Learn the exact framework that was used to win over 67,000,000$ in tournaments
and close more than 39 live events
ICM, blind defense strategies, push/fold range construction based on stack sizes, the list goes on and on. While most players have a general sense of what these concepts mean they have no idea how to apply it. You can have a mastery of every concept in tournament poker but without integration you will never close a tournament. You aren’t closing tournaments because you haven’t integrated the concepts you know “so well” into your game.
There are so many different ways you can work on your game. You can discuss hands, read books, watch players discuss their process on a live stream and a lot more. One of the biggest mistakes tournament players make is they don’t work on what THEIR game needs. You can do all the hand breakdowns in the world but if you don’t have a fundamental process for how to make decisions at the table you are wasting your time. It’s like running on a treadmill everyday expecting to get better at pullups. You need a process to assess exactly what is/isn’t working about your game and you need to focus. Most players aren't closing tournaments because they haven’t done the right work.
Most players think shifting gears is adjusting to a new stack size. For example, you had a 50bb stack, you lose a big pot and now you have 10bb. You need to adjust your open/calling ranges based on stack sizes. This is a very basic tournament adjustment that a lot of players get incorrect. However, the levels of adjustment in tournament poker go much deeper. Changes in player psychology, game-flow, and situational dynamics all continue towards how you adjust. If you are only adjusting based on your stack size you aren’t going to close tournaments.
We have all been there. You have an above average stack with 15 people left before the bubble. You decide to take it easy and coast into cash. You know you are playing scared but you rationalize it as a wise decision. You tighten up and fold as other players seize this opportunity to massively increase their stack. Fear is a powerful reason why a lot of players don’t close tournaments. In order to break through you must actively work on your mental game, master your fear, and craft a style that transforms you into the person who players fear
One of the core reasons players fail to close tournaments is because they haven’t been in the high pressure situations a deep run demands. Very experienced tournament poker players have a built in “been there, done that” mentality that often makes it hard for them to put themselves in the shoes of someone who has never made a final table let alone competed three/four handed or heads-up for a title. Likewise, I think a lot of students are embarrassed to admit they’ve never been there or have no idea what to do. Finding a way to bridge that gap is important)
CLC was founded by Chance Kornuth as the first live tournament coaching for profit program in poker. An innovative approach to poker coaching where instead of asking for an hourly payment up-front, a small percentage was taken from player winnings.
The coaching for profit program ran for 4 years and 120 players made over $12,000,000 winning multiple tournaments. One of those people was 2 time GPI 1st player in the world and now CLC coach Alex Foxen. We took the lessons we learned from the coaching for profit format and translated it into a world class live tournament curriculum and our two flagship products, The Closer and CL AI.
Below is a full breakdown of what is covered and why.
One of the common trends in poker is that players think there is just “one thing” that will lead to a massive change in their game. “If i can just study push/fold charts or grasp ICM I'll be closing more tournaments etc. The reality is most players have a flawed approach to tournament poker and their foundation needs to be rebuilt. We aren’t going to dive in and start working on concepts without a solid foundation. Our first step is to get you to understand the big picture factors that go into closing tournaments. There are a series of key distinctions that separate the average player from those who consistently cash. Before we dive into the subtle aspects of tournament poker we are going to teach you to fully adopt and understand those principles.
The first week is all about understanding the approach we are going to take towards reconstructing your game. We will build a solid foundation that connects all concepts in poker and make sure you are set up to make this the most effective 10 week course you have ever taken.
The key framework that is used throughout The Closer. This is the foundation of the entire course and every single concept, question, and hand discussed will strengthen your understanding of this key framework.
The majority of players in your average field have big mental leaks that make it very difficult for them to actually win a tournament. In order to win you need to control your fear, emotions, and expectations.
Before you can build a new foundation you need to understand exactly where your current skill level stands. We start the program with an in-depth assessment of your goals, ambitions, and current tournament skill. This allows us to establish the reality of your circumstance and will help you design a strategy and approach to tournaments that are paired with your current skill set.
