If you just found this site and you're not sure where to start — this post is for you. I want to walk you through exactly what Situational Poker is, what you'll learn, what you'll earn, and why I built it the way I did.
The short version: everything here is free. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no upsells. Just structured poker education built around the way I actually learned to play — through experience, study, and a lot of mistakes at real tables.
Here's everything you get.
Why I Built This
I've played Texas Hold'em for over 20 years — home games, casino tournaments, online. And the thing that always bothered me about poker education is how scattered it is. YouTube videos that contradict each other. Books that assume you already know the terminology. Strategy forums that skip straight to advanced concepts before you have the foundation to understand them.
I wanted to build something different. A structured curriculum where a complete beginner can start at the beginning and work their way through to genuinely advanced concepts — in the right order, with real examples, and with a way to prove what they've learned.
That's what Situational Poker is. Three complete learning tracks, each with lessons, interactive practice, and a certification exam. And when you finish all three, something bigger.
The name says it all. Poker isn't about your cards. It's about your situation — your stack, your position, your opponents, the stage of the tournament. Learn to read the situation and the right play becomes obvious. That's what every lesson here is designed to teach.
Track 1: Poker Foundations
This is where everyone starts. The Foundations track covers the essential knowledge every Texas Hold'em player needs — regardless of whether you eventually want to focus on cash games, tournaments, or both.
Each lesson follows the same structure: slides you work through at your own pace, an interactive practice page with real decision scenarios, and a certification exam. Pass the exam, enter your name and email, and your certificate gets sent directly to your inbox. You can print it or save it as a PDF.
The Intermediate exam gates the Advanced lesson — you have to prove you understand the intermediate concepts before moving on. It's not a barrier for the sake of it. It's there because the Advanced lesson genuinely requires that foundation.
Track 2: Tournament Crash Course
Tournament poker is a completely different game from cash games. The chips don't have direct cash value. The blinds increase on a clock. Decisions you'd make automatically in a cash game become wrong on the bubble. I've watched players who were solid cash game players sit down at their first tournament and make expensive mistakes in the first orbit — not because they were bad players, but because nobody had explained how the game changes.
This track fixes that.
The practice pages in the Tournament track use a live 9-player table simulator. You see your hole cards, the board develops street by street, and you make real decisions — fold, call, raise, shove — exactly the way you would at a real table. As the field thins the simulator transitions to 6-player and then 3-4 player tables, mirroring how a real tournament plays out.
The Tournament Specialist Certificate is the one I'm most proud of. Passing all three exams back to back — Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced — demonstrates genuine tournament poker knowledge. When you earn it, both the Advanced certificate and the Specialist certificate land in your inbox at the same time.
Track 3: Cash Game Crash Course
Cash games have their own entirely different set of skills. Deep stack play, table selection, exploiting player types, session management, win rate optimization — none of this is covered in the Foundations track, which is deliberately general. The Cash Game Crash Course goes deep on what it takes to beat a specific cash game consistently.
Complete All Three: The Complete Curriculum Certificate
Finish all nine lessons across all three tracks and you earn the ultimate Situational Poker certificate — the Complete Curriculum Certificate of Mastery.
What's Coming Next
With Poker Foundations, the Tournament Crash Course, and the Cash Game Crash Course all live, the core curriculum is complete. But this is not where the site stops. I have plans for a number of in-depth courses that go deeper on specific areas of the game:
- Hand Reading Masterclass — a dedicated course on building opponent ranges pre-flop and narrowing them down street by street with precision
- Bet Sizing Workshop — why sizing matters more than most players realize, and how to use it as a value tool, a defensive weapon, and a read
- Bankroll Management Deep Dive — the math and psychology behind playing at the right stakes, moving up sustainably, and never going broke
- Live Tournament Series — specific preparation for casino tournament formats, including multi-day events, satellites, and the unique mental demands of a long tournament day
- Home Game Hosting Guide — how to run the best poker night in your neighborhood, from blind structures to dealer mechanics to keeping the game fun
Every one of these will be free. That is not changing.
The reason to sign up now is simple: subscribers get notified first when new content drops and get early access to curriculum previews before lessons go live. Creating a free account takes about 30 seconds.
No spam, ever. I send one email when something new launches and a weekly poker tip. That's it. Unsubscribe any time. I built this site because I love teaching the game — not to fill your inbox.
Where to Start
If you're brand new to poker — or even if you've been playing for years and want to make sure the fundamentals are actually locked in — start with the Foundations Beginner lesson. Experienced players often find that formalizing what they already know intuitively fills in gaps they didn't know they had.
If you play regularly but want to specifically improve your tournament game: start the Tournament Crash Course. You can do the Foundations track alongside it or after — they complement each other well.
If you want to focus specifically on cash game strategy — table selection, deep stack play, exploiting player types, and building a consistent win rate — the Cash Game Crash Course is built exactly for that.
If you're unsure, start at the beginning. The Foundations Beginner lesson takes about 30 minutes and you'll know within the first few slides whether the level is right for you.
Everything is free. There's no risk in starting. See you at the tables.
— Phil Henderson
Instructor, Situational Poker
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
Practice This at the Table
The Beginner lesson covers everything a new player needs — hand rankings, betting basics, position, and table etiquette.
Start the Beginner Lesson — Free →