When we think about poker training these days, the first thing that comes to mind are websites offering a variety of courses focusing on a specific area of the game, be it cash games, regular MTTs, PKOs, etc. There are certainly many quality options to choose from, but a majority of poker training sites take a very similar approach where they create a course and then offer it to players “as is”. CNC Poker, by contrast, is looking to disrupt the poker training space by offering full flexibility for you to only invest your hard earned money on specific coaching you actually wish to purchase. Members who wish to take things to the next level can pick and choose specific coaches to learn from.
Created by Raymond Norton — who had previously spent five years managing bitB Staking working with some of poker’s best and brightest minds — CNC Poker focuses on a community-driven approach. While there are some quality premade videos available, the site revolves around live group coaching sessions. In addition, members can avail themselves of the opportunity to have 1-on-1 sessions with the site’s roster of coaches, offering a much more personalized and targeted poker learning experience.
CNC Poker Overview: What’s on Offer?
CNC Poker offers a couple of membership options. You can become a member for free, which will give you access to free content on the site and the Discord community. The Global Membership option, which you can purchase on a monthly basis or for an entire year, gives you access to the CNC Global video library, a private community server, and more.
The central part of the site is the roster of coaches where you can see all the different poker coaches you can book a session with, alongside their credential, fields of expertise, etc.
The video library features about a dozen videos covering different topics, and while it certainly adds value to the membership, it’s not the main focus of the platform. That said, these videos can certainly help you become familiar with individual coaches’ styles and pick the ones that you like with whom to further your own poker study.
Discord Community & Group Sessions
CNC Poker boasts a community full of many of the world’s most successful players, who are private members on their platform and have invested in their services.
There are also several group sessions scheduled every month, and these are available on the site and also announced via the Discord server. It typically costs between $40 – $70 per session.
Since there are members from all over the world, some live sessions may not take place during the best time slot for you, but CNC Poker does their best to accommodate everyone as much as possible and any session you sign up for you have lifetime access to watch when it suits you.
CNC Poker Video Library
In addition, there’s premade video content on the platform which serves primarily to help you get to know the coaches on the CNC Poker roster and their teaching styles. That said, this fact doesn’t take away anything from the value of the information found in these videos.
At the moment, the CNC Poker video library contains about a dozen videos that cover a range of different topics. There are several free videos from performance coaches Jon “The Perception Coach” Prince and Alan Longo, as well as from nutritionist Valeria Marin that will become available to you through the Global membership package, and these are well worth your time and money.
As for poker-specific videos, some of the content on offer includes:
- MTT-ICM BB Defense by ‘Dawhiteninja’
- BvB Final Table Exploits by Stoyan Obreshkov
- A Case Study On Large Flop Bets by SsicK_OnE
You’ll be able to pick up some useful information from these videos but, more than anything else, you’ll be able to see what these coaches have to offer, how they present, and if you feel they’d be a good fit for instructing you in 1-on-1 sessions.
CNC Poker Coaches: Solid Variety of Expertise & Pricing Options
If the concept of 1-on-1 poker training agrees with you, CNC Poker is the right platform for you. When you click to Book Your Next Session, you’ll see the list of coaches that are available. You can click on any individual coach to see their profile and how much a session or a package of sessions will cost.
There are two categories of coaches: Premium and Pro. The Premium category features some pretty big names, which is why their prices are on the higher end, starting at about $400 an hour. While the price is a bit steep, you’ll be getting excellent bang for your buck, via 1-on-1 coaching from the likes of:
- Ben Heath
- Lewis Spencer
- Alexandros ‘Pwndidi’ Theologis
- Stoyan Obreshkov
The Pro section features some lesser-known but nonetheless very capable players who have proven their skills over many years spent at the live and virtual felt. Here, prices per hour start at about $50 per hour, which is much more affordable.
If you’re playing low to medium stakes, coaching sessions with one of the Pro coaches who specializes in your format should be more than enough to help you improve your poker game. Premium tier coaches are a great pick for medium stakes players looking to move further up, where they’ll face the toughest opponents.
The process of booking a session or multiple sessions is very easy, but it is recommended that you first get in touch with the coach you’re interested in and make sure you’ll be able to figure out a schedule that works for both of you. This initial dialogue can also help you figure out if they are the right poker coach to best help you achieve your specific goals.
It’s worth mentioning that CNC Poker also offers performance coaching sessions with the likes of Alan Longo, Valeria Marin, and Jon Prince. Prices among those poker coaches currently range between $120 and $450 per session, and these are a great option if you need someone to help you better structure your efforts and develop a better mindframe in general.
Is CNC Poker the Right Training Site for You?
The CNC Poker training platform is certainly different and pricier than many other poker training sites out there. So, the main question that comes to mind is: is it worth it?
The bottom line is that every poker player learns in a different way. The live group coaching sessions model is a unique and innovative approach that no other sites have adopted, thus presenting a fresh style of learning available to poker players looking to up their game.
Beyond that, the 1-on-1 approach is probably not the best option for those who are completely new to poker. You’ll be better served with standard courses that cover basics and some advanced poker concepts. At the start of your journey, there is so much information that you can and should absorb from these types of lessons.
However, once you reach a certain stage in your poker career, if you are taking the game seriously then what CNC Poker has to offer can be very valuable.
Almost every poker player, no matter how good they are, struggles with certain aspects of their game, and they want to improve in that particular area. For that, 1-on-1 poker training with an experienced coach that specializes in your particular variation can prove invaluable.
Instead of general advice, you’ll be able to ask very specific questions and analyze hand-picked spots to eliminate those subtle leaks in your poker game and find new ways to exploit the population.
Thus, CNC Poker is an excellent option for players who are already at a certain point in their poker journeys and are serious about improving and moving up the stakes. Plus, if you can find a coach on their roster that you can really work with, the hourly price is well worth it in the long run!
About The Author
