The Poker Monk is Back

A bout with some kind of stomach ailment put The Poker Monk out of commission for a few days, while a self-imposed exile in order to regroup and study ran consecutively with his illness.

But Robert Dewberry is back in the game with a new vlog, letting his followers know that he's still alive and (somewhat) well. Unfortunately, his anxiety and panic attacks have continued, resulting in a change in his medication intake and an upcoming appointment with a new psychiatrist.

Before The Poker Monk gets his head examined by a new shrink, he posted a vlog that gave us viewers a mini-tour of his hometown, Charlottesville, Virginia. Personally, I thought the art park was very cool. I cannot, however, say the same about the peach-colored pants on display in the storefront window.

A-Game MIA

Realizing that he hasn't been playing well as of late was one of the reasons Dewberry took a break from poker. Two of his last three sessions were big losses marked by a lack of stability in bringing his best game to the table.

"I need to consistently play a fundamental, solid game," The Poker Monk said. "I can't constantly be going between my A-game and my C-game."

An examination of his pre-flop starting standards became Dewberry's focus during the pause in his play and vlog posts. That lull lasted about three weeks, plenty of time to re-boot and make some mental adjustments.

It appears that The Poker Monk may be on the right track, as he rightly stated that:

"Most of the problems you have post-flop are because of mistakes that you made pre-flop."

We are sure to find out in future vlogs if Dewberry's hiatus from poker in order to study and reflect will result in crushing the competition on his next foray to the live poker room. While a winning poker session is never guaranteed, the likelihood of coming out on top becomes greater after stepping back and studying the parts of your game in which you may have lost confidence.