Super Thursday PP - The Final Chapter - Semi Long

[jdbessix]

Well I have to admit that I am a little disappointed with 4th place but really feel I didn't play that well at the final table anyway. /images/graemlins/mad.gif

I am finding that there are two factors that dictate my performance more than anything. The first is patience and the second is remaining focused.

I've watched several players from this board to try and learn the patience part. Folks like the grifter, davidross, etc. have the ability to sit and wait and wait and wait. I've seen davidross sit for what seemed to be hours with maybe T2000- T3000 in the later stages. Pick his spot with a quality hand and attack. With this being a new chapter in his playing time (tournaments I mean) his ring game ability has taught him the cards will come. There is absolutely no reason to try and win the tournament before the first break.

I feel like I am getting better at this and it seems to help if I do something else during the early stages. Last night I was playing Playstation with my son and only playing in the tournament (no multi tabling like usual). Though I probably didn't concentrate on the players enough, it helped to slow my play a little and wait for hands I felt comfortable attacking with.

The second factor is focus/concentration. Anybody that says this part is easy is full of crap. I played on the professional golf tour in the early 80's and was 1-4 in playoffs. Part of the reason was after playing 72 holes over 4 days your mind turns to mush. I'm finding the same holds true with poker. After sitting for 4-6 hours getting to the final table you have to summon that little bit of extra effort to concentrate harder and not let your game plan go away.

I made one very bad play last night at the final table which cost me any chance of placing higher. When I reached the final table I was second in chip count. Unfortunately I had the chip leader on my left and the third place player on my right. The leader had been stealing quite alot and had just lost a couple of very big pots. I now had him covered by about T25K with no larger stack left to act and it is folded to me in the SB. I raise 24K with QJs thinking I can steal, he thinks for awhile and reraises. At this point I should have run for the hills, but instead went completely brain dead and pushed. He flips AKs and neither of us helped and I was now crippled. I thought since he had just lost a couple he may be tilting and trying to steal by coming over the top. Bottom line is I put my tournament in jeopardy by not thinking the hand through before I acted. Simply put I lost my concentration for about 5 seconds and it cost me big time.

One other hand I would like some opinions on. Down to about 30-35 players I have about T20K. I get AQs in MP and raise. Player two spots away pushes all in. I put him on a smallish pair and call. Ends up he has jacks but a queen comes on the turn and I take it down. He goes nuts telling me I am a idiot for calling an all-in with AQs. I gusess it didn't help the matter that the very next hand I catch pocket AA and double up again. He starts berating my play and whining. With T20K and that many players left I thought I had to make a move and double up or get knocked out. Wrong decision?

Anyway, that's my story....Thank you to all of you that stopped by and sweated me. I really appreciated the support and truly enjoyed the journey. Until next time (soon I hope...lol) /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
Well I have to admit that I am a little disappointed with 4th place but really feel I didn't play that well at the final table anyway. /images/graemlins/mad.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I watched most of the final table and felt you played very well except for the one big mistake that you mentioned, calling the QTs. If your opponent there were shorter-stacked, it's OK. But based on the chip positions, it was a pretty bad call. Even if he's making a move there, you're quite likely to be well behind - and this guy wasn't too aggro anyway. As soon as I saw your cards there I thought "Wow. I bet he just got impatient."

I have had marginal success in tourneys for very much the same reason (usually more towards the middle of the tourney) - I stay patient and maintain a decent stack for a long time, then at some point get bored or lose focus and make some silly move.

Anyway, great performance. Just highlights how just one brief lapse in a long tournament can make a huge difference.

[davidross]

Congrats man.

One thing I am doing now late in tournaments is before I raise, deciding whether I will call a reraise or not before I make the raise. So on your QJ hand, decide if you arfe willing to play it for all your chips. If not, decide if you're willing to risk the amount of your raise to win his blind, and if not just fold, but that way you don't have to decide whether to call the all-in on the spur of the moment. I have made too many bad calls (and that was a bad call) on the spur of the moment thinking (hoping) that he was making a move on me.

THe AQ call isn't dependant on your hand, it's more dependant on his stack. If he isn't desperate I fold AQ here. But if he's down to the felt and making a move with anything, sure go ahead and call, you have him covered. I'd be most afraid of AK here.

[pokerraja]

I also watched most of the final table. I was knocked out 183rd when i slowplayed my AA and got punished for it. I thought overall you played a very good final table. I agree the QTs was a bad call. But poker is a funny game, and sometimes bad calls can win hands. So I guess what i'm trying to say is that it was not a suicide play per se. Im not sure if you watched the final hand of the tourney. But in that hand, the chip leader called an all-in after the flop with what i believe was 9 high and no pairs. anyways he catches runner runner to make a 9 high straight against his opponent who had AK. Now that was a tremendously stupid call, but he won the hand. Now your call was not nearly as bad as that, but look what happened, the worse move won! so poker is a funny game indeed.

Now your AQs call was probably also a pretty bad call. Now I would hardly ever call an all in with that hand, unless im desperate shape. At least I got to have AK, and even that is questionable. But I hardly ever win, ive only made one final table out of 100's of trys. So what do I know? I know one thing, I'm not lucky enough to win with good hands. These multi tournaments are set up in a way in which a mediocre player who has lady luck on his side can do well. Unfortuanatly lady luck is not on my side yet, but im waiting. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Congrats and enjoy the pay day.

[Jason Strasser]

You finished 4th in a big multi, you had to have done some things right. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

I didn't have the opportunity to watch or play in this event, but you have to be pleased with a 4th place finish. The QJs hand was a lapse, but we are all guilty of it. I overplayed TT when I was the final table chip leader a few weeks ago, and my potential big money finish turned into 7th place.

It happens. Good luck, you'll have more chances. (I keep telling myself that, I can't win HU in multis)

[pokerraja]

Just for accuracy, his hand in question was QTs and not QJs. Really a small recording error on his part, but still I think important enough for me to point out.

[jdbessix]

Thanks for the comments and input. Pokeraja is right it was QTs. In hindsight the only regret I have about the decision, is that you reach this point in a multi a small enough percentage of time, that when you get there you really need to be able to put on your "A" game to make the most of it.

Again thanks for the input and support last night.