Easy trick to cultivate a winning attitude

Jacki Burkhart

Jacki Burkhart

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I have stumbled across this mostly by accident but finally realized that I am consistently doing this for several months now.

In online poker MTTs, when I look at the leaderboard in the tournament lobby I ONLY look at the top of the leaderboard. This didn't used to be the case. I used to look at the bottom, middle or wherever I was at....now I just focus on the top...

subtle little shift that has really helped me to "keep my eye on the prize"
 
Jblocher1

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I very much so dislike ever looking at leaderboards at all when in MTT's. Sometimes position in the tournament can skew ur decision making process.

For example lets say we are 1 hour into a tourney with 15 min blinds... We have 40BB but the average stack is 60BB . "Oh damn I'm falling behind!"

*proceeds to try to steal blinds more often than he should to catch up*

The key is not to know what the tourney average is because ultimately, the tourney average does not matter at all. Knowing it can skew ur decision making process. By only looking at the game in terms of ur stack in comparison to the blinds it makes it easier to play your true game without any outside interference.

"But what if I fall behind?"

The answers simple.... Continue to play your game and don't allow this fact to influence ur thought process. All that matters in the end.... Is that you still have your seat in the tourney. The game is the same regardless of whether or not u know what the leaders have or what the average is. Knowing these stats such as average can and has caused me unnecessary spew in tourneys, and so I recommend not knowing the average or the stacks of the top players
 
Jacki Burkhart

Jacki Burkhart

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that's a good philosophy.

I guess what I'm talking about is that I made a shift in my game from looking at the bottom of the leaderboard to the top.

I can see how it would be better to not look at all...it's just not the way I roll!

:)
 
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...

By only looking at the game in terms of ur stack in comparison to the blinds it makes it easier to play your true game without any outside interference.

...

This is good advice and might get missed being in the middle of the post.
Stack size to blinds is the most useful parameter to keep an eye on.
 
eidikos

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some times you have to be very patient to get some chips.this trick could make you more aggressive than you have to be and risk your stack with the wrong hands .very few times the chip leader early in the tournament get the first place of the mtt
 
S3mper

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I don't know what either of you are talking about.. whenever I look at the leaderboards I am at the top.. So it never changes my game =)
 
Jblocher1

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I don't know what either of you are talking about.. whenever I look at the leaderboards I am at the top.. So it never changes my game =)


Ur on top of the leaderboard about as often as ur on top of ur non existent girlfriend.... So in other words....... Never ;)
 
S3mper

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That's just cause she likes to be on top
 
Jblocher1

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Whatever u need to tell urself bud lol ;)
 
DonV73

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I have stumbled across this mostly by accident but finally realized that I am consistently doing this for several months now.

In online poker MTTs, when I look at the leaderboard in the tournament lobby I ONLY look at the top of the leaderboard. This didn't used to be the case. I used to look at the bottom, middle or wherever I was at....now I just focus on the top...

subtle little shift that has really helped me to "keep my eye on the prize"

Works for me also although it slightly different. I used to focus on the bottom of the prize money list and then move up when I moved up too. Now I just let it show the top all the time. I have been doing that for a year or so now, and it just helps me put me in a different mind set so I can focus more on what is important in MTT's : get into that top 3.

I guess things like this doesn't work for everyone, but it is good if you know for yourself it works for you, so you can built a "confidence support system" around yourself.

Having the right mindset is very important in poker.
 
babydrago9

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I used to always do this and still do sometimes, the reason I tried to stop is because I always wanted to be 1st and so to get enough chips to be 1st. But this always made me do stupid decisions because I thought that a decent position I actually was in was bad. I now just don't particularly pay attention, I pretend its a live tourney where you can't see the leaderboards
 
Jacki Burkhart

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Works for me also although it slightly different. I used to focus on the bottom of the prize money list and then move up when I moved up too. Now I just let it show the top all the time. I have been doing that for a year or so now, and it just helps me put me in a different mind set so I can focus more on what is important in MTT's : get into that top 3.

