Frustrated

[k8s]

In my last 4 tourneys, I've been busted when I've held AA, KK, AKs, and KK. All of these ITM and pretty high stacked, including today, when I was 5/500 in a 10 freezeout(semi-turbo, 10 min lvls), and stayed in the top 10 all the way until I was busted with KK vs AKs all in preflop at 15th.

I realize that in the end, it all evens out and you can't have bad luck forever, and I know that, but right now it's dissapointing to lose on bad beats almost every time. I feel like I am playing very good poker, especially today, all for nothing.

Just a little rant to hopefully clear my system.

Think about it this way:
if you keep playing well, the tourneys will take care of themselves
just focus on decisions not results

[k8s]

Yeah, I'm focusing on them, but it's dissapointing when you're close to $1k+ and then go out on a bad beat. I just had to release this before I went tilty.

[Demiparadigm]

I feel better losing to a bad beat than when I call drawing dead...
just something to think about.

[TanO]

It'll be more obvious to you that it's happening in multi's, because you can make 30 correct plays and then get kicked in the junk by a lucky man, but still in any multi I'm sure there are points along the way where you're the one catching to get lucky, it's the nature of MTT's.

Oh, and never think about how much you'll get for 1st place

[MNMP2]

The other night, I had my KK busted twice by bad beats (not AA or AK). Left me with chips each time, and after a few steals I was back to a medium stack each time.

Then with 19 players left, I had my 44 beat KK all in with a river 4, and a few hands later, my 99 beat AA all in with a 9 on the river.

What goes around comes around eventually.

[Sed]

shit happens, roll with it....

Successful MTT play is about making as many as possible correct moves and then getting lucky as hell a few times, either by catching some monsters late in the game and getting payed off or by cracking a better hand to stay alive and make it to the final table.

Skills get you to the point that you can get lucky and make the big money. Luck of the cards and pure aggression is what helps you survive the rising blinds and forced action as the final table nears.

- sed

[drmcboy]

^^^ Someone sticky THAT.

[Hubris1]

Oh, and never think about how much you'll get for 1st place

That should be the only thing you think about in an MTT, whether when you enter it, partway through, ITM or final table.

[Sed]

In the last 13 mtts (1K+ people) I've played I have made it through 90%+ of the field in 5 of them but just hit the wall once I got to the last 50 or so players (Busted 11,33,59,55 and 67)... Those tourneys weren't meant to be mine but if I keep giving myself the opportunity by playing strong and avoiding bad moves, the next one will be.

MTT play is all about the attitude. Every day I play I tell myself that "today will be a 3K+ day" and I work to get myself in the position to make that true. Avoid tilt, play your best and the wins will come.

Everyone takes bad beats in these things. Just last night I dropped 3/4 of my stack on two hands with a flopped top set and a flopped strt vs. two gutshot strt draws which BOTH rivered after putting them all in on the turn. I was sitting in the top 30 in chips prior to that with ~200 people left... So, what did I do? I laughed and checked out my hands in the other three tourneys I was playing in (two of which I ended up going deep). Tilt is not an option when you are playing MTTs.

MTTs are a strange beast because a single wrong move by you or an opponent can make your potential return drop from thousands of dollars to nothing. It is much harder to mentally justify and overcome a bad beat in a MTT by saying that you'll make the money off him in the long run because that is simply not possible. You'll probably never run into that guy again and a final table beat could mean the difference between $500 and $5K (which is a hard situation to come across for the stats to even out). But, you have to learn to deal with luck and bad beats if you want to become a strong MTT player. Like said before, focus on making the right play, not the results of that play...

Successful MTT players have learned to accept that the luck factor in large tourneys is much higher than a ring game where you can repeatedly pound a weak luckbox player with big cards and take his money in the long run. Realize that luck is not your enemy, but your friend, because you will no doubt need it to win.

Sorry for the rambling ...

- sed

[k8s]

I'll treat luck as my friend when it starts running my way.

Thanks for the help, guys. The last tourney I was in, I survived losing to a lot of bad beats/coinflips by being very agressive. I'll just keep trying that, and hopefully I'll be at final tables instead of ranting here again.

Oh, and never think about how much you'll get for 1st place

That's all I think about. Well, I think about the top 3, usually. I'm dissapointed with a $100 win, when my goal is the top 3 at least.[/i]

[Chicago_Kid]

Sorry for the rambling ...- sed

Your incessant ramblings are spot on...

[TanO]

Quote:

Oh, and never think about how much you'll get for 1st place


That's all I think about. Well, I think about the top 3, usually. I'm dissapointed with a $100 win, when my goal is the top 3 at least.[/i]

I didnt explain that very clearly what I meant was I always think about winning the game, not how much money I'll get if I win. I find thinking things like "this will be the most I've ever won if I finish 1st" make me play differently so I try not to think about how much money is on the line[/quote]

[TanO]

Quote:

Oh, and never think about how much you'll get for 1st place


That's all I think about. Well, I think about the top 3, usually. I'm dissapointed with a $100 win, when my goal is the top 3 at least.[/i]

I didnt explain that very clearly what I meant was I always think about winning the game, not how much money I'll get if I win. I find thinking things like "this will be the most I've ever won if I finish 1st" make me play differently so I try not to think about how much money is on the line

[WhooFleuryScores]

I'm dissapointed with a $100 win

Dude I would kill to always insure that I win $100 in any SNG or MTT or ring game for that matter.

But yeah I def admit MTT are about making the correct/best decision long term.Even if the fish do spank you every now and then.