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[lokibeat]

Okay, I bought Phil's Million Dollar system since it was discounted at Best Buy and I was curious. I've seen the commercials for Howard Lederer's dvd's and am very curious, but after the Phil DVD, I'm VERY skeptical. I find I learn most from watching televised tournaments. I understand that you're missing out on a lot of hands that might key in to how someone plays a hand, but since I saw Phil Gordon in the Bay 101 final table, I think I can extract more out of watching them play different hands then listening to them explain the game.Specifically, I remember Phil bullying with the big stack and getting called. A few hands later, he folds top pair A (with a low kicker) in the face of a bet from the guy in front of him. Turns out the guy didn't have an Ace, but had a good draw. Very instructional. I think Phil's reads suffered a little for a while there. So, I've gone and bought the WPT first season DVD. I figure with 10 hours of footage of top players in real situations, I'm bound to pick up some key learnings. I may not have some of the underlying principals that drive the plays, but I'm a smart guy, I think I can figure it out. There's always a reason for a play, you just have to figure it out (or guess and work your way back.)By the way, I think I'll mute the commentary a few times too. I really don't think they add that much value on most plays. I read books too, but just don't pick it up as well from the books. We'll see if this has an impact.Thoughts? Where have you guys learned the most? BTW, hands down, experience at tables is where you learn the most, but that's kind of hard knocks and you can't always ask "What did you have?"

[The Insider]

I think that your idea of watching hands as opposed to the instructional dvd is a dang fine one. One idea that might benefit you is to watch without the commentary, and then watch again with the commentary. see how similar Mike and Vince's takes were compared to yours. Also, The second Season DVD should be out in a little over a month. That one is going to be sick. Extra analysis will be added as a DVD extra.... I think a lot of those DvD's are meant for the beginner/intermediate. If you are at the level of looking at delicate ways to vary your game, or how to play some technically specific situations, watching the pros is the best way to go... Good Luck!