The Course: What to Expect
Now as great as it would be, don’t expect that by the end of your first lesson of the Masterclass that you’ll be a poker master on the same level as Daniel Negreanu. Not only does poker, or anything for that matter, require a deep understanding of what you’re doing to master, but it simply takes years of practise too. His lessons seem to reflect this notion – he doesn’t jump straight into the nitty-gritty and intense theory behind great poker playing but slowly builds up to it to a climax that we can all understand. If you want an overview of online poker options before you start, head over to our online poker guide.
His lessons are predominantly a commentary over the top of his demonstrations on most poker moves that can be played. If it sounds intense, don’t worry. Negreanu does a great job of breaking up all of his tips and information into digestible but dense snippets that won’t overwhelm you. The HD quality of the videos and the way that they are shot gives them a genuinely intimate feel and you feel invited to continue on through the series of lessons.
While he covers a range of topics, the lessons don’t ever feel random and they are always set up or introduced in the episodes before. Included in the episodes are case studies so that you can properly contextualise the information. On top of this, the lesson comes with an additional book of exercises and notes that are useful to revise while you learn the basics and beyond. Like other Masterclass lessons, you are also able to interact with Negreanu and other peers who are taking the lesson at the same time.
An Overview of The Most Important Lessons
It’s no secret that Daniel Negreanu holds the use of mathematics in poker in high esteem. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be a mathematician to understand his points, but it’s recommended that you’re at least open to learning some basic mathematics in going forward. His maths-related tips aren’t particularly difficult to grasp, especially thanks to the easy-to-understand way he presents them. The way he can deconstruct complicated concepts so that they are easy to understand is what makes this course so accessible, which is handy as he doesn’t waste too much time on basic ideas after the first five lessons.
These first lessons tend to focus on learning how to bet and raise, and also understanding your position once you’ve been dealt a hand and when you should act. All of these use video to effectively communicate examples where every hand in play is analyzed. Lessons 6-10 cover c-betting, check-raising, three-betting, a three-betting hand review and finally, detecting and executing a bluff. Lesson ten is great because it explores not just how you should bluff but how others do. This helps in letting you know what others may be looking out for in your body language so that you can consciously shape your posture, whether you are faking it or you’re the real deal.
Now, these aren’t exactly concepts that many players would know how to get around, and even if they did, it’s unlikely that you could learn to strategies by simply playing with friends. These are lessons originally conceived and learned and passed down from the best players over years of gameplay and this Masterclass is the bridge to that knowledge.
Is It Worth It?
There are some pieces of information that you hear from Daniel Negreanu that initially sound somewhat like a cop-out, but as he goes into detail, you realise how much truth there is to what he is saying. One of these statements is that ‘poker is all about information.’ What Negreanu teaches you is what information is important and how to keep an eye out for it.
If you’ve heard a little about Negreanu, you will probably know about his abilities to read his opponent’s hand in a way that seems almost supernatural. Although you may not master this skill by the time the end of the Masterclass is over, you’ll definitely be able to understand a lot more about the thought processes that are behind a master winner’s behavior at the poker table.
Chances are, it will take half a lifetime of playing for you to truly be able to read people’s body language, and even longer to be able to read a professional poker player who knows how to throw you off guard. In saying that, you also need to know certain manoeuvres you can take and what to look out for, and this Masterclass will teach you exactly that. By properly absorbing this information and practising it, you will be able to know when someone is bluffing and also have a much deeper knowledge of human psychology and the hidden meanings in people’s posture and mannerisms. So, in short, the value depends on how much work you want to put in.
It’s hard to say that if out of all the online courses promising you the tricks of the trade, this one is the best, but as far as we know there’s no other out there with a name as big as Negreanu behind it – as well as the high-production values of the Masterclass team. It’s the Office Hours functionality of the Masterclass platform that we love, which allows you to upload videos of you asking more intricate questions that you can demonstrate yourself for easier clarification. Here, if Negreanu himself doesn’t answer your question then it is open for other students to ponder and crowd-source a solution together.
Knowledge is The Best Gift
Do you know any poker players who are doing well and looking to take it to the next level? Or perhaps you know someone who keeps running into the same troubles over and over again and can’t seem to break out of their cycle of losing. Poker can be an expensive past-time to master if you are entering tournaments or playing online often. Even Daniel Negreanu has faced down the barrel of financial ruin a number of times!
This Masterclass is the perfect way to learn advanced skills without having to risk losing much more than the price of the course. Sure, you’ll still need to practise to truly master it and there’s nothing like a little risk to put your quick-thinking to the test, but these 38 lessons could save you a lot of defeats and even more money in the long run. These are lessons from a professional player at the end of the day, and that knowledge could be all you need to get an advantage over your less committed opponents. So, if you know the right person to gift it to, choose the ‘Gift’ option at the checkout.
The only kind of gambling gift that we can think of that comes close are the excellent casino bonuses that you will find at the world’s best operators, but of course, these can’t be gifted on to a friend, only enjoyed by yourself.
Conclusion
Although he might come across as overly casual to some, Daniel Negreanu’s charismatic persona makes him a likeable teacher, and he never comes across as too patronizing or pompous. His ability to bust myths that many players hold on to while simultaneously stressing facts that you should always remember makes for a compelling watch. If you are looking to get into tournament poker, then I would go as far to say that it’s a must-watch.
Although some might be turned away by the price point, it’s worth considering that there are a lot of lessons, materials and a valuable community to boot that is included in the price. When you look at it like that, it seems like a steal – especially considering how much time and money you may save in the long run. And last but not least, think of how much more fun you will have playing poker when you understand the game on a deeper level!
If you don’t like the sound of this, you can of course find guides to playing poker online easily enough. Check out our poker rules and poker strategy guides for free.
