All tournament players

[wray]

I have played in about 75-100 tournaments ,mostly in Tunica. I'm proud of my recent success but still have a lot to learn and need some advice.

I was curious how you prepare mentaly for a tournament. Do you think about "small ball" or is your intent to be agressive initially. I realize that different people play different ways. Do you tell yourself that you want to get a read on most of the players before you decide how you're going to play? I would say I'm a little bit better than the acerage player when I play in casino tournaments but in most home game tourneys I feel far superior to the others.

How would you approach a tournament where you thought you were a little better than the average?

How about if you thought you were much better than the average?

I also understand that there would be a difference on if it was a 10,000 dollar entry vs 50 dollar entry. When I guage my game I think I'm being realistic based on the amount of time I've been playing and by my success (or lack of). So I don't lack confidence. I feel when I sit down at a tournament at a casino that if I play the way I know I can that I will have success.

Sorry for rambling on but I was hoping to get some good advice.

[Pokrok]

I've played in the World Series twice and have played in over 200 tournements in my short existance. I am always at my best relaxing the day before a big event, usually reading a book or watching cartoons. (Yeah, I'm a kid at heart [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]) For me personally I try not to think about poker the day before. On the day of the tournament the best advice I can give is to be fluid. Don't get stuck telling yourself you are going to do this or that specifically against certain types of opponents. You have to be willing to change gears more then once for the longer events if the situation dictates. I know this has been said before but whether you think you are the best at your table, or even the best player in the tournament the deck and players OWE YOU NOTHING. People will always tell you to check your ego at the door but that isn't entirely true. Bring your ego and dump it off on someone else at the table [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Tell them they are an amazing player, that they played a hand better then you have ever seen, that you are learning alot by watching a "better" player then yourself.

I wanted to add a story here that I hope illustrates why I have tried to take this attitude in every tournament I have played in since 97. I used to play 5/10 at the Taj in late 97. My record was very good for the six month span I was doing this but so was my ego. I was busting up the game something fierce and people would always tell me I was something special, that I was a force to be reckoned with. Well, with my ego and "endless" poker knoweledge I decided to take the next step and move up to 30/60. That's right. 30/60 leap from 5/10 cause I was that good. I was playing in the game for about four hours "holding my own" when this chump sat down. He was all ragged and he kept rambling on to himself about stuff I couldn't hear. I told myself that this guy was my mark and would take him for all he was worth. Well, after about six hours I was only down $2,100 but I was feeling good. People were getting lucky against me. That bum who had sat down two hours ago had close to a $1000 from me personally and he was the luckiest of the bunch. I'm going to stop here cause I think you, the reader, might know where this is headed. That night I suffered my worst loss ever in poker. I am not going to go into details on how much but I crippled my bankroll that night and stepped away from cards for six months thereafter. I was the worst player at that table but my ego and poker knoweledge didn't let me see it. I was making horrible plays, plays that would work on 5/10 but get busted up on the 30/60. People were moving to MY table to play against me specifically cause I was the fish. And that bum who sat down at my table who was my mark? You've seen him on television, goes by the name of Phil Hellmuth [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img] I hope what I have written here helps in some form. Thank you for reading and take care /waves

[wray]

It does help. Thanks for the thorough response. The main reason I brought it up was I was going to play in a small home game of only 25 people on Saturday. Being realistic I really thought I would be the best player there. Well I thought I mixed up my game fairly well but couldn't catch a card for the first couple hours. I told myself to stay confident and play the way I knew I could. I ended up winning the tournament. Now I've probably played better and not placed in the money. On this one I was most proud of when it got to heads up. He had me at over a 10-1 advantage and I slowly got him.

Now I'm not foolish enough to think I'm something special. I also know I'm not terrible either. I've won a couple tourneys at casinos and hope to make my first big tournament at the WPO in Tunica in January.

Once again thanks for taking the time to help me out.
Robert