EXCERPT FROM TREAT YOUR POKER LIKE A BUSINESS
SETTING STUDYING GOALS — AND LIMITS
A proper ratio for playing-to-studying is 80/20. For every four hours you spend playing, you should spend one studying. Many conscientious players ask me, “In the beginning, shouldn’t I be studying 80 percent of the time and playing 20 percent?” While these people have good intentions, I think they’re wrong. It’s like spending 80 percent of your time at the driving range and 20 percent playing golf. At the end of the day, golf is about getting the ball in the hole, which is something you can only learn to do by playing. Actual time at the tables gets your attention because it’s for real money. Poker is ultimately about beating your opponents. Winning is its own skill, one that you can only learn by competing.
Naturally this advice pertains to the more experienced player. At the outset of your poker career, a greater allotment of hours toward studying is obviously in order. My thinking is simply that as you get your footing poker-wise, studying time should recede in favor of time at the tables.