Keeping Your Composure

Keeping your composure is a huge poker of MTT's and it is unlikely you win without having some. But how do you go about keeping your cool after you just had queens crack kings and people tell you, your the donkey for playing them a certain way.

I managed to walk away after this happened but I still never really got it back. I waited it out for hands but just couldn't wait long enough knowing I could have been chip leader had I not been busted and have to listen to people critique my play.

So I ask you all, how do you go about keeping your composure in a tournament so that even after taking beats you can still have a decent shot at playing properly?

here are a couple things that i do to help. hopefully at least one will help you out.

1.) disable your chat....than you wont here ppl talking to you and you can concentrate on your game.

2.) put on your favorite music....for me...i currently sit at the tables listening to the new EMINEM cd entitled relapse, however i do enjoy a variety of rap/hiphop/rock music....BUT ONLY HAPPY MUSIC....

3.) maybe you smoke? go outside and light one up and leave the table

4.) try and laugh when somebody sucks out on you, this actually helps me out the most, just laugh and turn your music up louder, dont go on tilt and be patient.

#1 is probably the best advice ever...because 99% of the people you are playing with probably don't know SH1T about poker, and having them call you a donk is like the pot calling the kettle black. And you have to just laugh sometimes, but never fight back on chat, cause sinking to their level...sucks and you usually end up sounding just as stupid as everyone else.

You're not alone my friend. I have a hard time dealing with suckouts in MTTs. It DOES suck when you have to shove with KK and someone calls with A3o. It sucks when you go all in with AA vs. JJ and they hit a jack on the river

may not be the nicest thing, but i tell em to sukit,
everyone has donked as well as been donked, and thats poker
dont like it, dont play...or at least dont cry about it (to me
turning off the chat may miss you some good text- its easy enough to ignore someone
gl all

The best advice is to turn the chat off. The people who chat the most are the ones who are just messing around trying to cause trouble instead of just playing the game. Play relaxing music to calm yourself is what i like to do.

Are you talking live poker or online. Just don't read the chat if its online, its just some person you'll never meet anyway.

Live is a bit different, I guess it just depends on the situation. Sometimes I snap back and other I just shrug it off and say guess its better to be lucky then good.


Just remember if you PO someone and dont knock them out they will prob be trying to "teach you a lesson" for sucking out on him so play him accordingly the next time you are in a pot together. In my experience they go overboard trying to bet you out of a pot.

Maybe try looking at it as an oppurtunity to work on your Poker Mindset. M.Hilger's book titled 'Poker Mindset' has alot of great stuff in it.
A couple of points that come to mind are
Leave your ego at the door
Understand and accept the realities of poker
Remove all emotion from decisions
Play for the long term

It's tough handling a suckout in an MTT but I think it's very important to move past the hand as quickly as possible and just try to re-focus 100% of your attention in the 'here & now'. Don't think of the huge loss in chips as being hard done by &/or 'if only'... & "I would've"..."I was gonna".."I should've".. etc., instead just look at your current chipstack as a tool with which you are using to try to win the game.

A few of my best finishes actually came when I was almost out of the tournament after taking a badbeat. Never would've dreamed it possible at the time but you just never know. Each hand is a new oppurtunity.
My girlfriend used to remind me of what I used to say to her.. "Anything can still happen. Never give up and don't let it affect your current decision" (another was... "You can do it. Why not?").
It has helped but I'd say this is the part of my game that still needs the most work.

Thanks alot guys. I actually am so used to watching the deck it me with AK and K on flop followed by all-ins with A on turn and of course 10, J or Q to make whoever's straight.

I laughed cause I seen it coming from a mile away but it still sickens me.

And Orifice as far as never been out until your out that's true because I was quite under average befor I went on a tear and won the ferguson.

I was reading this article at the same time playing the daily dollar tonite and pushed aa for 22000 and had 23 off suit beat me with 222 I laughed said congrats and gl thanx for starting this thread i didnot smash my mouse....... god i luv this game

Bob, you need to get some help.

You have to understand that in this game it's patience and luck, you win some, you loose some, it's part of the game.

I hardly hear music while I play, I try as focus as I can (playing and studying my opponents), but if you like to play with music, it's definitely a good idea.