Whether you realize it or not, every player has a certain level of construction. Some players study extensively and use solvers to construct ranges for multiple dynamics. Other players study a simple 10bb push/shove chart. The fact is most players are constructed incorrectly in tournament poker; something we will completely transform.
A 20bb stack is completely different from a 40bb stack. While some of this is intuitive most players have no idea how important stack size is when it comes to construction. We have broken down tournaments to 6 distinct phases and we will discuss how to build 3 different types of constructions for each phase. This ensures you will know exactly what to play and why at each level of the tournament.
Poker is a dynamic game where a one size fits all approach doesn’t work. Instead of giving you a standard chart, we are going to show you the ideal construction for 3 different players who have different levels of skill, mindset, and experience. This approach allows you to see the dynamic aspect of construction and helps you understand the process for building ranges from the ground up.
While there are many standard spots in tournament poker, ICM can sometimes completely override your decision making process. We will discuss the foundation of ICM and more importantly go over the critical moments it should be applied.
One of the biggest mistakes tournament players make is sizing. The difference between 2.5x and 3x may seem trivial, but it’s definitely not. Betting mistakes compound over time and the average player loses considerable EV through how they approach sizing. Week 3 is focused on transforming how you choose bet sizing in tournaments.
Most players can’t size correctly because they don’t understand the theoretical frameworks for sizing in tournament poker. We will discuss how to build a solid framework for correctly sizing so you know exactly what to bet and why.
When it comes to sizing, there are generally two schools of thought. You can go for short term EV or long term. This is a powerful distinction and we will spend ample time getting you to understand exactly when you should be switching between these two approaches to sizing.
After playing so many tournaments we have created a list of the most common sizing mistakes and how to attack them. This will show you exactly how to handle certain dynamics when you encounter them in addition to getting you to further understand why we size correctly.
Tournaments are fundamentally about adjustment. You could be playing a 150bb+ stack one second and then one hand later you can be in push/fold mode. In week 4, we unify all the concepts so you can understand the subtle aspects of adjustment in poker and know exactly what to do and why at any moment in a tournament.
Decision making in tournaments is not black and white. It’s highly relative. In order to close a tournament you need to understand their relative nature and know exactly how you should be adjusting and why.
While there are many variables that are important for adjustment the two most critical are understanding your stack size and your proximity. These two concepts are used to calculate which mode we should be in and why.
Our action compass is a system we used to distill the macro principles in tournament poker to micro decisions. It’s a process you can go through that will help you recognize the right action for any specific moment in tournament poker.
Any major tournament win can be broken down into a series of “spots”. There are essential moments where you correctly Hero Call, or courageously risk your stack at the right time. If you ask the average player to break down one of these spots they will give you some sort of simple logic. Want to know how to make the right decision? You drill! You put yourself in that specific situation and develop a framework for how you make a decision. Then you drill. This is the type of work tournament players don’t do and it’s the type of work that allows you to make confident decisions in game when they matter most. Note* All Closer members get 3 month access to CL AI. We built an entire application called CL AI that is designed to do this.
There is never going to be a tighter dynamic than the pre-bubble. A large percentage of the field wants to “just cash” creating an opportunity that you must seize. In week 5, we will go over exactly how to attack the bubble by breaking down real spots from bubble play.
As soon as the bubble bursts the dynamic considerably changes. Players are comfortable taking more risks and there is a considerable difference in play. In week 6, we learn how to take advantage of this dynamic by deconstructing real spots in the post bubble dynamic.
Going deep in tournaments creates a mixture of excitement and fear. One of the most interesting aspects about going deep is that most players will rarely experience it. Deep runs don’t happen everyday and when they do you want to be ready. In week 7, we will dissect multiple hands from deep runs.
You have finally arrived. You applied the frameworks of The Closer and you are now at a final table. You have massive pay jumps, multiple game dynamic factors to consider, in addition to the psychological pressure of being on the brink of closing an event. In week 8, we will focus on the decision making and frameworks required in all final table dynamics so that you are fully prepared to close your next final table.
