There is no single best poker training site, only the one that matches how a student actually learns and what they actually play. A $1/$2 live regular who watches videos on the train needs something different from an online tournament grinder who wants to drill ICM spots at a desk. This page lays out seven live training sites side by side, using only what each vendor publishes about its own formats and prices, checked on Nov 6, 2026.
The list is alphabetical. Nothing here is a ranking, and no site paid to appear.
How this list was built
Each site had to meet three tests on the day of checking:
- Still trading under its own name, with a working site and a purchase page.
- A published format: video library, structured course, solver-backed trainer, or a mix.
- A published price on the vendor’s own page, or a clear statement that pricing sits behind sign-in.
One candidate fell out. This desk couldn’t confirm Raise Your Edge’s current products or prices from its own site on the check date, so it is left off rather than guessed at. The other seven passed.
The seven sites at a glance
| Site | Main format | Stakes and game focus | Published price (checked Nov 6, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip Leader Coaching | Courses plus an AI trainer | NLHE tournaments, online and live | The Closer: $1,297 one-time. Chip Leader AI: $99/mo |
| GTO Wizard | Solver library, trainer, hand analysis | NLHE and PLO, cash and MTT | NLHE plans shown after sign-in; PLO Premium from $139/mo billed annually |
| PokerCoaching.com | Courses, quizzes, live coaching; PeakGTO trainer | Cash and MTT, live and online | Premium $999/yr; PeakGTO $599/yr; bundle $1,299/yr |
| Pokercode | Video library, masterclasses, live coaching | MTT-led, with cash content | Membership €59/mo billed yearly; Masterclass €1,299 one-time |
| Red Chip Poker | A-to-Z course (CORE) plus pro video library | Live cash players first | CORE $5/week; PRO $50/month |
| Run It Once | Pro videos, courses, Vision PLO trainer | NLHE, PLO, MTT, mixed | Essential $24.99/mo; Elite $199.99/mo or $1,400/yr |
| Upswing Poker | Upswing Lab membership plus standalone courses | NLHE cash and tournaments | Lab $99/mo, $399 per six months, $699/yr |
Prices move with sales and currency. The figures above are what each vendor showed on its own page on the check date, before any coupon.
The sites, one by one
Chip Leader Coaching
Chip Leader Coaching sells to tournament players and makes no secret of it. Its flagship course, The Closer, is described on the vendor page as a 10-week course on winning modern No Limit Hold’em tournaments, priced at $1,297 as a one-time payment with lifetime access. The same page lists Chip Leader AI, the site’s AI-driven MTT trainer, at $99 a month, and says Closer buyers get one free month of it. The homepage also advertises a 7-day free trial for Chip Leader AI and a free set of solver-generated preflop charts.
Fits: a student who already plays tournaments regularly and wants late-stage structure, not a beginner learning what a 3-bet is.
GTO Wizard
GTO Wizard is closer to a study tool than a video school. The homepage lists a solver (“GTO Wizard AI”), a solution library, a trainer with instant EV feedback, and an Analyze mode for uploaded hand histories. It covers Hold’em and PLO, cash and tournaments.
Pricing needs a caveat. The NLHE plan prices appear inside the app after sign-in, so this desk couldn’t confirm them from a public vendor page. The PLO page does publish prices: a free tier, PLO Premium at $139 a month billed annually ($179 month to month), and PLO Elite at $179 a month billed annually ($229 month to month), labeled as early-bird rates. The same page states that PLO and NLHE are separate subscriptions. A deeper comparison sits in GTO Wizard vs PioSOLVER.
Fits: a student who already understands what GTO actually means and wants to check spots, not be taught from scratch.
PokerCoaching.com
PokerCoaching splits into two products on its pricing page: PokerCoaching Premium (courses, quizzes, live coaching webinars, hand reviews) at $999 a year, and PeakGTO (preflop and postflop libraries, an ICM library, a trainer, and a leak finder) at $599 a year. The bundle is $1,299 a year. The page offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and says the training covers both MTTs and cash, live and online.
Fits: a student who wants both the “why” and a drill tool, and prefers paying once a year.
