How to Gain an Edge and Win in Modern-Day Poker (2025 Edition)

27 May 2025

Intermediate

This material is for medium-skilled players

95% of players aren't willing to do these 4 things that will give you an edge over all of them, and make for a profitable and fun poker journey. Let’s dive into these 4 key edges that will separate you from the masses in 2025!

Hey there, poker grinders! Sky from Smart Poker Study here. I recently got an interesting email from a listener named Bob, and I think it’s something worth talking about. He asked:

“Hey Sky, in 2025, how can I maximize my edge in poker? With so much information out there — even GTO being discussed at free bar games — where is the edge these days? Has poker become just a fun hobby, or is there still room for real competition and profit? I saw a video from Daniel (no link, unfortunately), and it seemed to confirm that profits are slim and the risks are high. Even pros are selling action and seeking backing. What do you think of this trend? And again — where’s the edge in today’s game?”.

Thanks for the great question, Bob. Let’s talk about trends:

Too Much Information

You’re right — these days, everyone’s talking GTO. There’s a flood of training content online. And I’ll admit, I’m part of the wave — I share strategies for free on YouTube, podcasts, and more.

But this isn't an unusual trend. It’s the natural evolution of any competitive field. People get good at something, and many of them eventually want to turn that skill into a business — teaching others how to succeed as they have. In poker, that means an explosion of content: poker courses, books, poker coaches, videos, and podcasts everywhere.

And here’s where your edge can begin. There’s so much information out there, it becomes noise. For most players, that’s overwhelming. They jump from one shiny new thing to the next — watching poker training videos, reading books, listening to podcasts — without truly applying what they learn.

In 2025, that’s your edge: not just knowledge, but actionable learning and disciplined application. Most players are drowning in information. If you can swim through it and stay on course, you'll leave them behind.

The Truth About Risk and the Pro Mentality

Now, Bob also brought up another trend — the fact that many poker pros are backing each other or selling pieces of their action. And yes, that’s absolutely happening. But honestly? That just comes with the territory when you’re competing at the highest level.

Think of it like trying to be an NFL quarterback. There are hundreds of thousands of players across high school and college football programs. But in the NFL? Maybe 30 starting quarterbacks. That’s the elite of the elite. To stay there, they have to train relentlessly, stay sharp, and constantly evolve.

And it’s not just the players. Coaches are watching game tape, dissecting every formation, crafting strategies for every possible scenario. The margins are razor-thin at the top — and the same goes for poker.

Poker’s mostly skill, sure, but luck plays a role too. That’s why spreading risk through staking and selling action is simply smart business.

But here’s the thing: that’s a concern for high-stakes crushers — not for most of us. If you’re like the majority of players reading this — micro or low-stakes grinders, either online or live — then your world looks different. You don’t need to worry about selling action just to survive. There’s still plenty of opportunity to grind out a solid profit at smaller stakes in 2025.

So let’s get to the real heart of it: Where is your edge in today’s game? Your edge comes from doing the work your opponents simply won’t. Around 95% of players aren’t willing to put in the effort to truly improve. They dabble, they watch a video here and there, maybe read a book — but they don’t study, analyze, or practice with intent. That’s where you win.

There are four key areas we’re going to break down next — the foundation of your edge:

Let’s start with one of the most overlooked but crucial aspects of maintaining a long-term edge in poker: choosing the right games. Your goal should always be to find soft tables full of weaker opponents — fish, in poker terms. That’s where your profit comes from.

And the great thing? This applies across the board — whether you’re playing cash games, tournaments, sit-and-goes, online or live, any type of Hold’em, Omaha, or mixed games, etc. No matter the format, your game selection strategy directly impacts your win rate.

Online players have it especially good. You can choose between platforms like PokerStars, Ignition, 888poker, GGPoker — whatever you want. The key is to focus on the sites with the softest player pools. Same goes for live play. If you’ve got two local card rooms to choose from, pick the one with more casual players instead of the one packed with seasoned regulars.