I don't think disabling your chat will help, sometimes you learn from your opponents between the lines on their chat. And in live poker you just can't shut your opponents, Imagen trying to make Phil Hellmuth Shut up, lol

I just look at my bankroll and say heh I still got lots of money to play lots of tournaments

I know this won't seem helpful at all, but the more you play, the less it will hurt. After about your 600,000th bad beat, you will have a sense of numbness, and just be able to focus on the next hand.

I find multitabling also helps, since I have to move on to the next decision right away, and don't have time to dwell on one suckout.

I find when playing live, I tend to auto fold the next hand so that I don't tilt if I am effected by a bad beat.

Bad beats on a race don't tend to get to me but when I have bet sufficiently to get someone out of the pot and they just keep calling and drawing out, I tend to get a little ticked and distracted if they win on the river.

i can't really say much more than anyone else about keeping your composure....... I have have the hardest time keeping my composure, It takes alot of inner strength to take those bad beats and just let them roll off.... No matter what it's gonna happen sooner or later..

Start off every tournament having fun, just play for fun and let the chips come to you...

try to somewhat pre-occupy yourself with something small that will not completely Distract you from the game, But it helps to keep from getting in too many tight spots... you'll take less swings and you'll notice you gain way more chips than you lose..

Music does help....

But generally just play to have fun and the bad beats won't be so hard to imagine....

I wish you all the luck maintaining your composure and hope this helps you along the way.

Online I find that's it's easier in the early parts of a tourney to either play multiple games at once, or read email, surf the web, watch TV, etc. That way you don't spend every second becoming preoccupied with the bad beat. Keeps you thinking in more simple terms and not stewing over it.

I'm never surprised to see that guy who just took a bad beat tilt and go all in with junk on the next hand, and right out of the tourney.

I love when I have a strong hand after a player takes a bad beat--they are always ready to toss the rest of their chips over to me with their J 6 hahaha.

That's a super duper book. Points out very, very valuable mental skills that need to be developed. Has nothing to do with the mechanics of poker but it has everything to do with the mental aspect of poker.

Hi all,
The easiest way to keep your cool is to expect from the start for these things to happen.Also I have been doing better lately by sitting out for the first cpl of hands this lets some of the donks get busted b4 you even start.

If you can't accept the fact that you'll have bad beats,especially online, then it's time to uninstall the software. It happens. Donks will crack your aces with a 3 8 offsuit. Deal with it. Sometimes it'll be a shortstack pushing with one last breath, but mostly it's people that don't know how to play good poker. Swear at the monitor, throw stuff, do whatever you do, but don't let it affect your game or you'll be out early every tourney.

Keeping your composure is key. Try turning your chat off, if you know some1 @ the tbl that you know or usually talk to then mute only the players that you don't want to see talk. It sounds dumb but if you're really gettin' that upset by others saying things to you then that should be something you try. TBH, I've had to do it in the past. It helped me focus on playin' poker instead of seeing the chatbox move all the time. Hope this helps you w/ your composure issues. GL man

Online I get more frustrated... Probably because I am more comfortable in my house and can say whatever I want out loud.

Live I ussually don't talk at all, if I do I try to keep my topics short as I only want to focus on the game. I've played through an entire lengthy cash session before without ever saying a word..... If I get a bad beat then I ussually just talk it over in my head and take a mental note on how the guy played.

I think when you approach the game, you should try to approach it with a sort of detached focus. I know it seems paradoxical, but what I mean is that while you should be trying to win, whether you win or lose shouldn't affect your judgment and overall attitude. Remember that it's just a game.

I like it better live when I`m the donkey busting someone`s kings. I just smile and order a stiff drink and make sure I last as long as possible to annoy everyone. If they get obnoxious just be a ball buster and bust right back. When you get under someone`s skin they already have one foot out the door, so remember that applies to you too when you get beat on. People are usually more than ready to dump their stack after a bad beat so just maybe there`s a good chance to get back if you play it right. If not, hey that`s poker. If you play tourney`s then you knew the job was dangerous when you took it. Switch to cash, its more fun and in my opinion, more profitable.