I Rhink I'm Starting to get This

I've had a pretty interesting couple of weeks, pokerwise. It all started with the Cardschat $5 at Ultimatebet, where I came in 2nd. Couple of nights later, made the final table at PS $2 MTT- finished 5th out of 1453. Over last weekend, I made the final table at the APAT event, 9th and 1 ranking point. The next day, came 4th at the WAPT event where Bearyian went out on the bubble. The following night, made another final table in the 10p PS $2 MTT, got knocked out after hittin Broadway on the flop and getting sucked out and finished 9th out of something over 1600 players. I feel I'm beginning to perfect my tournament strategy a little, and tips from all you Cardschatters have feally helped. Thanks.

That's a lot of final tablin'! Keep up the good work!

Keep up the good card playing. Are you thinking about advancing to the next level of play?

Congratz on making all of those final tables, that's gotta feel good.

Now at the risk of sounding jealous and bitter heh heh heh this is my experiance take heed if it applys to you, if not no worries.

Study what you've done, how much was luck and how much was consistant skill, good reads and strategic betting that worked for you. Were you catching cards and on a good run or getting average cards and doing well, or getting cold decked but catching what you needed to get through?

Only you know be honest with yourself, know what worked, what didn't and strive to continue with the consitancy.

When I've had a good run I sometimes will let my ego get the best of me and suffer for it at the tables. "Don't you know who I am! I've won five final tables in less than a week! You can't possibly beat me!"

It's a horrible admission but it's an honest one and one I think that is quite human which any of us can fall into. I watch for this carefully in myself anymore ... poker can be a humbling experiance for an overconfident ego.

Don't want to shake your confidence, that many final table in a short time span is awesome.... Congratz again. I hope you keep it going ...you asked for advice and that's mine..... Study and know why you won, learn how to stay consistant and check that ego.

I keep myself pretty well reined in. For about the last 18 months, I've been hitting the Low buyin($1-5) MTTs on a fairly reg'lar basis. I've tried to keep Tom McEvoy's rule in mind- win consistently at your current level before moving up. Slowly, I've started to branch out into bigger buyins, picking my spots, trying to play against better competition without seriously denting my BR. WAPT tourneys are $10 buyins usually only paying out 3-5 places, and I've now cashed enough times for small profits to cover what I'e payed into them. I've played 2 APAT tourneys ($20 buyin) and my ninth place last time out makes me just better than even. Just tonight, I entered a $25-2.50 MTT on PS; cashed for 42 bucks and change. As long as moving up in competition levels doesn't cost me a lot, I will selectively keep doing so, but I'm still basically a low stakes tournament player. I figure if I keep playing a minimum of a couple thousand tourney hands a week, I'm learning my craft, and showing a small profit. Besides, being on SSA disability, I don't have a lot else to do most of the time, and my wife is TOTALLY supportive of my efforts. At no time have I ever deprived me and mine of anything in order to have poker money, thats just not my nature.

Now, if I could just show well in some Cardschat tournies at PS!

Whew, that's more gabbin' than I've ever done here!