In cash games, you can go even deeper with table and seat selection. If you sit down and realize you're surrounded by tough regs, don’t hesitate — leave the table and find a better one. Or, if you’re live and see a fish-rich table nearby, ask for a table change. Even a seat change can make a huge difference — getting position on strong players gives you a big edge.

Now, tournaments are a little different. You can’t choose your table or seat once you register. But you can choose which tournaments to play. Higher buy-ins like $200+ usually attract tougher fields. Meanwhile, $30, $20, even $5 tournaments tend to be filled with recreational players. These games are much more profitable for skilled grinders who are willing to take them seriously.

The same principle applies live. If you sit down at a tough table filled with crushers, and you spot an easier lineup at another table — request that table change. Or if you’ve got the worst players on your left, and a better-positioned seat opens up — grab it. Never settle. You have more control than you think.

Personally, when I play a one-hour online session, sometimes I’ll scout out 15 to 20 different tables. I’ll start on one or two, and if the action is tough — tight-aggressive or loose-aggressive lineups, no limpers, no short stacks, no crazy plays — I’ll ditch it. I’ll scout for better tables, hunt for fishy players, and keep rotating until I find the right spots.

I do this constantly, because when you’re sitting at a table full of recreational players, not only is poker more profitable — it’s also a lot more fun.

The next major edge in poker comes from learning how to minimize tilt in poker. If you're not familiar with the term, tilt is that creeping frustration that builds up after a bad beat, a string of losses, or getting outplayed by a weaker opponent. It's the emotional response that hijacks your thinking. Instead of making rational decisions, you get consumed by thoughts of revenge, chasing losses, or "punishing" the fish who keeps scooping your chips. And once tilt sets in, your game unravels.

Sometimes it shows up as over-aggression — you start firing wildly, trying to force wins. Other times it’s passive frustration — you just keep calling down in disbelief, refusing to fold because there’s no way he has it again. Tilt can also cause you to jump stakes recklessly. Maybe you lose a couple of $10 buy-ins and suddenly decide to take a shot at a $50 table just to “win it back”. That’s tilt-driven bankroll suicide — you’re no longer making smart decisions; you’re just reacting emotionally.

Tilt is one of the biggest bankroll killers in poker. More players go broke chasing losses and trying to out-ego the game than from bad strategy. It also leads to the most personal misery at the table. Your goal? Stay cool. Keep a clear head so you can read the table accurately and execute strong, +EV plays. 

Of course, it’s not always easy. But you’ve probably experienced being in the zone — that state where the money doesn’t faze you, you're locked in, reading your opponents, making great folds and value bets, and steadily building your stack. That’s when you’re playing your A-game. That’s the mental space you want to return to every time you sit down to play.

What’s even better? Most of your opponents aren’t working on this. While you're developing your mental game, 95% of players are still obsessing over bet sizing and c-bet theory — not managing their emotions. So when they go on tilt, you profit from their mistakes.

There are endless causes of tilt — bad beats, slowrolls, running bad, disrespect at the table — but the solution starts with awareness. If you’re looking for resources to guide you, “The Mental Game of Poker” by Jared Tendler is one of the best books out there. Pair it with “Elements of Poker” by Tommy Angelo. While it's not solely focused on mindset, it’s packed with practical mental game insights.

Together, they’re a powerful one-two punch to help you play more focused, consistent, and profitable poker — day in and day out.

The third place where you're going to gain a real edge in 2025 is through focused study and deliberate practice. We all know that action is the best teacher. Think about it — how did you actually learn to drive? Not by reading a manual or watching poker videos. You got behind the wheel, practiced repeatedly, and made mistakes until it became second nature. The same goes for tying your shoes. You didn’t learn it from a verbal explanation — you did it, over and over again, until your hands just knew what to do.

Yet in poker, 95% of players fall into a trap. They think they're studying, but they’re really just consuming content. They binge-watch coaching videos — maybe one from Smart Poker Study, then another from SplitSuit, then one from Jonathan Little, and so on. Or they plow through an entire book in a week. But here’s the problem: they never stop to apply what they’ve learned.

