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How I started my poker career After joining SM Staking and starting his career in the 5s limit, he rose to 50s in the shortest amount of contract games. He did it in about 6 months, which is why he got an offer to join the SM coaching team. A coach who focuses on the quality of the game rather than the number of games, Pure GTO specialist Dovydas Jonušas. How did you become a Spin&Go player who managed to climb the limits so quickly? I came to SM Staking as a 5s limit player, still quite “green” so to speak. After playing 1k games I went up to 10s limit, after playing 4k more games (about 3 months) I went up to 25s limit. It took about 3 more months to reach the 50s limit. All in all, I went from 5s to 50s in 6 months. Of course, it would have been impossible to go up the limits so quickly without SM Staking. The school gave me access to a huge library of information, organised group lessons and a personal trainer. I did what was necessary – I set a clear goal that I wanted to become a poker professional. Before that, I was working in an office, so I gave myself six months and set myself the condition “either I get serious about poker or I go back to the office”. My goal was not to play 5s limit, my goal was to go up in limits. When the part was spinning a higher volume of games, I was concentrating on the EV of the game. More than half of my time was spent learning strategy, raising the quality of my game. First I learnt to play better and then I started to increase the number of games. What’s important to improve quickly in Spin&Go? A professional approach to poker. We all have what is called an ‘A game state’ where we play our best poker, but it is important to understand that this state is not random. The preparation we do for our play sessions and the work we do on ourselves in between them determines how often we show our best game. The intense competition in poker encourages discipline, good habits and personal development. Therefore, I encourage you to take an interest in psychological health, read self-help books, and find ways to keep yourself focused during the game. How and what methods do you use to help students achieve their goals? Very simply, we try to create a standard routine. We find out what the student’s short-term and long-term goals are, we find out what the main problems and mistakes are at the moment, and then we start to follow the routine to improve the quality of play. Poker doesn’t stand still, so I try to help as much as possible, both in terms of strategy and well-being. It should also be stressed that there are some things you can’t find described anywhere on the internet. And poker itself is becoming more and more complex, so a coach is needed to make it quicker and easier to become a professional poker player. Why do you like coaching? First of all, I spent a lot of time analysing Pure GTO situations. I like to study hands and even more to discuss them. When I teach lessons, I not only pass on the knowledge I have gained, but I also polish my own game. When training others, most situations are encountered hundreds of times, which allows you to grasp them to the level of automatism. When you see that someone else cares about my lessons and is able to absorb them, you feel the meaning of what you are doing. Working in the office, I gained experience in training new people, coordinating them and helping them to develop their skills. In general, I don’t like it when explanations are complicated, so I try to keep it simple and make the training and the discussion easy and understandable. I use everyday examples to present the information, and most importantly I focus on the thought process: how did you get to the mistake, how did you make the decision, rather than just solving the small mistake at hand. What advice would you give to a poker enthusiast? I probably won’t say anything new, certain things are essential, like spending at least half the time studying poker. Learn the basics later, learn the basics well at the beginning and raise your limit. Putting the emphasis on ChipEV rather than the number of tables and games is the best choice. And the smartest thing to do is not to waste time trying to learn Spin&Go on your own and join SM Staking. At the school you will get a top-class information base, the attention of a personal trainer, and other benefits that you can’t find anywhere else.

New Twitch streamer SM Staking twitch streamer Mindaugas Šakinis, a proven 50s limit crusher and a professional poker player for 3 years, started his Twitch stream career on the SMstaking channel! Mindaugas joined the SMstaking school to see if he could become a poker pro. Less than a full year later, he’s already a 50s regular player, and is currently posting some of the highest scores on Winamax. Started playing in PokerStars and then moved to Winamax. He is now happy with his game and the work he is putting in to improve. With plans to move up high in stakes in the near future, this is a great opportunity to watch and learn from this promising poker player! The new SM Staking twitch streamer is charismatic and has an unconventional approach to aggressive play. So expect some fun and informative Twitch streams! Contest Before the new Twitcher came out, there was a competition where people could guess who the person was and what his ChipEV was for the last 3 months at the 50s stakes. The winner was “Ugapik” with a guess that it was Mindaugas Šakinis with 50.4 ChipEV (real 49.86)! Congratulations to the winner and we will be in touch to hand over the prize. We had a contest of blog as well. Find out more here.

