Become a poker tutor

Reading previous articles you may recall me mentioning Pokertube. Pokertube is a community specifically for poker that closely resembles YouTube. Many of the well-known poker television programmes are available to watch along with general interest pieces including documentaries and short films. You are able to sign up for an account and upload videos yourself for the poker world to enjoy. Being an avid student of poker I will share a method that you can use Pokertube to not only improve your game but perhaps get you some Internet exposure in the process.

Rather than going to poker events and shooting live film, you are able to, using screen capture software; record your poker play and record commentary using a microphone. Then you save the file as a video file and upload to the world. I found that people offered advice on the way you played the hands and the videos are relatively easy to produce. So for budding Jesse May’s here is how you get in on the poker commentating action.

You need screen capture software that records your screen and also the audio. There are three main programs for this. If you are a real tech wizard the latest Camtasia Studio is reputed to be the best program. It is also the most expensive at around $300. For around $100 My Screen Recorder Pro is the middle range product. Then you have Cam Studio (nothing to do with Camtasia) that is actually freeware but limited in functionality. I use My Screen Recorder Pro. This program allows me to record around three megabytes per minute at good audio and visual quality levels. Using fixed region recording, I can record my poker play and commentate at the same time. The visuals are not sketchy and the user will enjoy a good viewing experience. Talking through the hands keeps me sharp and focused and my recordings are generally less than fifty megabytes as any recordings over fifteen minutes generally start getting repetitive. You will have to search for specific articles on exactly how to set up the software you choose to get your balance between compression and quality just right.

A Pokertube member called Dabeear is a Scottish user who posted lots of
poker strategy videos on the site and ended up being semi-employed by Pokertube who gave him a bankroll and asked him to continue posting videos. He is now well-known to the poker community who debate and enjoy his videos every time he posts. This could be you if you concentrate on being informative and be open to feedback. Dabeear always posted good video and is a confident commentator.

A few tips for your videos. Speak slowly and clearly and avoid long periods of silence. Always have an objective for your video either to demonstrate a mistake or teach the user something. Avoid the trap of just playing and talking. If you are not confident talking and playing live then use a program like Universal Hand Replayer (which is free) to have hands ready you wish to discuss. This is a great way of only showing the hands you want and keeping things interesting, rather than just waffling about anything that comes into your mind whilst you fold, fold, fold in the early stages of a SNG or tournament.

Hopefully you will find doing poker videos as fun as I do and gather some Internet followers also. It is a great way of promoting yourself, your site or blog. I love poker but sometimes just playing thousands of hands is a little boring. Commentating for video puts a different angle on poker and keeps it fresh. So as well as discussing hands and learning, you will benefit from taking a breather from the grind and remembering to love the game. I look forward to watching your masterpieces very soon!

By Malcolm Clarke

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