Tournament Blues

[MS Sunshine]

I got the blues.

I got the PokerStars $215 tournament blues.

I've finished CLOSE to the money so much I'm considering getting a tattoo "Just outta the money Sun" on my unlucky butt.

What's really sad is that I'm playing them better and my results have been inching up. Saturday's Limit was 150 players, paying top 9. I never had any money early, but survived to last two tables, last in money though, where a mix of good cards and crap which I pushed real hard all held up.

This left me 2/13 at my high point then I played a hand with OnlineChamp, just after the limits went up, that still has me shaking my head.

Here's the hand I'm first-in raiser in the cut-off with QJo, OC raises, blinds fold. Flop Jxx, I bet out and OC calls. Oh oh, I'm in trouble, it may only be AK or AQ, but IMO over pair is being screamed into my ears.

An ace is the turn and I bet out?!? Now this bet is questionable, but you have to play it the way you feel it, but OC raises and I reraised. OC had AA. Without question the worst playing in recent memory for me. This leaves me with 15K from 35K before the hand. Without this kamikaze-like move on the turn, even paying the hand off, not the best move, I'm left with mid 20K. Easily making final table without cards. I made the bubble with some difficulty. 9th paid $1050 and first was $9000, so I pretty much shot myself in the foot here.

Now, it's not the end of the world because I might of paid $215 twice in the last year, all the rest were seats won in sats. Given all my live poker experience, but no tournament play, before last year. I'm happy with my progress in tournament strategy, but I'm close to asking the hard question.

Is it worth it?

I'm small ahead in multi-table tournys, but far behind where I would be if I spent the time playing live. Any gains from this point on in play and strategy are most likely to be hard fought ones. Tournaments are exciting and a fast growing part of the market. What did Tom Cruise say in the color of money? "If everyone is doing it that means there's alot of people doing it."

Playing live has a little kiddie emotional roller coaster, with almost the same result at the end of the month. Tournaments with large buy-ins have a sinister sky screamer emotional roller coaster quality built in. I like poker. I don't need to feel crappy about how I played one hand for days
at a time for a few big pay-offs.

I'm sorry for the rant. I'm going to go now and slash my wrists or do large amount of drugs.

Have a nice day.

MS Sunshine

[Fat Kid]

I know what you mean. I've been having an absolutely horrible month on Stars. My cash game play has been terrible and I've bubbled out of more tourneys than I care to count. I finished somewhere in the 30s for the 215. Not at all satisfying. It's months like these that give me ulcers, ugh.

[MS Sunshine]

Each time you "get things right" in tournaments you move up in where you usually finish. Right at the moment I'm trying to get a fix on the level where antes start in no-limit tournaments. $50-100 blinds and the next level is same blinds with $25 ante. By far the loosest and most ag level. I was playing it too tight. I would come in with a good stack, and with good cards leaving with an average stack. I was playing it looser for months before realizing you need to play it like a maniac.

If you are hitting the bubble then you are doing alot of things right. So, don't start changing every thing in your game plan when all you need is a little luck.

MS Sunshine

[onlinechamp]

Sorry about that beat Sunshine next time I will gladly muck my Aces! [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[Fat Kid]

I'm not quite sure I agree with you. Granted, when I play a more conservative game the results are generally more positive, however, I am usually in a position to either finish low in the money or on the bubble if I do so.

However, the players I look at who consistently bubble, and the times where I am on the bubble, can usually be attributed to very weak play. On Sunday I played a horrendously weak game, partially due to my craptacular cards, and partially due to going into full weak tight mode.

Never did my stack even reach average size, yet I was folding to preflop all ins and not moving in. Bad play on my part.

The only way to do well in tournaments if you play a weak game is to catch a huge run of cards. It's worked for me a few times, but to get the W consistently, one must be highly aggressive.

At least that's my theory. But I'm on a huge downswing so I'm either deluded or not following my own schemes. I think the latter. Thanks for listening.

[CreamPuff]

From Nov 5th, Ive played 50 PokerStars Tournies.
Mostly in the $33-$100 buy-in range (one $215 buy-in)
Net profit: $881 [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

Best finishes: 4th, 3rd, 2nd (in that order..must be getting
better).

