WPT Launches Poker Trainer

Do you think about poker day and night and want a training application that's available on the go?  You should consider checking out the World Poker Tour’s new WPT Poker Trainer.

The WPT Poker Trainer was released on December 19 and is only currently available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.  As with most applications available in the iTunes store, it was very quick to download.

The application itself is free to try and you can purchase specialized Texas Hold’em hand packs after you have tested out some sample hands.

Once downloaded, the WPT Poker Trainer walks you through how to best utilize the software.  Currently, there are four different hand packs to choose from and you can select a sample hand for free in each pack to see how much you'd like the paid version.   There is a small sample pack of five hands as well.

The hands themselves look and feel like they would when playing online poker with very clear graphics.  However, unlike when playing poker online, you only have a limited number of actions to choose from, not a free range of betting options.  Once you make your selection on your bets, you'll receive instant feedback from the WPT Poker Trainer application about how it thought your move was along with a detailed description of why your bet sizing or action seemed optimal or sub-optimal.

The lessons themselves are prepared and commented on by the professional instructors at the WPT Boot Camp, so all ranges of players should be able to learn from the advice.

WPT Poker Trainer plans to release new lesson hand packs every month so you can stay sharp on your game. Besides a sample pack of five hands, the hand packs available at the time of writing are Pre-Flop Play, Continuation Betting, Odds, and a Bonus Pack, which I feel gives this application a good foundation to grow on.  Much like buying a magazine from a store, you pay for what you want and can skip any content you aren't interested in.

Users of WPT Poker Trainer can earn one to three Pro Coins based on each action they take at the tables.  If you receive fewer than the optimal three coins, after explaining why the application feels another action was more optimal, it will correct your play before playing out the rest of the hand. Besides providing a performance barometer, the coins you earn by playing optimally through the training hand packs can be used to release the bonus pack content, making it a unique way to achieve extra information.

A beginning user gave WPT Poker Trainer five stars in the iTunes store and commented, “I play poker often with groups of friends and was curious to see what I could actually learn. You get really detailed feedback after every move, which is fantastic and actually helpful. I'd recommend this to anyone who has a grasp on how to play Texas Hold'em and wants to improve their playing. And maybe get more of their friends' money.”

From my perspective as a more experienced poker player than the person commenting in the iTunes store, I enjoyed playing the sample hands in the application.  Depending on the packs released, I may be purchasing one or more in the future to fine-tune my game, as my mind is constantly focused on poker.  When on road trips to the in-laws, playing some training hands on my iPad will make the time fly faster while potentially helping me tweak my game.

My only complaint about the smooth-running application is the inability to have more than four selections on a given hand, whereas in real life play, you can vary your betting sizes much more.  See what other poker training software we've reviewed.