How many times in the top 20 before u made a final table.

[steelcmg]

I Like to play in tournaments from time to time i usally play nothing more then 5$ buy in. I play either NL, Limit, or Omaha i have made it down to about 20 people left to go now about 10 times. But i always seem to fall just short of the final table. I usually find my self going all in with a big PP and losing to a smaller one or just getting really unlucky and losing with quad Qs to quad Ks in Omaha. Atleast about 7 of these times the person who i end up doubling up goes on to win the whole tourney so atleast my chips are going to someone elses good use. I know that its just a matter of time before im able to break out and win one of these things. Im tempted to just sit back sometime and not play anything just to make it to a final table and see what happens there. Im wondering how many times it took most of u to finally win after making it this far so often and feeling almost like it was a waste of time for the little pay out.

[locutus2002]

I play small T10,000 chip tournaments with fields from 25-100. You will make many final tables in this format. The payout isn't so good, but the frequency is much higher.

[Isura]

You're problem might be that you're letting yourself get short-stacked early around the bubble, and then you end up in a coinflip situation near the final table. Probably gamble more early when you have an edge, and try steal small pots to maintain a good stack. This takes a lot of experience and practice, but it's really the only way to keep a good stack when the deck is running cold.

[Isura]

[ QUOTE ]
I play small T10,000 chip tournaments with fields from 25-100. You will make many final tables in this format. The payout isn't so good, but the frequency is much higher.

[/ QUOTE ]

Where do you find these small 10,000 chip tournaments? Live I assume?

[locutus2002]

Bugsysclub.com

If you are getting to the final 20 with an average stack then you should be making the final table 50% of the time. If you're barely folding your way into the final 20, then you are much further away from the final table.

[steelcmg]

When i first started playin in tourneys yes i did fold alot and didnt try to steal but recently i started taking advantage of all the people who r there just to sneek into the money and i try to steal alot of pots i guess im kinda in a push or fold mode.
I felt the other day in an UB tourney i played my best game but i just got unluckly. I had 45,000 in chips with about 18 to go and had AK on the button and raised the pot to get the blinds i think they where 1000 2000 but BB pushed with 13000 in chips. I called and he had 55 i lost that pot. Then with about 13 left i had 21000 in chips and blinds where 2,000 4000 and i had JJ the pot was raised to 8000 and i was in SB and i pushed and got called by KK. I kinda had a feeling that i was in trouble on the last hand but i was in 12th place so i took a chance. When i was delt AK i was in 5th place i figured it was a coinflip but with him only having 13000 i had to call.
Overall im starting to like this style of play much better im not worried about putting all my chips in like i use to be when i first started.

[People_Mover]

I've been playing for a year or so. I have 4 or 5 2nd table finishes and most recently 2 FTs

[flopquints]

around 30-40 people left, i focus on stealing blinds, and always remember that my goal is to make the final table, so i make decisions to that end. getting some good hands and flopping trips in the big blind always helps. Seriosuly, when it gets down to two tables, i try to figure out how many chips i will need to be at FT and compete for the win, and I just try to make it happen.

[PokerGoblin]

It is only once you get to the final table that finishing higher becomes paramount. Usually, the payouts go in increments of 10 places, so finishing 11th is the same as finishing 20th.

That being said, theres nothing really special about blinding your way to the final table just to say that you got there. You are better off taking risks that may cripple you or eliminate you, when the reward is a better chip position to possibly go far into the money. Generally, 10th place doesn't pay much more than 11th place anyhow.

To answer your question, I really don't know how many times it took before I broke through. I do know that tournaments are kind of like babysteps, it used to be a big deal to make it in the money, then I became more concerned with just finishing as high as possible, then I slowly developed a strategy that takes survival, chip accumulation and advancement all into account. I've had several results where I took a risk and lost where I could have placed higher had I played more weak tight. My general philosophy is, I didn't sit here for 3 hours just to win a few bucks, especially cause once you get there the real money is within reach.

Probably 10 to 15 top 20 finishes before I finally broke though, if I had to guess.

PG