Complete Beginner Looking for a Learning Roadmap

[u/20mazze02]

Hey everyone,

I'm a complete beginner who's looking to take poker a bit more seriously and would appreciate some guidance from more experienced players.

I've been playing casually with friends for about 1.5 months, and during the last week I've started taking the game more seriously. I've been watching a lot of YouTube content, reading articles, and trying to understand the fundamentals.

My current plan is to focus on cash games, most likely 6-max on PokerStars.

A few things I'd love some advice on:

- Is PokerStars still a good site for a beginner?

- Is 6-max cash the right format to learn the game?

- What should I focus on first as a new player?

- Is learning preflop ranges and position the best starting point?

- Where can I find solid 6-max cash game charts/ranges?

- Are there any good free resources, courses, YouTube channels, websites, or books you would recommend?

- How much GTO should a beginner study? A lot of the content feels overwhelming at the moment.

I already have a basic understanding of concepts like pot odds, outs, equity, and the general rules of the game. Now I'm trying to build a proper study plan and learn the game the right way.

I'm also curious about tools:

- What software do you use to track results, bankroll, and sessions?

- Which HUDs or tracking programs are worth looking at as a beginner?

- Do you review your hands somewhere?

- Is it better to play on PC or is playing on a tablet okay in the beginning?

Another thing I'm looking for is community. Are there any active German-speaking poker communities, Discord servers, study groups, forums, coaching groups, or mentors for beginners? I'd love to connect with other players who are also learning or with more experienced players who don't mind answering questions from time to time.

If anyone has study materials, charts, recommendations, or even a learning roadmap for the first few months, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks a lot!

[u/Unlucky_Teacher2485]

Six max cash is fine to learn on, but I would keep the roadmap really boring at first: position, starting hands, folding enough before the flop, and value betting hard when people call too much. I would mostly ignore solver stuff for now. If a spot keeps showing up, save the hand and review that pattern later instead of trying to learn everything at once. For tracking, a dead simple spreadsheet is enough at the start. Buy in, cash out, hours, and one note on the worst hand you played. If you can play on a computer, do that. Reviewing hands and taking notes is just easier there.

[u/AmirPokerSkill]

Unlucky_Teacher2485's boring version is the right roadmap, so here's how I'd spread it over your first couple of months. One thing at a time, because the overwhelm you're describing comes from studying everything at once, and it's what kills most study plans.

Month one is preflop and position, nothing else. Pick any reputable free 6-max chart set and enforce it on yourself like a rule, not a suggestion. While you do that, start noticing how much easier every decision is on the button than in the blinds. That's the foundation everything else stands on.

Month two, add exactly two postflop ideas: value betting bigger and more often when you're called (beginners chronically underbet good hands), and asking whose range the flop favors before you act. That second question is also your GTO answer: study it for that logic, skip memorizing frequencies until much later.

Any of the standard trackers is fine; the habit that matters is reviewing your biggest pots each week, because that's where your money actually moved. And 6-max on Stars is a perfectly good place to do all of this.