5-minute read

The Trainer

Welcome to the Trainer!

The goal of the following lines is to explain what the Trainer is, how it works, and the philosophy behind its design.

Take a few minutes to go through this guide: it will give you all the keys to get the most out of your learning and understand the logic behind the exercises.

⚙️ Beta Version

After several months of work, the trainer has just been released! Although we have tested it extensively, it is still in beta, so you might still encounter:

• Technical issues (flames, cards, incorrectly evaluated answers, etc.)

• Or translation inaccuracies if you are not a French speaker.

If you notice anything unusual, please let us know so we can fix it quickly.

📭  The best way is to send us an email at contact@pokersciences.com, ideally with a screenshot of the issue so we can easily understand it.

Also, feel free to tell us what you like, what’s missing, and your ideas for improvement: we read everything and do our best to reply quickly.

⚔️ Content

For now, only a few chapters are available, but don’t worry: we’ll be adding one new chapter each week until the entire preflop section is covered.

🖥️ Game comfort

We don’t recommend using Safari, as the trainer generally works better on Chrome or Firefox.

Also, please note that the trainer is not available on smartphones for now.

🎯 Trainer Objective

In one word, our trainer was designed to help you memorize and apply your preflop ranges as efficiently as possible.

Unlike traditional trainers that give you random situations, we’ve designed a more educational system.

Our goal was to create a truly pedagogical tool that helps you learn your ranges easily and retain them over time.

That’s why we built a chapter-based progression system.

📈 You start with the most frequent and impactful situations in the first chapters, and then move on to more specific or less common spots as you progress.

⚖️ GTO & Exploitative

Just like Charts, the trainer integrates both complementary approaches of modern Spin & Go strategy:

GTO Charts: the theoretical reference.

Exploitative Ranges: the strategic deviations designed to exploit the tendencies of the recreational field (a rather passive profile: few 3-bets/ISOs, too few shoves, slightly too wide calls versus open shoves).

📘 You’ll see that each chapter focuses separately on one of these two approaches.

😈 Focus on Exploitative Chapters

The Exploitative Chapters emphasize global understanding of the spot (especially depending on the opponent’s type) rather than blindly applying ranges in a mechanical way.

Our Exploitative Ranges were created to target the average recreational player profile. However, some opponents have very specific behaviors. For example, very aggressive, calling stations, or nits, which may justify deviating from our baseline Exploitative Charts.

The goal of these chapters is to give you clear reference points so you can quickly adjust your decisions depending on the type of opponent you’re facing.
❌ Keep in mind that these Exploitative Charts are not meant to be followed to the letter.

That’s why sometimes your answer may be considered correct even if it’s not the one originally recommended in the range.

And in rare cases, an answer we normally mark as “incorrect” might still be justified against a very specific opponent type.

☠️ Hardcore Mode

The Hardcore Mode focuses exclusively on borderline hands, those that lie right on the edge between two possible decisions (call/fold, push/fold, etc.).

It is available only in GTO chapters, because in the Exploitative Mode, this kind of approach wouldn’t make sense: the goal there is not strict chart application, but adaptation to opponents.

🧮 How Does XP Work?

Each correct answer gives you 10 XP.

To reward consistency, your total XP is multiplied by the square root of your streak, your number of consecutive active days (your “flames”).

🎮 The XP system mainly exists to add fun and motivation to your learning experience. Leveling up doesn’t give you any direct advantage, but it allows you to track your progress, unlock new badges, and maybe even become the first to reach the final level…

🤏 The Push charts

In the first 4 chapters of the Trainer, you will encounter Push charts. Here is how they work:

  • A number in the cell: it indicates the blind level from which you must push the hand.
Example: a 5 in the K5o cell means you push K5o below 5 bb. So at 5.1 bb you do not push. At 5 bb you do.
  • A “>” symbol: this means you push this hand only above x bb.
Example: here at 4.9 bb, for instance, 65s must be folded. At 5.1 bb or more, however, this hand must be pushed.

🚦 Note on colors

Some intermediate colors in the Push charts do not have a special meaning: they simply help you visualize how charts evolve as stacks decrease.

Basically, the lighter the color, the more the hand becomes a push at small stacks.

For example, 82o is lighter than Q2o because it becomes a push from only 2 bb, versus 6 bb for Q2o.

Note that to make memorization easier, the minimum push/call thresholds are written in:

  • 🔴 red for offsuited hands.
  • 🟢 green for suited hands.

These numbers are essential to memorize.

Concrete example for the situation BB vs SB all-in in Heads-up below 6 bb:

You can see that we can call: all offsuited hands below 2.7 bb (🔴) and all suited hands below 3.4 bb (🟢).

🚀 Tips for Success

1. Master each chapter before moving on

Progressing too fast is rarely a good idea.

The goal isn’t to finish all chapters in 24 hours, but to master your Charts over time. If, for example, Chapter 1 (one of the most important) takes you a month to learn, take that month. It’s not a race, and every player goes through this sometimes long learning phase.

Take your time, becoming an excellent poker player doesn’t happen in a few days.

2. Work deeply on one blind level at a time

Only move on when you feel truly comfortable.

3. Regularly revisit previous chapters

It’s a great way to review your knowledge and warm up before your grind sessions.

4. Read the specific advice for each chapter

In every chapter, click on the image above the “Play” button to access the context and strategic advice. Take the time to read them before starting.

Don’t forget to click the thumbnail to see the advice specific to the selected chapter.

5. And most importantly, have fun!

Doing volume and grinding over the long term is essential to beat variance. To do that, enjoying learning and playing is key.

Take breaks when you start to feel tilted or tired, and set realistic goals (daily, weekly, or monthly). This makes your progress measurable and rewarding.

Alright, enough talking.

Happy learning.

And good luck at the tables!

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