Some things Ive learned and will apply to my next 50:
*No matter how much better I get, my win rate will never
be close to live games.
*Despite above, I will keep playing them..Maybe cuz
they're fun..maybe addictive..
*Im either better at no-limit or the players are worse.
*The majority of players aren't much better at the $215 level.
*The first 3/4 of a no-limit tourn. you should bluff
very little of your stack, as your likely to get called
until the bad players get weeded out.
*In limit:The philisophy that it's better to be super-aggressive
and bust out just out of the money vs. the occasional
1st/2nd place win just doesnt work worth a krap for me.
(during late stages, just before payout). I do much
better off just playing a ring game strategy from
start to final table...(of course adjustments are
made for shorthanded tables)

Same goes for no-limit, except I do like being aggressive
early.

A think that strategy would be much more credible in
B&M touries, as the player passiveness at this stage
is much more obvious.

Oh I also haven't won more than my buy-in or so, in my
last 18 entries..So the swings are big.

[droidboy]

Is it worth it?

In my opinion, no. The emotional price of the higher variance is not worth it. I play tournaments for fun, not for profit. I like the fact that I'm ahead in tournaments, but I would never use them as an income base.

[Daliman]

This is very disappointing to read. Often in the past I have written about tourney hands and you have given me clear, concise, and well-thought-out answers, even if I was wrong, and I have learned from them. Your explanation of your defining hand is just dumbfounding; you raise in the cutoff with QJo, get raised by a solid player(I think?), and think your hand may still be good preflop. I don't have to explain this to you, but there are about 40 or so hands that are better than QJo here, including such stunners as 22 and the hammer, K2o. You really ought to be ashamed of yourself for calling preflop, and your play that followed was more of the same. He didn't raise the flop because he was worried you may have had JJ; he raised the turn, not only because he hit, but because he also knew there was no possible hand you, a solid player, could have that had him beat. What else is he going to RR you with? Tens? Nines? think about it. You may very well be unlucky, but your play here is reprehensible. I remember relating a hand to you where I was in about top 20% in chips,raised with KK early right near the bubble for a major Pokerstars tourney, A mid position player called me, the flop came out something like QJ6 2 spades, i bet out, got raised, I reraised, and he did too.He had flopped a set of queens, and you chastised my play, not for the play so much, but for the timing, and you know what? You were absolutely right. I learned alot from that hand, and you helped ingrain a valuable lesson in my head; Keep your eyes on the prize. What does this hand matter, if it doesn't change my situation, why get involved? It's things like this that have given me a deadly tourney game as of late, making final table in 7 of 9 tourneys i have played, winning 1 for a trip to Aruba, and being within 10 of the money the other 2. Now, about the only way i lose is if someone gets lucky on me. I even folded Queens last week preflop to a reraiser, and you know what; not only was I right, (he had aces), but it wasn't that tough of a decision. I actually anticipate with relish the day i fold Kings preflop. I'm sure you have sklansky's tourney book; read (or re-read the essay on " Don't turn AQ into 72o". It's a brilliant treatise on playing the tourney game properly, where domination is everything, and passivity is for losers. Remember, tournaments are stolen, not won. One moent of weakness can ruin 3 hours of brilliance in a turn of a single card. You were trying to steal, and as soon as someone turned on the lights on you, you should have jumped back out the open window. You didn't and got booked downtown. You know better.

[lorinda]

We all have days where that "CALL" button appears to occupy at least 2/3rds of the screen and dragging the mouse to the five pixel "fold" button just doesn't seem worth the effort.

Lori

[cbass]

Fact that the tourneys can be "fun" / change of pace is huge part of their value for me. I've been lucky in the past, won the big Sunday NL one and 5-6 1st or 2nds in my first 16 tourneys (all pot or NLHE). That said I've stopped playing for last month or so cause my play in last 2 events i entered was abysmal on an MS JQ level, and I took it about as well.

Records aren't that good but only remember 1 bubbly finish, and I don't think I have more than one in the money finish finish lower than 3rd. Definately have been lucky, but I think 2 keys are getting a lot of the loose money early, playing a few extra hands vs opponents who will pay you off while you can afford too and being aggressive late. Reraising late position blind steal raises etc.

PS I guaruntee you if I told you my nick you would have me down as giant fish. 1st tourney i ever played you had raised blinds a few times in a row and i had a good sized stack reraised you all in with k7 from my small and you flipped KK. ugh nh