Online "Poker Schools"? Best way to improve my game?

What are these all about? How much do they cost? Which ones are best? What can they actually teach you?

I consider myself to be on the cusp of intermediate skill. I have good discipline. I know most of the dos and don'ts. I understand the principles behind the math, but can struggle to implement it into my decision making, and the ability to calculate more complicated odds on the fly eludes me.

I've just started playing low-limit SNGs and MTTs. When I'm on my game, middle of the field finishes are no problem. Of the six $1 and $2 games I've entered in the past two days, I've finished in the money twice. This is a lower rate than I'd like, but the two times I placed were first-place finishes (once in a 10-person, once in a 50-person). And one MTT I made the mistake of overextending myself by playing it at the same time as a SNG, and went out early on a coin flip (which I knew was a risk--but I was ahead in the SNG, and thought it was worth it).

I currently have about a $50 bankroll.

Are any of these schools for me? Or would my money be better invested in volumes one and two of Harrington on Hold'em? (The only book I've ready so far is Phil Gordon's Little Green Book.)

Thanks!

Pokerschool

Personally I wouldn't pay for online poker schooling, when there is so much advice available for free on the internet. On the other hand, I definitely would pay for the Harrington books...

I agree with NoWuckingFurries endorsement of the Harrington books. I've only read the first two books, but they are the primary reason why I'm a winning player. I think the books will be a better investment than a *temporary* membership to a training site for the simple reason that Harrington's books can be re-read.

I put my books in the bathroom, and read a lesson each time I visited. If I made a mistake or thought my attention was waning, I'd force myself to reread that lesson.

Harrington on Hold'em Volume I & II are an excellent base and you will re-learn a lot of good stuff. I read both books twice, picking up a lot of new stuff the second time as well.

Now, that being said, the training sites are good because they specifically cover online poker. With the videos they offer you get to *see* what is happening. Also, you can post your hand history and get personal criticism.

I do not subscribe to any pay-to-access poker training site, but I have learned a lot from them.

What I ended up doing is going to all the poker trainings sites that I could and downloaded their free sample videos. (Some are in Flash, but I have ways of saving those .FLV files). I also looked for videos via Google and on the various other online poker forums.

CardsChat has some free training videos (http://www.cardschat.com/f53/).
CardsChat members will critique your hands for free (http://www.cardschat.com/f51/).

These are good starting points, and the resources I use. If I got more serious into poker then the next step would be to purchase a membership at a training site.

Many people I know who entered the Poker School I am familar with...Rave about it to me

It is the combination of Training/Play/Benefits/Sponsorship that pushed their games tothe next level

Sponsorship (spam detector switches from amber to red alert)

Cute stupid POST--Your light can turn off now

At least one Poker School Sponsors one or more of its players into Live/Online MTTs or more

Online Poker Schools are definitely worth it. I was a member of the training site cardrunners.com for a month and in the month i learned so much about poker. Before becoming a member i thought i knew a lot about poker and i thought i was a pretty good player. However, after watching some of the videos at cardrunners i learned so much and it truly took me from being an okay player to the brink of a good player. My bankroll at the time was about $1000 and i played 2/4 NL and from watching the videos i was able to get my bankroll to $4,000. However, i believe i made too much money too fast. I thought i was a poker phenom and moved up levels until i was playing 10/20 NL with half my bankroll on the table. Needeless to say i went broke and i haven't been able to build a bankroll and join the site again since. I always wonder how good of a player i could have been with better bankroll management and another year of watching those videos. I hope you make the choice of joining the site and taking your game to the next level. It transformed my game and i am confident it will transform yours too.

Another good route to take is one of the Numerous Pro Video Services.

My experience from friends is these learning tools are WAY worth it to join and can lead to immediate improvement in your game

I still don't see it being worth paying money for it, when so much advice is available on the internet for free...
I don't think my post was cute or stupid - but you're entitled to your opinion.

In a way cardschat is a poker school. If you have any questions just ask and you will get a lot of help. Also there are many articles posted to aid you.

Honestly, it depends where your skill level is. If you are more novice but have some knowledge, use the resources cardschat and websites like PokerListings have to offer. If you are past the stage and looking to develop more intermediate play, try purchasing books like the Harrington on Hold 'Em series or Sklansky's books (The Theory of Poker and Texas Hold 'Em for Advanced Players).

I recently just signed up on CardRunners: Poker instruction, poker videos, and poker training from the best online poker players in the world and I can't praise it enough. There are hundreds of videos from some of the top MTT/SNG/CASH players in the game today. The initial fee is $99 which is a bit discouraging for smaller bankroll players but it is completely worth it. No better way to learn online poker than listening to hand by hand commentary about strategy, position, and advanced concepts. Good luck finding something that suits you well.

EDIT: It automatically fills in that plug or whatever when I type in the link so just a heads up.

Well, Harrington on Hold'em volumes one and two are on order.

I do like the idea of these videos top players record and add commentary to. But I'm wondering if any would be of great benefit to me for micro stakes SNGs, where I'm told a good segment of players not playing solid poker can create high variance for the disciplined player.

That and they seem quite expensive. There was one micro limit SNG video I saw somewhere for $5.00. Which I suppose might be a worthwhile investment if the advice given and play practiced are near perfect. But... for a fifty minute video, it still seems like a lot to pay.

Watch a couple of the videos that Dorkus Malorkus did here, and see how you feel then - I was surprised at how useful they actually are... and they're free!

Several times i have looked at these sites and always stopped when ive got to the price.

I have found Cardschat to be the best place to learn (playing mainly on my part) and watching time and again shows on tv as well as reading magazines, books on the game.

Im sure for some it may be really helpful but for me i decided not to and i dont feel as though i have missed out on too much (except paying a few hundred $$)

That's why the alarm bells sounded when somebody mentioned sponsorship earlier on. I was asking myself the question "well, how much money have these people paid out for their courses, if the companies concerned have made so much profit out of their fees that they are prepared to sponsor them in return!"