Just wanted to know how many actual members are losing money using systems from PVT?

I keep hearing a lot of bashing on the forums and when I'm playing in tournaments around the country.

"You're that friend of Daniels aren't you!? PVT SUCKS!!!"

It's really funny though because of those that I've tangled with I've only had one tell me that they were members. I'm trying to figure out how many of the bashers are actually members and have used the system and lost money. I'm not talking about watching the video once and then going in there and losing one tournament and calling it trash. I'm talking about doing something similar to what I did.

I took the system and watched the SB videos countless times. I watched it before each tournament. I took it to heart. I wanted to win.

After winning the second ME seat in two weeks, I thought that I might be on the right track.

I'll admit that I was really pissed at support and expressed it. I was upset with some of the content and still hate that little TING when you go across the icons but I love the systems. The new Carver stuff is my kinda game.

I even expressed my concerns to Daniel, Matt and whoever I thought would listen and then I had to step back and look at what it did for me and why. The damn thing has nearly won me 20 online and live combined tournaments and I don't know how many cashed anymore. That's with taking almost the entire month of October and November off of live games due to my job.

Would I have had this success without truly studying the systems? Not just watching them but really getting into them? No way man! I never dreamed I'd have this kind of success after joining but it did.

If you joined PVT and really lost money, you might want to try some other sites. I am not saying that it's the only site. I learn a lot from the Strat forum here. A ton! Those guys there are great.

If you joined PVT and really lost money using his system after watching the SB section at least 10 times, post your PVT user name here with your complaint and how you studied it. It might help the site and give Daniel and the guys an idea of actual members that are having problems with the site instead of FCP members that just want to argue or just dislike Daniel. I'm finding out the hard way that there's just a few guys out there that simply don't like him. Oh well.

I attribute my current results to being a bit of a slow learner. I am still playing micro stakes due to a smallish bankroll online, but I am still losing a little since I joined in July. However, I am turning the corner. Since July I am losing ~2bb/100 playing at 10NL. That is a marked improvement to the multiple leaks I had prior to joining.

Obviously, PokerVT is more of an entertainment vehicle for me currently. I play online to help me play (and record via PokerTracker) hands, then analzye postmortem. I take the game very seriously. Coming from a (non-blitz/bullet) chess background, my biggest weakness is playing too fast (which online seems to force), poor hand reading abilities (or faith in them) and making 'Hero' calls on the river as a result. The improvement I attribute to knowing a system of thought that smallball is providing, along with an ability the analyze more quickly on the fly. Since the JCarver videos started, I have stayed in the black. Fluke or trend remains to be seen. I have reduced my leaks and have improved on my analysis of villain's ranges and strategies.

I do not have another site to compare to, as I use only PokerVT. I am happy with the site, with it's blend of live & online videos. That allows me to pursue my goal of improving live and using online to 'practice' discipline and tactics.

I noticed this forum is quiet. I'm not surprised. Who has the courage (stupidity?) to admit being a losing player?

I've made a little bit of money since signing up for PVT. My main problem is that I can't devote nearly as much time to playing poker as I would like. Over Thanksgiving, when I had plenty of time to play, I did do very well for the week (very well in my opinion). I only have a bankroll of a few hundred bucks after a couple month down swing. So, I've been playing $5 Double or nothing SNG & 18 person $5 MTT SNG. I usually try to get into the $5 MTT in the afternoon if my workload is slow (which has about 4300 players) & I cashed once in about 6 tourneys.
My results for the days I devoted time to playing poker are:
$5 DON 40 played 24 wins (60%) = +$32
$5 MTT 18 pers. 15 played 8 cashes (53%) = +$70
Lg $5 MTT 6 played 1 cash = -$9
So, net profit of around $90. Which I'm happy with for the amt of time I put in.

MY QUESTION is, what MTT are you guys playing in? I really enjoy & do well in the 18 person SNG, but it is not a good fit to play SB. The afternoon $5 MTT is great for SB (start with 3000 in chips), but which tournies are you guys finding success in?

thanks for the input!

You did very well over the holiday. It looks like you have a winning combo at the #5 DONs & SNGs. I would advise to play more of those. I find that the 2-table SNGs take 90 minutes max. Sneak in a weekend game or two.

