CRIPPLED EARLY IN TOURNEY

[intheflatfield]

I lose a goodly portion of my stack early (2nd hand)in a 5 table tournament. K high Flush to A High Flush. Blinds are still low. I don't catch another hand for an hour. Blinds are still reasonable, but I find myself feeling dejected and I catch A3s UTG. I bet out 1/3 of my stack (4.5XBB), folds to BB (good player) who calls (easily has 4x my stack). Flop comes Axx rainbow. BB chks - I move all in. He of course calls w/ A6 and wins w/ kicker.

I know I butchered this hand from the get go.

A - The Blinds weren't pushing yet
B - Ax (EP) Need I say more..
C - Against good player w/ big stack and no FE
D - Limped UTG for 1/3 of my stack.

I normally don't play this way, but it's like I just gave up and said F!#&*@ It. Obviously I was on tilt at the time (and I knew it) but still did it.

Any suggestions on keeping a positive mindset when crippled early on?

I understand the whole macro concept of Playing every hand for Value regardless of previous hand, or session, but obviously I wasn't able to play that way.

How do you guys deal w/ defeatism tilt?

I like this advice

http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~darse/Papers/no-limit-tnmt-primer.html

Rule 8: Treat your last few chips as though they were precious, because they are.

If your stack is so small that you do not even have enough for a decent raise of the big blind, then you actually need a slightly stronger hand to call, since you don't have that added chance of winning the hand uncontested. Now you are simply waiting for cards which you fully expect to be the best hand going in. If it doesn't come, keep waiting until the big blind forces you all-in (or close to it), and let your luck decide the issue. The mathematics of tournament poker show that your last few chips are actually worth more than each of the chips in a tall stack, so entering into a border-line situation is not in your favour. For more on
this phenomenon, the reader is again referred to Mason Malmuth's studies of tournament strategies.

[intheflatfield]

[ QUOTE ]
I like this advice

http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~darse/Papers/no-limit-tnmt-primer.html

Rule 8: Treat your last few chips as though they were precious, because they are.

If your stack is so small that you do not even have enough for a decent raise of the big blind, then you actually need a slightly stronger hand to call, since you don't have that added chance of winning the hand uncontested. Now you are simply waiting for cards which you fully expect to be the best hand going in. If it doesn't come, keep waiting until the big blind forces you all-in (or close to it), and let your luck decide the issue. The mathematics of tournament poker show that your last few chips are actually worth more than each of the chips in a tall stack, so entering into a border-line situation is not in your favour. For more on
this phenomenon, the reader is again referred to Mason Malmuth's studies of tournament strategies.

[/ QUOTE ]

Definitley good advice. I know the correct play here, but I guess I just need to be able to slow down and start thinking in strategic terms of Short Stack tourney play (of which I am well aware).

It all boils down to a lack of emotional discipline. Attitude is everything as it colors the way we perceive reality (especially at the poker table).

So even though I've made the steps to improve and become a thinking player(reading, thinking, analyzing) It has become abundantly clear that I've still got a long way to go as far as table discipline is concerned.... /images/graemlins/tongue.gif