Advice on internet play

I have stated playing internet NLH tournaments at Poker Stars. I have played in 5 with buy ins of 10 or 20. There are generally 600-1200 people playing. In each tournament I have built up my stack so that I am in the top 50 each time but have never finished in the money. The last three times I have been sucked out on and beat on the river when I have made to correct play. I know I have only played in a few so far but is it worth it to continue playing. I have played lots of B&M tournaments but with smaller fields (about 100-200) and done well. I am confident in my skill against most of these players and feel that I should be doing better. Are these types of tournaments just a crap shoot? Do any of you skilled 2+2ers have any suggestions for adjusting my play to a larger field/internet field?

[rockythecat99]

Post the hands you busted out in. This post is too vague.

[Superfluous Man]

My advice is to get a bigger sample size. 5 tournaments ain't shit.

[Yahweh]

I've played in 50-60 of them at Stars and just like any other large touney you are running the gantlet to the final table. I've made a few final tables. The key is to not make mistakes and play ultra tight and hope the cards fall in your favor. Daniel N. says you will bust out of 75% of all the touneys you enter(no money). Concentrate on the touney(Zen like) and not your surroundings at home. Hopefully Lady luck will reward you for your good decisions.

To an internet donkey every tournament is a crap shoot - they plop down their blind on 70% of all their hands and hope to hit a miracle... never raising or betting out their own hands and calling with garbage consistently. Sometimes they hit, but often times they miss completely. When playing against these types of players you bluff less often and bet your good hands for value more often. Deception loses some of its value against a player that calls every bet regardless or their hand or their chances of having the best hand at showdown. When you get into the later stages you'll find a good mix of good and bad players still in it.

Out of 1000 people you have, generally speaking, a 0.1% chance of winning if all things are equal. If your skill is far superior the rest of the field your chances may go up, but not to a point where you will win 1/5 tournaments - or even make the FT that frequently. Keep playing your best game and you'll go deep at some point.

If you consider yourself a winning player, then yes it is definitely worthwhile to continue playing. As others said, play some more tournaments and get a larger sample size before you make any judgements. Some of the best players on this forum lose 5 tournaments or more on a daily basis but their wins more than make up for those losses.

[MeanGreenTT]

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The key is to not make mistakes and play ultra tight and hope the cards fall in your favor.

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uhhhh, wow!

[PFrese]

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I've played in 50-60 of them at Stars and just like any other large touney you are running the gantlet to the final table. I've made a few final tables. The key is to not make mistakes and play ultra tight and hope the cards fall in your favor. Daniel N. says you will bust out of 75% of all the touneys you enter(no money). Concentrate on the touney(Zen like) and not your surroundings at home. Hopefully Lady luck will reward you for your good decisions.

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Please do the exact opposite of the above... Geez, where do you come up with this stuff yaweh...?

5 tournaments is a little bit to small. You seem to be doing good but getting sucked out on as you say but you will not always be sucked out on so in time, you will make it far into a tournament. I wouldn't worry to much about 5 tourneys.

Play 50+ and go through them all and post interesting hands and you will find out if you are just unlucky or if you have a leak in your game but as said, 5 is too small.

[Cactus Jack]

I'm probably going to catch a lot of flack for this, but...

I believe that even if you're a very good player, to go deep, you have to be lucky three times. No one can do very well--whatever that means to each--without getting lucky. Too many variables. Too easy to make mistakes. Too many donkeys.

As long as you're in the top two or three players at your table, you have a good edge. If you play well post-flop, you have a bigger edge. If you have reading skills, even a bigger edge. Combine those skills with good luck when you need it, you'll go far. Bad luck, and you're on the rail. Just that simple.

Sucks, but that's why so many fish play the game. The more you play, the better you get, and the more you learn. 5 just gets you hooked.

Good luck.

CJ

I have no clue why you'd catch flack for that one, CJ. Most pros agree, and state openly, that you must get lucky and win at least a few coinflips in order to make a final table. Luck is definitely a part of poker, just not the most important one.