[Blarg]

I've just started something to help me feel better about bad runs, although it might actually infuriate some people to try it. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I make a manual record of each tourney -- time, place, etc., and I've started to put a little asterisk beside the ones I got sucked out on, along with what I had, as in, *AK. I also note when I had a good hand that ran into a monster, which I note with an "at" sign, as in, @JJ.

When I see myself getting more out of the money than I feel I should, it's reassuring to see, say, that out of eight games, I got sucked out on four times while holding damn good cards, and twice had good cards that ran into unexpected monsters. That keeps me from imagining my play as any worse than it really is, and reminds me that, if given the chance, I'd be more than happy to play AA or KK just as hard next time as the three times in the last two hours I got thrown out on my ass for daring to not fold it preflop. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

I feel much worse when I have to wonder how much to blame I really am for my results, instead of actually knowing. It's helped me feel better about having so many second places lately to see my records of getting sucked out on them so many times. Knowing when NOT to take the blame can be as helpful and valuable for me as knowing when to take it.