I'm in the money, so time to play stupid.

Ok, I am kind of a phantom user; I usually just read posts. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] But I actually have a question.

First, I would call myself a very good beginner. I've only been playing for a few months, started with a bankroll of $50, and from playing $1 SNG's and a third place in a $1 tourney w/ 1200 players, now have $250. I play exclusively on PokerStars. Anyway, I have started playing $5 and $10 SNG's, but noticed a $20 SNG with 180 players a few nights ago. I was feeling confident and I had the extra time required to play, so I took the calculated risk. I played very well; I was in the zone and picking off bluffs left and right and catching a few cards too. I made it in the money (top 18 paid) and continued to play well and was 3rd in chips once I made the final table. At this point emotionally I was quite happy that I would receive $60 for 9th place, but also felt that if I didn't play stupid I could get at least 5th. Winning was also on my mind, but I was trying to focus on playing. Very early in the final table play, I picked up a hand in the BB, and basically went stupid with it. The actual details of the hand are not important because I was able to analyze my play as a series of bad decisions, but the result was I dropped from 40K in chips to 2K. If I had slowed down my decision making process, I would have folded on the turn and been down to about 30K. As it was, I busted out 9th a few hands later.

I say all of that to say this: After analysis of that hand, I realized I made poor rushed decisions because I had become comfortable that I had actually made some money. How can you keep this "I achieved my goal" attitude from happening? Does anyone have any "mental tricks" to keep yourself focused on making good decisions? I realize this will be answered differently for everyone, I'm just looking for some suggestions.

Thanks

Gross

[LearnedfromTV]

Bust out this way enough and making the money won't feel like reaching your goal any more.

[Sam T.]

I think it's just something that will come with time. Your goals will change as you get better. While we all talk about "playing for the win", it's probably not the best advice to give to a beginner who has never seen a bubble in his or her life. There was a post a few months ago in which someone Potowame, I think, laid into the people who justified horrible decisions by saying, "I only wanted first." (Two all-ins in front of me, and hero has ATo, and calls. I knew if I won the hand I'd be in a good position for first.) The point is that when you start playing it is probably healthy to set goals OTHER than winning every tournament you enter.

My point is that the next time you get to a final table, you won't be satisfied, and your immune system will be able to fight off this case of Moronitis.

So don't sweat it. As REM put it, "Everybody donks...sometime."

[LearnedfromTV]

I'll elaborate a bit. When you first start doing well in tournaments, that is, playing well enough that you are a theoretical "winning player," it still takes a few tournaments, on average, before you make the money.

The first time you make the money you may feel like you are freerolling at a big prize because you've already got your buyin back and then some. The problem with this mindset is that you aren't really freerolling because it takes a lot of failed attempts to get to the point that you're at. If you never get over the hump and win or place top three, you're wasting all of the early bustouts and bubbleouts and low $ finishes, because all of those are just the dues you have to pay to get the big prize. But until you've gone through a lot of those failed attempts, you don't understand that.

In a very real way, you can think about your "just in the money" finishes as your worst results, especially if you get to the money with a healthy stack, because the nature of the game is that you don't often get to the money with a healthy stack. You owe it to the rest of your tournaments to use the opportunity when you get close.

My two most frustrating results are big $ 2nds, because I 'earned' a freeroll at a big heads up match with a ton of other failed tournaments and didn't get the job done when I got the rare opportunity.

[TakenItEasy]

You should have more than one goal in mind for MTTs. There are usually several points in the tournament where there are larger gaps in the payout. Look for these and set your goals more like stepping stones to first place.

On the otherhand. Don't be too rigid in your goals. You shouldn't pass on good opportunities because you are too goal oriented.

Finally, try to identify those trying to make it past the next bubble and those who set their sites on first place. It should impact how you play against them.

[pokerstudAA]

Do not worry about making the money or not. There are some marginal bubble situations where money is a factor to consider but in general play to win the whole thing. Play that way the entire tournament. Making the money is just an added bonus.

Make it your priority to play for 1st the entire tournament. The money will come...

[LearnedfromTV]

[ QUOTE ]
Do not worry about making the money or not. There are some marginal bubble situations where money is a factor to consider but in general play to win the whole thing. Play that way the entire tournament. Making the money is just an added bonus.

Make it your priority to play for 1st the entire tournament. The money will come...

[/ QUOTE ]

This is good. Psychologically, your goal should be to not care about bubbling. Or rather, to care because you missed an opportunity to win, not because the difference between $0 and $x matters to you This is a good sign, by the way, that you are playing at the right level.

[People_Mover]

set the goal to win every time.

i would set my goals a little bit lower. I don't want to bust out at the bubble, i would prefer to bust out right before the bubble, so at least I can say that i wasnt bubbled.

Perhaps this is just a money level problem after all. In the 1200 person $1 tourney, I was IN THE ZONE. I made 3rd after getting all-in with the best of it, but getting outdrawn. I really thought I was gonna win that one. But when $1 only represents about 1% of your bankroll versus the $20 buy-in representing 10% (at the time) of my bankroll, I guess my mind shut down since I was excited that I was increasing my bankroll 33%. I would have thought the motivation of increasing my bankroll 900% would be enough but maybe not. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Guess I need to go back to my slow and steady methods. Those've worked out fine so far.

Gross