “who doesn’t want to see their name on top of the leaderboard”? Specifically, I think this approach PokerVIP School has taken is likely to resonate with recreational players, but of course more serious and experienced players will benefit as well.
Rating PokerVIP School
PokerVIP School takes quite a novel approach to the idea of poker coaching, which I can certainly appreciate. While there are some people who do not need much of an incentive to get better in the game, there are also plenty of people out there who may find the abundance of available poker knowledge quite overwhelming. Adding the interactive environment with special leaderboards, prizes, and achievements to the mix will certainly take some of the edge off and should make the experience more enjoyable for those looking to have some fun with the game and learn some new things as they go along.
That said, selection of the offered materials is not something to frown upon. Both videos and articles are quality work with helpful and useful insights that even people who have been around the game for a while will appreciate. And since it is all free and easily accessible, I’m thinking that this site will find a good amount of success. Especially if they keep on upping their own game, recreational player in particular will keep on using it as a resource for poker learning.