Pokercode
Pokercode leads with Fedor Holz’s MTT Masterclass. On its homepage the membership is listed at €59 a month, billed as one yearly payment, shown under a 50% discount banner when checked. That membership includes the MTT Masterclass, a cash game masterclass, a library the site puts at 700+ videos, weekly live coaching and quizzes. The masterclass alone is €1,299 as a one-time purchase. There is also a free “Follower” plan.
Fits: a tournament player who likes a community and live sessions as much as recorded content. Prices are in euros, so a US student pays whatever their card’s conversion rate adds.
Red Chip Poker
Red Chip aims squarely at live players. Its homepage lists two tiers: CORE, a structured course with more than 200 lessons plus a tournament section, at $5 a week, and PRO, which adds hundreds of pro videos and a GTO ranges app, at $50 a month.
Fits: the $1/$2 or $2/$5 live regular whose opponents limp, call too much and rarely fold rivers. The material is built around those games rather than six-max online pools.
Run It Once
Run It Once is still trading, and so is its Vision trainer. The plans page lists a free Basic tier with forum access, Essential at $24.99 a month, and Elite (high stakes) at $199.99 a month or $1,400 a year. The same page lists the video libraries at 3,742 Essential videos and 6,303 Elite videos. The site also lists courses such as From The Ground Up (NLHE, MTT, PLO and SNG versions).
Vision is a browser-based PLO trainer with its own pricing: from $119.99 a month for 6-card PLO to $329.99 a month for the 4, 5 and 6-card bundle, with 4-card PLO at $199.99 a month. Students new to Omaha may want the PLO rules primer first.
Fits: a student who wants depth across many games and is willing to pick a lane inside a very large library.
Upswing Poker
Upswing’s main product is Upswing Lab, which the page calls an all-in-one training ground for No Limit Hold’em. It lists three plans: $99 a month, $399 every six months, and $699 a year. Upswing also sells standalone courses, including a PLO course, a heads-up master class and a live cash course, each with its own page.
Fits: a NLHE student who wants a guided curriculum and preflop charts in one membership.
Matching a site to a leak
A training subscription works best when it is bought to fix one specific problem. Here is a common one, written out.
The student plays $1/$2 live, $300 effective stacks. Hero opens K♣J♣ to $6 in the cutoff, the button calls, and the blinds fold. The flop comes J♦8♠3♥ and there is $15 in the pot. Hero bets $10 and gets called. The turn is the 9♠. Hero checks, the button bets $30, and hero folds top pair because “the board got scary.”
That fold is the leak, and it is a live-cash, turn-defense leak. A course built for live cash (Red Chip CORE, Upswing Lab) will address the thought process directly. A solver library (GTO Wizard, PeakGTO) will show how often a hand like KJ continues in that spot, but it will not explain why a $1/$2 button bets the turn. Some students need the explanation first and the solver second.
A rough rule:
- Brand new to the game: start with free fundamentals (hand rankings, positions, pot odds) before paying for anything.
- Live cash, low to mid stakes: Red Chip, Upswing, PokerCoaching.
- Online or live tournaments: Chip Leader Coaching, Pokercode, PokerCoaching.
- Already studying with charts and wants spot-checking: GTO Wizard, PeakGTO, Run It Once Vision for PLO.
What to check before paying
- Billing cycle. Several sites quote a monthly figure that is only available on an annual plan. Read the “billed annually” line.
- Refund window. PokerCoaching publishes a 30-day guarantee. Others publish shorter windows or none on the main pricing page.
- Separate products. GTO Wizard’s PLO and NLHE plans are separate subscriptions, and Run It Once’s Vision is priced apart from its video plans.
- Currency. Pokercode prices in euros.
- Time budget. A $199.99 monthly plan that gets opened twice a month costs more per hour than a $5 weekly course used daily.
Training is a cost line in a bankroll like any other. Before signing up, it is worth reading the bankroll management guide and deciding what share of monthly poker spend goes to study.
Poker for real money is for adults 21 and over (or the legal age where the student lives). For confidential support, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET, and see the site’s responsible gambling page.