Questions and answers

What is Paradiddle Poker?

Paradiddle Poker is a poker training site for Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha that you use in your web browser. It is currently free. You play at a full table against computer opponents, and a coach explains each decision in plain language.

It brings together real hands to play, a score that shows what each mistake costs, hand review and replay, practice on your weak spots, and lessons for people who are just starting. It is in an early pilot and is still being built.

Why is it called Paradiddle Poker?

A paradiddle is one of the best-known drum rudiments: right, left, right, right, then left, right, left, left. Drummers repeat rudiments until their hands play them without thinking.

Paradiddle Poker applies the same idea to poker. You practice the fundamental decisions again and again, with feedback each time, until sound play becomes second nature. That is the meaning of our line, “Drill the rudiments. Find your edge.”

Who is Paradiddle Poker for?

It is for people who want to play poker, learn it or play it better, from complete beginners to people who already play regularly. You can play without the coach, or choose one of three coaching levels, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, and the coach’s explanations follow the one you choose.

Experienced players are welcome too. If you already play well, you can test the coach and tell us where its advice falls short.

Is Paradiddle Poker real-money poker or gambling?

No. Paradiddle Poker is a training tool for education and entertainment, and there is no real-money play. The chips have no cash value, there are no deposits or withdrawals, and there are no prizes.

Do I play against other people?

No. You play against computer opponents, so a table is always ready and there is no waiting. The opponents have five playing styles, which lets you practice reading players at your own pace.

How do I start?

Select Join for free, create an account with your email address and a password, and confirm it from the email we send you. Then you can play. If you already have an account, select Log in.

What does Paradiddle Poker cost?

All three coaching levels are currently free. The plan is that anyone can play both games without coaching at no charge, and that coaching becomes a paid subscription at three levels, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, one level at a time as each is fully built out. The pricing model is still to be determined and is subject to change, and we will say so well ahead of any change.

The pricing page shows how we plan to divide features among the three levels.

What is the early pilot?

The early pilot is the first open release. The site is still being built, so things change often, and feedback from the people who use it shapes much of what changes. Our aim is the best poker training there is, and we are not there yet.

How do I give feedback?

Write to support@paradiddlepoker.com. We read every message. Every point about the coach’s advice is checked against the evidence. When a player is right, the coach is changed, and with their permission they are credited.

A way to question the coach’s advice with one tap, from the table, is planned next.

What do you do with my email address?

We use it for your account: to confirm it, to reset your password, and to reply when you write to us. We do not sell it or share it for marketing. The details are on the privacy page.

Which games can I play?

Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha. Each game keeps its own settings, stats, hands, saved games and lessons, and you can switch between them from the main menu.

Pot-Limit Omaha is the newer game and has less in it so far: its tournaments use cash-game advice for now, without adjustments for short stacks, its coach teaches one style (tight-aggressive), and it has no range charts.

What are the coaching levels?

There are three, and they set how the coach explains its picks. Beginner: for people who are new to poker or still learning the basics. The coach gives its pick, your hand and one plain reason, with poker terms explained, and teaches the by-the-book play. The table is easier. Intermediate: for people who know the rules and want to sharpen their play. The coach gives its full reasons, including how each opponent plays. Advanced: for people who play regularly. The coach adds the hands each opponent is likely to hold, how they narrow street by street, and the numbers.

New players start with Coaching level set to None, which is the game without the coach. You can choose or change your coaching level at the top of the main menu at any time, and More detail on any pick goes one level deeper for that decision.

All three coaching levels are currently free. The plan is that anyone can play both games without coaching at no charge, and that coaching becomes a paid subscription at three levels, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, one level at a time as each is fully built out. The pricing model is still to be determined and is subject to change, and we will say so well ahead of any change. The pricing page shows how we plan to divide features among the three levels.

Can I play without the coach?

Yes. At the top of the main menu, set Coaching level to None and you simply play the game, with no advice, grades, reviews, lessons or training. It is where new players start. Choose Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced whenever you want the coach. Under our plan, playing both games without coaching is open to anyone at no charge.

I have never played poker. Can I start here?

Yes. Choose the Beginner coaching level at the top of the main menu, then Learn and The Basics. Short lessons at the real table teach each game from the very start: eight lessons for Texas Hold’em and ten for Pot-Limit Omaha. No experience is needed. A guide to every poker hand is always a tap away, and at the Beginner coaching level the coach’s explanations are written for new players.

How does the coach work?

On any decision, the coach gives you its recommended play, the price you are being offered and your chance of winning, with the reasoning in plain language. For example, holding a flush draw and facing a bet of half the pot, the coach explains that you need to win 25% of the time for a call to pay, and that you will complete the flush about 35% of the time by the river.

You can ask the coach before you act, or make your own choice first and see how it compares.

How is my play scored?

Your first choice is the one that counts. Every miss is measured in big blinds, so you can see which habits cost you the most. Decisions where you ask the coach first are not scored; they are tracked by situation so you know what to practice.

What kinds of poker games can I play?

In both games you can play cash games and tournaments, from heads-up to nine players. Tournaments run as a single table or a multi-table field of up to 90 players, at four speeds from Hyper to Deep. You can save a game and come back to it later.

What are the opponents like?

There are five playing styles, from rocks who rarely enter a pot to maniacs who bet at every chance. You can hide their styles and work out who is who from how they play, and choose Easy, Standard or Tough tables.

Can I review and replay my hands?

Yes. You can step through a hand one action at a time with the coach’s verdict on each of your moves, or play it again with the same cards and try a different line. Reviews and replays are for practice only; they never change your real game or your saved results.

How does the training find my weak spots?

Paradiddle Poker keeps track of the situations where your decisions cost you the most, often called leaks. You can practice those situations, and many others, as quick questions or as full hands at the table.

Which poker strategy does it teach?

Tight-aggressive play is the recommended place to start: play fewer hands, and play them with purpose. In Texas Hold’em you can also study loose-aggressive, tight and hyper-aggressive styles, and the coach, the range charts and your targets follow the style you choose. In Pot-Limit Omaha the coach teaches tight-aggressive play.

Will Paradiddle Poker make me a winning player?

No trainer can promise results, and we do not. Paradiddle Poker helps you build sound habits through practice and clear explanations, and the coach always shows its reasoning so you can judge the advice for yourself.

What devices does Paradiddle Poker work on?

Paradiddle Poker works on phones, tablets and computers, in portrait and landscape, in a current web browser. It was designed for the phone first.

Do I need to download an app?

No. Paradiddle Poker runs in your web browser, so there is nothing to install from an app store. On a phone or tablet you can add it to your home screen and open it like an app.

Is my progress saved?

Yes. Your hands, stats and saved games are kept with your account, separately for each game. Log in on your phone, tablet or computer and they are there. You can leave a long tournament and pick it up later, on the same device or another one.

Is there an age requirement?

Yes. Paradiddle Poker is for players 18 and older.

How do I delete my account?

Write to support@paradiddlepoker.com from the email address on your account, and we will delete your account and your saved progress.

Where can I find help if gambling is causing problems?

Free and confidential help is available any time. In the United States, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). Paradiddle Poker itself has no real-money play.

How do I contact Paradiddle Poker?

Write to support@paradiddlepoker.com. We read every message.