Any major tournament win can be broken down into a series of “spots”. There are essential moments where you correctly Hero Call, or courageously risk your stack at the right time. If you ask the average player to break down one of these spots they will give you some sort of simple logic. Want to know how to make the right decision? You drill! You put yourself in that specific situation and develop a framework for how you make a decision. Then you drill. This is the type of work tournament players don’t do and it’s the type of work that allows you to make confident decisions in game when they matter most. Note* All Closer members get 3 month access to CL AI. We built an entire application called CL AI that is designed to do this.
In order to really connect the concepts in the Closer, Alex and Chance conducted a complete dissection of Alex’s 2019 WPT 5 Diamond Main Event victory for $1.7M. They cover every spot and explain the exact reason for each decision. Week 9 will show you how the best in the world implement this process and will be an eye opening experience.
There is no way you won’t have questions throughout the course. In addition to the recorded workshops we save this part for last. Once you learn the framework you will be able to see tournament poker in richer detail and will definitely have deeper questions. Week 10 is designed to be an ongoing archive of questions that you can come back to anytime.
We took the lessons learned while making $46,621,091 and winning 41 tournaments and combined them with world class AI technology to produce the most powerful tournament training platform available.
Strong in ICM spots but weak at Big Blind defense? No problem. With a wide range of custom built tracks you can work on the specific areas of your game that matter most.
CL AI was built on a non-stop engine allowing us to assess the big and small leaks in your game. Through consistent use of the platform we are able to provide real time insights into exactly where you need to improve and how.
Most training programs are built on generated spots. CL AI was built on an archive of real spots in a wide range of tournaments including both online and live.
Discussions around specific hands are one of the most effective ways to improve in poker. Each week we take a specific spot found in CL AI and dissect it at length.
Each month we host a series of challenges for CL AI members. Based on your performance on the platform you will receive free merchandise, coaching opportunities and more
“Chance combines a deep technical understanding of the game with an incredible ability to read his opponents both based on their tendencies and body language. I enjoy having him at my table for the banter, but he is tough to play against.”
“Chance is the one guy who thinks of more creative spots than I do, and one of the few guys I try to consistently talk strategy with. To my students, I always recommend they hire Chance for his expertise in live NL MTT’s.”
“I’ve played 100’s of hours in high-stakes tourneys with Chance. His ability to see subtle details in a hand is what separates him from other players. Each time we discuss hands together I’m able to come away with a new breakthrough for approaching tough spots.”
“I have been lucky enough to have had many poker conversations with Chance, and I am continuously impressed by the fact that I never leave one without learning something. It is a testament to his insane work ethic: Chance is constantly thinking about spots, analyzing them, coming up with unique lines, and, most importantly by far, trying them in real settings at the highest stakes.
The closer is the most comprehensive tournament course ever created. If for whatever reason you are not satisfied in the first 14 days we offer a full money back guarantee.
We have a wide range of pricing options. Cancel at any time. CL AI is only a month to month commitment.
Yes! The Closer was created with both live and online tournaments in mind.
It should take on average 2-3 hours of work per week. However, with the workshops and CL AI, you can do as much as 20+ hours a week on your game. We suggest setting aside 1 hour a day, 5 days a week for the duration of the course.
The entire program was created by Chance and Alex. They are in all videos, workshops, and hand breakdowns.
The Closer is not a monthly subscription. It is a onetime payment for lifetime access. It includes 3 months free to Chip Leader AI. If you decide to continue with that program you can after your trial is over.
The course is broken up over 10 weeks, but if life gets in the way and you fall a bit behind don’t worry. Even after the 10 weeks are over you will have all the videos available to watch, whether you’re catching up on videos you didn’t get to see or are refreshing information you’ve already learned.
Yes, you can watch course videos on any device. The practice tests and some advanced video functions are currently only compatible with browser (desktop) use but all training and walkthrough videos can be accessed on mobile and tablet.
