A review of Drag the Bar (cliffs at the end)

alaskabill

alaskabill

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Since I'm enjoying the benefits of a DTB membership as part of playing at Carbon, I thought I'd give my impressions of the site for the benefit of anyone interested in training sites. In the past I have subscribed to Deuces Cracked and so I'll make some comparisons also. I've gone from beginner/fish to steady winner at micros looking to move up so while I'm no expert, I think I fall well within their target audience so hopefully my view is relevant.

The way their filters are set up it is really easy to find the type of video that you are interested in (6 max, full ring, micro stakes etc). Deuces Cracked on the other hand has a huge library but it is often hard to find the type of video that you want, though they have been working on this.

One thing I definitely like about DTB is that the coaches always seem prepared in the video. You don't get a lot of rambling, pausing, off topic filler. They get on the tables start playing and focus on what they are trying to teach.

DC is more hit and miss on this issue. They have some great content but also some videos where you get the idea that the coach is just drifting through a random session and is not focused at all.

The quality of the coaches on DTB seems uniformly high. In particular Owen Gaines (Qtip) has a real gift for breaking down difficult subjects and making them easy to understand. His series on poker math is fantastic and his other videos are excellent as well. Of course, Dusty Schmidt is there also and provides some excellent commentary. You won't go wrong by listening to how one of the best grinders in online poker history thinks about the game.

As the name of the site suggests DTB focuses on NLH but they also have videos on PLO and Limit Hold'em. As an added bonus, they have a collection of videos on Backgammon, done by Bill Robertie who is a successful pro who has written a number of books on the game.

One thing that DC does that I would enjoy seeing DTB do is more coaching session videos. DC has a ton of videos where the student of a coach has his session fillmed and the coach and student discuss and review while we watch the lesson. The best example of this is Baluga Whale's "Coaching Kristy" series, also they have a "Passing the Torch" series that is good.

The viewer learns a lot as a most of times the student is at our level so we see typical mistakes and get the coach's correction. Also, if you are considering hiring a coach in the future, this type of video gives you a preview of how such sessions would work.

So, that is on my Drag the Bar wish list, more one on one coaching session videos.

tldr; cliffs:

Videos are well produced and coaches are on point.

Coaches are all solid, QTip is the best teacher IMO. Having Leatherass on the roster is a nice plus.

Backgammon videos are a great bonus

More student/teacher videos please.

Over all I really like the site.
 
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doom

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hm where we can now play backgammon when fatbet is closed?
 
acky100

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nice review, im a fan of Owens books too but have never purchased subscriptions to videos of either site yet. Might be something ill think about when i get to 25/50nl though... so what are the payment schemes/prices like at these two sites you forgot to mention that :D

Nicely done
 
Poker Orifice

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I used the 2wk. promo to DTB that Cardschat had (has?.. or had?.. idk??). I really liked their site & would seriously consider joining it if I was currently in the market to join a site like that.
incidentally, they also have a bunch of 2nl & 5nl FR vids. on there (player sn is BlackRain (< or something similiar to that)). I've read that alot of micro players really like his vids.
 
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swingro

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I used the 2wk. promo to DTB that Cardschat had (has?.. or had?.. idk??). I really liked their site & would seriously consider joining it if I was currently in the market to join a site like that.
incidentally, they also have a bunch of 2nl & 5nl FR vids. on there (player sn is BlackRain (< or something similiar to that)). I've read that alot of micro players really like his vids.
Yep. Best 2NL and 5NL videos out there. I saw them at a friend. I am thinking about joining after moving from my current location.
 
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