Taking shots does not mean your entire bankroll... It means playing higher than your bankroll allows. If you play $1-$3 MTTs this could mean buying into a $10 or $20 MTT or trying to satty into an even bigger one. I wouldn't suggest going for it all, unless you can just re-deposit. Everyone has there own way though, and good luck if you do take a shot (with entire BR)!
This.
I wouldn't spike all my poker money on a "shot" but lately I've been playing some $10 MTTs and $7 MTTs instead of $2 and $3. I could use my live roll to play bigger MTTs and bigger online cash games , but I've tried that before with not great results. Why might this be you ask? Because even though taking shots is good and can really be a great experience, say you win enough to move up 3 or 4 stake levels higher than before, are you actually good enough to play those stakes, have you played enough to beat them? Or will you just bleed all that profit right back to other players. Example: You have $250 in your online roll. You decide to play the
ignition/Bovada Sunday $100K for $162. You place like 4th for about 7K, you immediately withdraw 3K for a reward leaving you now with around a 4K bankroll. Are you now suddenly able to play $100NL? Or play $50 MTTs? Roll wise, probably, skill wise? are you sure?
Basically shots can be good, but don't jump to high up in stakes just because a big score means you can be rolled for them.