Main Event or Bust

So the title of the blog is Main Event or Bust, and it comes as no surprise to many who have played with me that I have done the latter first.  Entry to the Main Event for this year looks like a longshot the way I’ve been playing, so unless I can turn my game around, we might be talking about next year’s Main Event.

I’d like to say that my ruined bankroll was attributed solely to a run of bad luck (which I’m sure played in, since I recall losing a lot of hands where I was a 4-to-1 favorite when the chips went in), but in all honesty, I can’t entirely figure it out.  Maybe you can help.

My last post was a little over two weeks ago, when I renewed my vow to manage my bankroll better.  Since then, I took a little time off due to a death in the family, and I guess I didn’t play too well the little time that I was playing.  I avoided playing any stakes over $10, since I was working with about $200 after my earlier string of beats.  I suppose that with such a small stake, I should have limited that to $5 buy-ins, but in all honesty, I just couldn’t get too excited playing a double or nothing tourney for $2 – $5.

Aside from the fact that I can’t control my bankroll, I have to identify what other leaks I have in my game.  If anything, I suppose the fault I am most aware of is that I am too aggressive on occasion.  I get the idea in my head sometimes that I am destined to win the next pot, and come hell or high water, I will do it whether the flop hits my hand or not.  As you can guess, this aggressive strategy wins my fair share of pots; but to quote an old expression, “it always works until it don’t.”  The results when the strategy doesn’t work are usually catastrophic, and the called hands are everything from semi-bluffs to pure steals.

So what do I do to fix my leaks?

I’m hoping the answer lies in learning or rather, relearning the game.  I’ve read my fair share of books, and while I usually find them informative, I’ve had difficulty applying the knowledge gathered in the pages to situations that arise in my game.  I’ve decided to give training videos a shot.  As a matter of fact, I’ve decided to commit a good deal of my time to this, before depositing another dollar.  I’m going to review my experience with the video training, and share any insights that I glean.  If you happen to agree or disagree with my reviews, please let me know.

I’m probably going to review a few different training sites, but I’m starting with Real Poker Training.  Their current resident pros include founder Ryan ‘Gotskillz’ Fisler and Todd ‘NSXT2′ Arnold.  There is a ton of archived material, and they post guest pro videos on a semi-regular basis, including David Williams, who I feel is one of the few live pros who more than holds his own in the online game, as well as respected players, Chris ‘Fox’ Wallace, Chad ‘lilholdem954′ Batista, and Ari ‘BodogAri’ Engel.

I’ll keep you posted with everything I’ve learned, and if you are also a member, maybe we can compare notes.  Feel free to drop me a reply, and let me know what you think.