If you’re completely new to poker, watching some TV poker can be a fun, entertaining way to learn the basics about the game. I recommend this kind of learning since it’s easier to learn when you’re having fun.

TV poker isn’t ideal for learning advanced poker strategy because it’s usually played in a bizarre format you won’t often find yourself in: short-handed with only 5 other highly-skilled players. But you can still learn a lot about the mechanics of betting, raising, calling, dealing order, hand ranks, basic hand selection, and a number of other “beginner” topics that more advanced players sometimes neglect to cover when teaching newcomers about the game.

I like watching TV poker online at Poker Tube. They have a wide variety of content but I recommend watching some episodes of the more popular shows including old school episodes of the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker. If you enjoy them and start to understand the basics of what’s going on, I recommend watching Poker After Dark to get a better idea of what a real 6-handed tournament plays like. This show makes a point of broadcasting all the hands played instead of editing out all the “boring” hands… the ones that actually comprise the majority of a standard game and define how to play in them. Also, if you can find them online, the first 5 seasons of High Stakes Poker (but not season 6 or 7) are very interesting with unusually insightful commentary by Gabe Kaplan on the players’ decisions.