Congratulations, you signed up for a CardRunners membership and are ready to improve your play and become a winning (or better) poker player. Your mind starts spinning and you think about the increased win-rate, the new found riches, and the glory of being a card shark. You are ready to pop your poker-training cherry and load up a random video based off the number of comments and the high-rating that the video has. Now what?

I receive dozens of private messages each month from new members asking about the most effective method and practice in watching training videos. Here are the keys to maximizing your time spent on watching training videos:

Give it your undivided attention - We live in a world where multi-tasking is the norm. Whether it be driving while listening to music or browsing the internet while grinding at the tables, we're programmed to be doing multiple things at once. When you sit down to watch a video, pay attention and minimize distractions. Resist the urge to be IM'ing or browsing 2p2 with the video playing in the background. Give the video your full attention and actively take notes while watching the video.

Think Think Think! - When watching a video, avoid the habit of thinking of the game in such a formulaic manner. Understand the application and the logic of a decision that a coach makes (i.e., 3betting a suited connector in position because of Dynamic XYZ) as opposed to thinking "I have hand X, I saw JBaller 3bet it, so I should every time). Look at the big picture and ask yourself questions and take a macro-perspective when considering lines and rationale behind a video instructor's play. If you don't know the reason, well, that is why we have video comments.

Resonate with an Instructor - We have nearly a hundred instructors at CR. Undoubtedly there will be some whose teaching style, voice, or articulation resonates best with you. Find a couple pros that you 'click' with and watch their videos. Not only does this provide you with some structure when selecting videos to watch, but it also will ensure that the quality of time you are spending watching videos is at its highest.

Provide Feedback - This sort of ties into the previous point, but people often fear asking a possible 'dumb' question in our video comments. Embrace the community and don't be afraid to leave comments to ideas/concepts you don't understand. Training sites are a service to YOU and we are willing to do whatever it takes to help make you a better player. Believe it or not, coaches thrive off feedback from viewers. There is nothing more attractive for a coach than to release a video and get 100 video comments on it. Whether the comments be good or bad, this type of feedback plays a huge role in influencing future videos and continuing to better their product. So ASK!

Quality vs Quantity - I know we put out a lot of content each week and it can be difficult to keep up. Don't sweat it. It is much more effective to watch a video for 20 minutes while engaged and actively thinking, as opposed to trying to watch 3 videos a week just to make sure you see every video we publish. Splice videos into two separate viewings if you find it tough to stay engaged for the entire 50-60 minutes of a video.

Anyways, while the above components are successful practices when watching videos, it's important to understand your personal strengths and weaknesses when studying. Some people learn by taking exorbitant amounts of notes while others absorb through visuals.

Good Luck!