Painful whine needs to get head straight.

[bigfishead]

I have been extremely frustrated for a long time in tournaments. In the last 7-8 years I have made 1 live final table in probably 200+ tournaments, and online I have made about 6 in easily as many if not much more...(my PT doesnt have 1 1/2 yrs worth). For the 3rd tournament in a row....I saw 12(not in BB for a free ride) flops in a total of 280+ hands. Knocked out with AA (naturally) and shortstacked after 87 hands and 2 flops with 99 in mid late position all-in raiseing 75-150 blinds for 650 chips to a A7 that flopped an ace. He had a big stack so I dont blame him.

But jesus christ this is frustrating. I often go fairly deep and am always the short stack. I dont call raises with AJo, baby PP's, etc unless I actually have some chips and position. Yet I see these goofballs re-raise with A3o, call with K10o, utg raise even with K10o, and consistently get there as HUGE dogs.

Mason personally gave me Davids tournament book 2 yrs ago when it first came out. I studied it intently. I saw improvement too. I have made fantastic reads on players both live and online. Only rarely taking way the worst of it, occasionally taking a little the worst of it.

I also work in the poker business and see all these new players come in and win HUGE amounts of money playing absolutely stupid in tournaments, but I cant get myself to do that.

I am a winning player in cash games. Tho recently had my ass handed to me by the ones that see 60%+ of the flops. They have seemed to have the monster hands ONLY when I do too...and their monster is bigger, meaner, and fatter than mine.

My head is totally screwed up right now. Yet I am still trying to be cool and calm and play my best. In fact I immediately signed up for another tournament after getting knocked out of the last one. Just trying to maintain my "trooper" status mentally and not give up, hard as it may be.

No I dont need any whine with my cheese. Just trying to vent my frustrations and look for some attitude adjustments I guess.

I wont be satisfied till I win one I'm sure. Funny thing is, I have had someone who owns a real business backing tournament players come to me unsolicited after he watched my play and asked me to be a part of his organization. I have accepted, but have only played 1 event so far and just got money back(live only, not online).

Thanks for letting me cry the blues.

[adanthar]

Based on your post and quoted numbers, I'm gonna go out on the thickest redwood branch in Southern California and say that you define 'steal' as someone taking your wallet.

You should probably (certainly) work on that.

[bigfishead]

actually not at all....it becomes very hard to steal when someone has raised in front of you and you have Q3o.

and I aint trying it 1st in on the cutoff with 74o. I have no problem thowin a steal out there. But I will have decent shot if played with.

[2005]

[ QUOTE ]
actually not at all....it becomes very hard to steal when someone has raised in front of you and you have Q3o.

and I aint trying it 1st in on the cutoff with 74o. I have no problem thowin a steal out there. But I will have decent shot if played with.

[/ QUOTE ]

I fail to see how either of these factors should be preventing you from stealing? Stealing has nothing to do with your cards and everything to do with your position, your stack, how tight the blinds are, and what the blinds stacks are. Incidentally, your attempt to be a "trooper" may be part of the problem. Give yourself some time off and come back refreshed and retooled. Good luck.

Gavin

[Potowame]

[ QUOTE ]


and I aint trying it 1st in on the cutoff with 74o. I have no problem thowin a steal out there. But I will have decent shot if played with.



[/ QUOTE ]


Hum, I dont get it ..

74o is just a good a hand against AQo or AKo than a hand like J9o.

If you are only raiseing hands that have high value than you are not stealing at all, you are making a value raise. I have had people smooth call my 74o trying to trap me with QQ flop comes AKX ,they Check I fire, they fold.

[Ulysses]

when in tourneys
one must play
more aggressively
to accumulate chips
else one will get
short-stacked
and knocked out

[bigfishead]

yes absolutely it has tons to do with the stack sizes, tightness of blinds, and position. I just this moment got knocked out again...88th of 560....blinded off my high point of 3k chips. What were the chip stacks directly behind me? 3 seats in a row with over 15k when blinds were only 75-150....and they went up. I know they will call with ANYTHING which leaves me to needing a 1/2 assed hand at least. hell give me a raggedy ace and I'll fire knowing I have a decent shot KNOWING they will call. Of course for the first 1000 blinded off I was ALWAYS facing raises and re-raise in front of me so there was no way I could do anything. I watch the blinds very intently. In the early rounds I was able to steal from the tight tight blinds 4-5 times...up to the 75-150 level before I was moved to face the big stacks. Trust me, I have been seen stealing with 72o even. Which really aint too hard to do when you are seen as such a tight ass.

Time off may be in order tho as you say. Just very very frustrated right now.

oh....thru the 140+ hands of thislast one I actually got a decent number of hands early...but they never amount to a decent pot of any sort. lucky me I got KK in the SB and it was a maniac table and they all freaking mucked to me. Even the small raise I put in against a large stacked BB didnt get a call suddenly. So I guess I am also really showing my frustrations of not really having a SHOT to get there for so long.

[bigfishead]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


and I aint trying it 1st in on the cutoff with 74o. I have no problem thowin a steal out there. But I will have decent shot if played with.



[/ QUOTE ]


Hum, I dont get it ..

74o is just a good a hand against AQo or AKo than a hand like J9o.

If you are only raiseing hands that have high value than you are not stealing at all, you are making a value raise. I have had people smooth call my 74o trying to trap me with QQ flop comes AKX ,they Check I fire, they fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

agreed...but not when short stacked and they arent. Am I missing something there?

[JerBear77]

Be Aggressive and knocked out much better than timid and knocked out...that's the only chance your 72o can be QQs when AKx hits the board.

[adanthar]

[ QUOTE ]

agreed...but not when short stacked and they arent. Am I missing something there?

[/ QUOTE ]

It depends on how short. Yeah, you get tourneys where you can't do anything because the guy behind you has 80 billion chips and loves bottom pair while you have no cards. That happens. Occasionally you get ones where you pick off a bluff with aces when he has T high and he catches a backdoor straight. That happens, too.

Most of the time, if I have, say, 98o and 7 BB on the button and the blinds have twice my stack, I push and don't feel the least bit bad about being called. Half the time it's by trash like A2o anyway which gives me a 45% shot, but when their tournament's at risk they fold a lot of those.

On the bubble, in many cases pushing *every* hand is +EV.