I guess things like this doesn't work for everyone, but it is good if you know for yourself it works for you, so you can built a "confidence support system" around yourself.

Having the right mindset is very important in poker.

Don gets where I'm coming from. This is basically all I mean. Training your mindset to think like a winner, not merely a survivor.
 
Propane Goat

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I don't know what either of you are talking about.. whenever I look at the leaderboards I am at the top.. So it never changes my game =)

Turn your computer back to right side up.:D

I used to get all bent out of shape looking at freeroll MTT leaderboards until I realized that the ones who build up big stacks early are usually the ones who have been shoving every hand and got lucky a few times in a row. Nowadays usually the only thing I look at the board for is to see how many are remaining.
 
skiptomyloot

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i have always focused at keeping my eye at the top of the leaderboard in tourneys. usually at times i always have my name highlighted to keep track of where i am in a tourney. also it makes it easy to see how many chips i need to see where i can jump or fall depending on blind levels and players left in the game.
 
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Im NEVER in the top!!!! But Im just beggining... Wait for me! :) :)
 
MediaBLITZ

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The only time I am interested in the leader board is at the final table, and that's only because you should be paying attention to stack sizes at any table you're at. Attention given to things outside of your table (and things outside of your control) are at the very least a distraction and out of your control - meaning its pretty counter-productive. Trivial at best.

I do get the evolution of a tournament player's thoughts on goals though:

"Yay, I made it past the break."
"Yay, I made it to the final table."
"Yay, I made it in the money."
"Yay, I WON IT!."
"Damn it! I didn't win it. FAIL"


But it's good that you made the evolution from eye balling the bottom of the cash field to the top. I hope that is saying you are now more interested in winning than just cashing and if this is working to cement that mindset it's a good thing. But the key word is "cultivate", meaning it's a process. The next step will be to have a "meh" attitude about the leader board and use every bit of focus and energy to dominate your table. Accomplish that and you are on top of the leader board anyway with everyone else looking up.
 
S3mper

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^^^ I think you forgot two milestones

"Yay, I wasn't the first one out"
"Yay I didn't bubble"
"Damn, I bubbled"
 
MediaBLITZ

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^^^ I think you forgot two milestones

"Yay, I wasn't the first one out"
"Yay I didn't bubble"
"Damn, I bubbled"

LOL - actually I had quite a few more on that list before I posted it.
"Damnit, I didn't win"
"Damnit, I didn't final table"
"Damnit, I didn't cash"
etc

Saved some room for you.
 
Propane Goat

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LOL - actually I had quite a few more on that list before I posted it.
"Damnit, I didn't win"
"Damnit, I didn't final table"
"Damnit, I didn't cash"
etc

Saved some room for you.

What about the most basic one of all?

"Damnit, I forget to register in time"

:D
 
Leo 50

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I try to not to look at the leaderboard unless I am on a break and even then just to see
where the tourney is at.
 
tothbopo

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Don gets where I'm coming from. This is basically all I mean. Training your mindset to think like a winner, not merely a survivor.

I know exactly what you mean and I have gone trough the same.

Few months ago I always keept an eye on leaderboard focusing only on getting in the money.

Now its more to locate stackleaders and main focus is for the first couple of hours to keep a certain numbers of bb. Because now I am not only going for the the money I wanna win.
 
W

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I have stumbled across this mostly by accident but finally realized that I am consistently doing this for several months now.

In online poker MTTs, when I look at the leaderboard in the tournament lobby I ONLY look at the top of the leaderboard. This didn't used to be the case. I used to look at the bottom, middle or wherever I was at....now I just focus on the top...

subtle little shift that has really helped me to "keep my eye on the prize"

I have never really thought about it this way.. You bring up a very interesting point. I think I will be employing this method from here on out.. It could be just what I need.. I find myself occasionally scouring the leaderboard, and being a believer in the law of attraction, this could be what is bringing on earlier exits than I would like sometimes.. I hope to report back shortly with some success using this method.:D
 
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