Looking at my recent stats (since Nov. 1), I am having most of my (still marginal) success at cash 10NL & 25NL, along with 2-tbl & 5-tbl SNG (4/7 ITM, 3 2nd place finishes, +$31.10). I do not do so well in the MTTs, only cashing in a $2.20. Just a little more consistency is all I need.

Dude, this is a perfect post for what I hope to accomplish here! You've made great remarks on what you're doing right now and what you're doing wrong. This will help the guys teaching on PVT know what to focus on.

You mention in the first part that you are seeing improvement so that's great.

Now where I think PVT needs to focus on guys with the problems you are having is teaching "Patience" and "Discipline". Those are the two things that I have to practice every time I sit down! You're not alone.

In no way am I going to attempt to say that I have anything that it takes to be a coach but I'll tell you what I have to do to be successful.

1. Tear your game apart and realize your weaknesses and then gather your strengths. You can exploit each and no what alley to take and which to stay away from.
2. Set a realistic goal. Don't set $1000 a day if you have never been up more that $100. Set $100 a session or so much an hour you want to make.
3. When I reach that goal, have the discipline to walk away from the game.

This is my part-time profit goal.

As far as "I noticed this forum is quiet. I'm not surprised. Who has the courage (stupidity?) to admit being a losing player?" Apparently, there are very few that have the brains to admit that they are a losing player and need a helping hand. I applaud your courage to admit that you aren't there yet and to point out your faults. It's the first step in becoming a great player. I look forward to hearing of your success after the guys start posting things that will help your area of need.

Good luck! I hope you blow my results out of the water one day!

Thanks for the post! Another great example that the Coaches need to reply to on PVT. I hope they will post things on PVT that will show "How to get the Biggest Bang for your Buck when you don't have much time!" I too would like to see more coaching on how to begin. We see a lot of "Now that I'm a pro, I do this!" We might need more of "If you don't have a lot of time, you might want to focus on...."

I will tell you this. Since I've been semi-successful with PVT, I've made a lot of friends that are pros. We talk strat and most of them tell me that they focus a lot on SNG's because they can play more of them in a shorter period of time. That was their bread a butter online at first. The pros with PVT might have a different point of view and I hope they will show examples of this on PVT. GL Bro!

Great post. Thanks for the response!

Winning @ poker has just as much to do with how well you manage your money play tilt free and never let money effect good decision making. Playing responsibly under good conditions(not tired,distracted, rushed) is equally as important as making good choices @ the poker table. I have a friend who plays 200 NL and was running so bad and flopped bottom two pair HU and got c/r all in on the turn. Instead of calling and hoping to get less stuck he simply went into pokerstove input his hand , the board, and the range of his opponent, did some EV calcs. Realized the guy was never blufing in the spot and calmly folded. Bad players say screw it if hes got me hes got me. Other factors than I should raise these hands in this position go into being a winning player over time.

That would be a great topic for the pros to do a segment on!! I tried to get them to do a segment on how to become more aggressive, but there has been no response. That is by far my biggest weakness. I am a very patient player, but feel that I call & check too much. I guess I think they always have the nuts & if I raise w a bluff or semi-bluff they will just go all-in & I'll have to fold. I've improved in the fact that I am raising more coming into a pot & I've started to raise more with top pair, making CBs, & using the "Johnny Chan" play. So, I feel I'm slowly improving my game. I know the standard answer is, "it depends" but what tips do you guys have for changing my mind-set & becoming more aggressive in regards to SNGs & even cash games? Any "plays" that have been successfull for you?
In regards to SB, I'm doing pretty well & am getting the hang of it since the play is more passive. I probably need to play more hands though. Having difficulty raising w/ unsuited 1-gap connectors entering the pot.
Thanks for your opinions!

Well for those who know poker edge (not using it myself) since poker VT I went from red fish to shark so my play is improving. Although I play the same style (at least it looks like the same to me) on different sites, I still breaking even on some but profitable on others for cash games. I analyze my hands weekly and find that the big hands I loose are on suck-outs (the 2 outers). Getting deeper and deeper in MTT'S but still lots of work to do there. JCarvers vids are great so learning a lot from that.