So there's always been a bit of a debate about whether watching the main event is actually good for your poker game. Sure, there are lots of amateurs making questionable plays, the coverage often jumps between different tables to follow the most action giving the impression people are 3 betting, 4 betting, bluffing and going all in more than happens in reality at one table, but are there some things you can learn from watching the main event on TV? What are they? I like to see people bluffing and what they look like and how they act when they do and compare it to how they look and act when they have it. I hope that will help me make better reads.

i love watching live play. shows me how online is crazy at best.

Originally Posted by Amanda A

So there's always been a bit of a debate about whether watching the main event is actually good for your poker game. Sure, there are lots of amateurs making questionable plays, the coverage often jumps between different tables to follow the most action giving the impression people are 3 betting, 4 betting, bluffing and going all in more than happens in reality at one table, but are there some things you can learn from watching the main event on TV? What are they? I like to see people bluffing and what they look like and how they act when they do and compare it to how they look and act when they have it. I hope that will help me make better reads.

That is an excellent way to use video to train for poker. Analyze live tells and body language.

Certainly the ME coverage can help me train and be better for the ME - I mean really that tournament is so unique - big stack - big money - no re-entry - crown of poker - everybody
wants to play it - multiple days makes it an exhausting event.

Good luck !

Some things I learn watching the WSOP me:

1) It's reassuring to see "great" players like Helmuth and The Kid, etc. bust out. And not just bust out...but getting busted out by an amateur that probably made a bad play. It simply means, it's part of the game. We all bitch and moan about getting donked out of a tourney...it happens...we shouldn't complain. Take the beat and move on. You know you've donked a few people out yourself.

2) Norman Chad gets goofier every year and he's still on TV. Lesson: be yourself...it'll be ok.

3) Drinking in excess and poker make for good TV but not good poker.

4) Hindsight is, indeed, 20/20. It's all fine and dandy for people like Hellmuth to analyze a hand well after it played out. Anyone can sound smart about it. I like the commentary about what the player should/shouldn't do BEFORE the action. The lady that did a lot of that this year, I thought, brought a good perspective while watching it. She also got under Norman's skin...bonus.

Does anybody watch the NBA finals to improve their 3 point shots?

Sports broadcast has nothing to do with teaching how to be a better player.

Originally Posted by Amanda A

So there's always been a bit of a debate about whether watching the main event is actually good for your poker game. Sure, there are lots of amateurs making questionable plays, the coverage often jumps between different tables to follow the most action giving the impression people are 3 betting, 4 betting, bluffing and going all in more than happens in reality at one table, but are there some things you can learn from watching the main event on TV? What are they? I like to see people bluffing and what they look like and how they act when they do and compare it to how they look and act when they have it. I hope that will help me make better reads.

Good points Amanda,
What's interesting is top tier poker coaches have confessed that they actually learn more teaching their students than their students do learning. It's because they see "why" the students do what they do and can adjust when they see it again. So when watching an inexperienced player instead of ridiculing them, understand what they're doing and thought processes, and adjust accordingly to them or others like them. Everyone started somewhere. It's easy to judge other peoples play because we believed "they didn't deserve to win". Isn't that so much easier than to make changes, figure out their patterns, and use the edges you have to actually win against theses players. These players are also a necessity for the poker ecosystem.
Oh and I totally agree with you the live reads too!

I sometimes watch for entertainment but take things with a bit of salt. Players won´t necessarily want to show full playing style while being filmed.

I learned that when you watch free streaming sites online they can go out or be taken down at any time, so I learned how to install BlueStacks so I can run reliable android apps on my windows machine.

It took an hour of research and install so I missed some of the heads up action but I got it working in time.

Ensan checked a lot of top pair heads up.

Yes, I totally agree you LAPokerKush about watching and understanding how some players play. They may not be playing game theory optimal but as you say they are a part of the poker ecosystem and part of the game and if you are going to be a winning player you have to beat all types of players. Also interesting, Chicken Arise you said Ensan checked top pairs heads up. Unfortunately I couldn't watch it live, is there some way I can order it online? I have espn on demand but don't see it there.

Originally Posted by Amanda A

So there's always been a bit of a debate about whether watching the main event is actually good for your poker game. Sure, there are lots of amateurs making questionable plays, the coverage often jumps between different tables to follow the most action giving the impression people are 3 betting, 4 betting, bluffing and going all in more than happens in reality at one table, but are there some things you can learn from watching the main event on TV? What are they? I like to see people bluffing and what they look like and how they act when they do and compare it to how they look and act when they have it. I hope that will help me make better reads.

I largely watch the Main Event for entertainment and excitement. There's something really fun about watching people compete for those amounts of money who aren't used to playing for such stakes. There's an adrenaline rush that we get to share as the viewer.

I also like to watch how the pros navigate thru this tournament and how they perform under big pressure. When focusing on the right players there's definitely lots of value to be gained, and even lots to be learned to see how amateurs play under pressure.

Lots to learn about how people handle fatigue and emotion, and well... those moments of sheer pain and tears are just too good and real sometime. The human experience

Entertainment and I love to see what hands they Muck... Isn't it strange how each hand that is thrown away rarely could of won that round... Extra Sensory Perception, Intuition or just Math?

I'm amazed every time...

I watch this event as often as possible. One thing that amazes me is that playing at the final table, they stay in a pot when they have nothing but a hope and should have folded (and lose). Is it pride or a macho thing, or not wanting to lose face? Most players know how to play, but I don't think you can learn anything watching this event