Who we are? We are a company made up of a team of High Stakes Spin&Go regulars who aim to build the world’s strongest Spin&Go academy. Our students are known for their expertise and are skilled at playing all the highest limits on various poker sites. We believe that the community is the main focus of our efforts. By working together, we can achieve great things and gain strategic advantages over our opponents. Vision Our vision is to create a community of passionate poker players who love the game and share common goals of becoming the best poker players while enjoying the freedom it brings. Mission Our mission is to provide the highest quality coaching and tools to help players achieve their goals and become the best version of themselves. We strive to create a strong poker community that supports and empowers its members to crush Spin&Go’s.

One of our mostly appreciated and ranked coach – Aurimas. The internet is overloaded with lessons and information on how to play poker. It is easy to find articles or recorded videos on strategies that work and those to avoid. Some information is accurate, some outdated, so in the School, we assess players’ time and select the most relevant information to present to students. However, having a general game strategy is not enough to become a winning player; exploiting the opponent requires deeper knowledge. Therefore, school students have the opportunity to learn exploitation from a high-stakes school coach, a Spin&Go exploit specialist, Aurimas Morozovas. How did you become a high-stakes Spin&Go player? I had the ambition to become a high-stakes player and dedicated a lot of time to it. Being a 25s player, I wanted to share my knowledge, so I became a coach. Coaching had helped me learn, understand, and analyze emerging situations, as well as find solutions for myself and others. I believe it is very difficult to rise through the stakes alone, so it is necessary to seek a community. Is a coach necessary when playing at high stakes? Many good players make the mistake of letting their ego prevent them from having a coach. Personally, I learn a lot of new things every week. I try to learn from both better and worse players. The more different perspectives you have, the more options you have for exploitation. I enjoy learning because poker knowledge is like a fruit of science that can be harvested. You learn and try to apply it in the game. Why are you considered an exploit specialist? My strength is good logical reasoning. Since I am not categorical, it helps me consider more possibilities of how to play and find the best solution. I change “This way or not at all” to “Both this way and that way are possible, but this way is the best.” I am open-minded to situations, so trying to play close to GTO is not always optimal. Although it is important to look at the opponent’s statistics and analyze their game, I try not to apply ABC game principles. What can a student expect from you? I try to convey my formula for success to students. I personally strive to live in a way that makes me feel happy. When you want to play poker, then the results become crushing. When you push yourself, it reflects in the results, so I seek ways to help players find a balance between work and enjoyment. One of the best compliments I receive as a coach is seeing students moving up in limits. I enjoy seeing them approach their goals and dreams. Therefore, we constantly work on motivation. I don’t have a single student who hasn’t reached at least the 25s limit. Can you tell us about your training methodology? I have created a group for students because I believe that community and mutual help are the keys to the fastest improvement. Since I am a high-stakes player, I have a high-level strategy. I constantly refine exploit play, which allows me to outplay others and extract maximum value from them. I try to pass on my experience and knowledge to the students. What do you enjoy most about playing poker? Personally, I enjoy mind games the most. When you play at a high level, all players have a good understanding of poker. The feeling of trying to outsmart each other is the most enjoyable thing and, at the same time, the best intellectual exercise. What advice would you give to a poker enthusiast? Spend more time studying rather than grinding, as it will help you improve faster. Watch more videos rather than playing yourself. Don’t try to reinvent the game from scratch; people have already refined strategies and know how to make money at the table. Just learning established strategies will speed up your progress.

Meet Andrius – out discipline specialist Quick and successful ascension in stakes is important not only for the student but also for the School. Knowing that it is not an easy task, we are constantly looking for solutions to solve it. One of them is the discipline coach Andrius Iljinas! Over 10 years of experience in various poker formats allows students to avoid common mistakes that hinder improvement. How did you end up in the position of a discipline coach? First of all, I was noticed for my good game results at the $100 stakes. Secondly, having accumulated experience in various poker disciplines, I was able to not only learn during lessons but also discuss various topics with the coach. This was specifically noticed and allowed me to become a school coach – my ability to clearly present ideas and support them with theoretical and practical knowledge. What can a student expect from you? I constantly learn from my mistakes, perform self-analysis, and play exploitative instead of the standard strategy. As I have already indicated, I evaluate my own game and mistakes very strictly, so I demand a lot from the students as well. Although we have a lot of communication with students not only on poker topics, during lessons I try to maintain a learning environment. I also establish an individual relationship: I present information in a clear and understandable language, select topics relevant to each player, and delve into every game in detail. Can you tell us about your training methodology? In order to help players avoid mistakes, I maintain strictness and discipline, therefore I am called discipline specialist. I try to instill the understanding that a lesson is a touch on certain topics. All learning and improvement happens after the lesson when “homework” is done. I have experienced tilt, downswings, and psychological burnout, so when conducting lessons, I rely on real personal experience and proven knowledge. What do you enjoy most about playing poker? Unquestionably, it is the freedom that poker provides. In this game, there are no limits of self-improvement, and as a perfectionist, that is the biggest advantage for me. Since continuous improvement is required in this field, as you grow as a poker professional, you also become a better version of yourself in all areas of life. What advice would you give to a poker enthusiast? When starting to play poker, sometimes very high expectations are set. That’s not a bad thing, but in order to fulfill them, be prepared to have a lot of patience. When the day comes that you decide to quit your regular job, and I wish that for you, the workload will definitely not decrease. In order to become a successful poker player, be prepared to work hard and consistently. Join us today by clicking here.