If you ask them about the material later — what to look for in a given spot, how to interpret bet sizing, which opponents to exploit — they often can’t explain it. Why? Because they haven’t truly learned it. They’ve skipped the most important step: practice.

The real learning begins when you take a specific strategy and actively use it at the tables. Let’s say you’re studying flop check-raises. You need to intentionally get into check-raising spots — which means seeing flops out of position, usually from the blinds, with hands that can hit boards well (suited connectors, suited gappers, etc.).

Before you even call in the blinds, ask yourself:

• Is this opponent a good target for a check-raise bluff?
• Does their c-bet frequency make them exploitable?

This is what it means to translate theory into action. You’re not just watching a concept; you’re engineering opportunities in real games to practice it.

Don’t read a chapter from Elements of Poker and just move on to the next because “that was cool”. If you read 15 elements in a row without applying a single one at the table, you’re not learning — you’re just entertaining yourself.

So moving forward, every time you study a new idea — whether from a book, video, or podcast — immediately put it into practice. Even if you mess it up at first, that’s part of learning. Action creates feedback, and feedback creates mastery.

Let “learn something, do something” guide your entire poker journey from this point forward.

Another major edge you’ll gain in 2025 comes from identifying and fixing your poker leaks — those recurring mistakes or weak spots that silently drain your poker bankroll. For live players, spotting leaks is more challenging. You need to be highly observant, take detailed notes, and recognize patterns in your own play. Maybe you’ve noticed that every time you double barrel the turn, opponents seem to raise you and you end up folding or paying off. That’s a leak. 

But live players don’t have it easy. Without software tracking tools, you're relying purely on memory and manual note-taking to identify these trouble spots. Online players, however, have a powerful advantage: PokerTracker 4 (or similar tracking software). With just a bit of effort — reviewing your stats and win rates every couple of weeks or once a month — you can pinpoint exactly where your leaks are. There's no guessing involved. Your data will tell you where your profits dip and where your strategy needs work.

Once you identify a leak, the next step is to study and practice with purpose. Go find a video, article, or chapter in a book that directly addresses your specific leak. Then follow this mantra: Learn something. Do something. Then watch the video, read the material, understand the concept — and then immediately take it to the tables to practice and fix the problem. This is where a major edge opens up for you. By plugging your leaks, you're not just saving money — you're also gaining insight into how opponents might be exploited in the same way you were.

Leak plugging teaches you how you’ve been exploited, and that in turn teaches you how to exploit others. Once you understand your own patterns — what tipped off opponents and how they capitalized — you can spot similar behavior in others and use the same exploitative strategies against them.

Pay attention to the details: Maybe it’s a stat, a betting pattern, or a timing tell. If you see someone making the same mistake you used to make, that’s your green light to act. Exploit their leak the same way yours was exploited — and profit from it.

So remember:

• Find your leaks.
• Study with intent.
• Practice purposefully.

Then turn those weaknesses into weapons by exploiting the same leaks in others. Fixing leaks doesn’t just stop losses — it actively creates wins.

Now, here’s the simple action I want you to take: start developing these four edges — right now. You already have the steps. Just begin with one edge at a time. Maybe you've never really selected a table before — no problem. Start today. Keep it simple and take that first step.

Maybe you struggle with tilt — begin working on minimizing it. Maybe you need to study and practice more effectively — remember the mantra of learn something + do something. And of course, start identifying and plugging your leaks.

Here’s the beauty of this approach: you can combine edges and improve multiple areas at once. For example, if you find a leak, you’re not just fixing a mistake — you’re also practicing your study process and learning how to exploit that leak in others. All of this happens at the same time, just by focusing on one leak.

If you’re not sure where to begin or want to accelerate your progress, check out Getсoach School. We’ve built a structured training environment designed specifically to help you plug leaks, sharpen your edge, and build lasting poker habits — faster and with purpose.

So take action. Start small. Be consistent. Develop your edges — one step at a time. We wish you the best of luck at the tables!