Dealing with nervousness in tournaments

#1 10-28-2005, 06:12 AM

I'm currently 1st of 18 in a fairly large (850 player) tournament. My hands are clammy, i'm breathing hard, and am generally nervous. I'm sure this will pass with time, but the first place prize ($650) kinda dwarfs anything else i've won thus far.

I realise this might sound silly to some of you seasoned pros, but is there any way of overcoming the stress of playing deep in tournaments?

PrtyPsux · #2 10-28-2005, 06:21 AM

It'll decrease with time.. but you'll still get nervous even after 1000 final tables. (not that ive made 1k final tables, but Ive made a quite a few and I still get the butterflies in my stomache.) Try to stay focused on poker and not on the prize or the players that are left, because nerves can definately screw ur game up.

maybe listening to music might help. it does for me. GL

#3 10-28-2005, 06:23 AM

I'm feeling great, catching some nice cards and still in first place.

May as well turn this into a sweat thread (i know i am!)

oznol on PS, $3 buyin tourn 14116156

#4 10-28-2005, 06:36 AM

Just logged on to Stars to check in on you. Good luck!

#5 10-28-2005, 06:47 AM

ouch. 99 > TT

#6 10-28-2005, 06:55 AM

what did you have on th 7 3 5 10 board when you came over the top of cmurder ??

(back in cl nice!)

#7 10-28-2005, 06:59 AM

Lets just hope he's not a 2+2er....

I had nothing at all. He does some predictable things and I was fairly sure I could push him off his hand.

#8 10-28-2005, 07:01 AM

it smelled like a possible straight draw ?

curtains · #9 10-28-2005, 07:01 AM

It's okay to be nervous as long as you can still do the right thing. It's happened to me, but it doesn't really affect my play.

#10 10-28-2005, 07:08 AM

this is hard.. losing coinflips, great hands whiffing flops, losing ground fast.

i'm going to be gutted if i bust soon.