Poker psychology and work ethics expert Stanislovas Strategy lessons are not enough to give students a well-rounded, high-quality education. The psychology of the player is one of the cornerstones of maximizing performance. To ensure this, every week students have the opportunity to participate in group psychology lectures, led by SM High-stakes coach, work ethic and poker psychology specialist Stanislovas! How did you become a Spin & Go high-stakes player? I have been playing Spin&Go since 2012. In order to reach and crush the then highest limit (250s), I focused a lot on studying poker. To become the best, you have to know everything – strategy, psychology, work ethic – and try to balance everything. It’s not easy: lots of books, many hours of analyzing yourself and others, constantly applying your knowledge in a real-life environment. Continuous learning and development, that’s my driving force, and that’s what has allowed me to achieve high results. A complementary area of training is poker psychology. How did you get into coaching? I had gained a lot of experience and knowledge that I wanted to further develop. One of the ways was to become a coach for other players. Having gone all the way from the lowest to the highest limits, I was able to share what I had already learned. And at the same time, it allowed me to further deepen my knowledge in player psychology. I have now been a coach for 5 years, during which time I have been working on teaching strategy, analyzing the psychology of the players, identifying the problems and finding solutions to put them into practice. What can a student expect from you? I have students whose have gone up to the 100s+ stakes. My goal is to produce good grinders and strong players. Therefore, I require them to follow a work process that is put together. Although I am friendly, I always maintain professionalism. Both in communication with each other and in teaching methodological material. This is how the current students respond. We work together on both strategy and psychology, so that with those who are willing and able to change, we achieve high results and strong victories. Can you tell us about your coaching methodology? The process is the most important part. First I get to know the student, find out about their skills, knowledge, mindset and experience. Sometimes the student has enough strategic knowledge, but for some reason the results don’t come. That’s where my role comes in – to be able to look at things from the side, to assess the weaknesses of the player, which are the most worrying and frustrating. I ask them to keep track of their emotions and experiences, to write comments about them, to put them in one document. I read them, analyze them and provide the student with solutions and further refer to selected literature sources. This is very important so that we take all the problems seriously, so that we prevent them from developing further, so that they do not affect their future games. What do you like most about playing poker? The fact that development in poker is closely linked to personal development. At the same time, you are not only growing as a poker player, but also as a person who is able to react quickly and make decisions or manage strong emotions. The work skills and discipline you learn are useful in other areas of your life. It’s all connected, so poker is not just about the game, it’s about you. What advice would you give to a poker enthusiast? From the very beginning, pay attention not only to the game, but also to the psychology. Even though these may seem like small problems at the moment, as the limits increase, so will the problems. Identify and address them as early as possible.

Spingo pool project Variance – an inevitable part of poker It is a natural part of the game, but it creates difficult and uncomfortable situations for players and makes the game extremely complex. That’s why we offer Spin & Go players a solution – SM Pool! It is the first project of its kind in Lithuania that encourages like-minded Spin & Go players to unite and work towards a common goal – to fight variance by sharing their winnings. We are the leading Spin & Go school in Lithuania. We have been working with poker players for 8 years, providing training, looking into their individual needs and finding the most effective ways to improve the quality of their game. The tools and know-how we have developed will help us to ensure that the SM Pool is administered in a reliable way, ensuring community, transparency and smooth processes. Make the right decision and beat the variance today! For more information and a questionnaire please click on the LINK. Briefly about SM Pool: We will ensure the following during the administering process: