found an old post by stormraven who might have solved my problem inadvertantly, musta missed this post
but basicaly the fatal flaws of bubbleplay are
(quote)
'Fatal Flaws:
1. As long as you’re making the money in most of your mtt’s then you’re doing well.
2. Making it in the money is better than not making it in the money.
3. It feels good to make the money.
4. At least you made the money.'
i took that to heart in todays league game...i think thats why i took 1st, i almost folded a few near the bubble then a voice screamed CALL-you got the best hand, or STEAL, they dont expect that of a tight passive player, and isnt losing better than not playing the game like you should (just trying to get ITM)!
so ty, vvm
and I'll bet my
bankroll will ty2
i will post stormravens fix to these flaws too, since the post is closed and i dont know how to link to it
Fixing the Flaws:
1. Wrong! You are aware of EV -
expected value? If you play in a tournament for several hours, only to just make it in the money, then you are losing out on a lot of expected value by not trying to make the big money.
You are also basically wasting your time! Next time you squeak into the money, calculate how much it cost you to be in the tournament, subtract that number from the amount you’ve won: now take the number of hours and minutes you have invested in the tournament and divide your profits into your total time to find out how much you really made. Ex: $10 profit / 3 ½ hrs (210 min) invested = .05 cents per hr. Do you still believe you are doing well?
*(If you find yourself only squeaking just in the money most of the time, instead of going deep, then you have some leaks in your game you need to research and address).
2. Wrong! Please see the example above. Do you really want to play poorly by not trying to maximize ev in order to make just pennies an hour? I would rather not make it in the money, but know that I played well, than play poorly just to squeak in for pennies. Let us not forget that one of the most important goals in poker is to strive to
make good decisions and fewer mistakes than your opponents. If your good play with a flopped set gets sucked out on by the calling station chasing his gut sho,t then you should still feel good about yourself and your play because
you played correctly. Most of the time your good play is going to pay off and most of the time it’s going to be
good play (skill) that gets you to the final table.
3. Sigh… Please notice I said “It feels good to make
the money” and not “It feels good to make money”? We play poker to make
money, not
the money. Each time you play an mtt, you should
play in the way that will be the most profitable; squeaking into the money is not it. Most of the
money to be made in an mtt is in the top few spots, therefore, it is these top spots that should be on your mind when you play. If your play does not reflect this at all times then you will not make many final tables and will eternally condemn yourself to be just a nickel an hour earner.
4. Please reread 1, 2 & 3 above. Saying something like “At least you made the money” is what people say to console each other or themselves to feel better. This thinking is very flawed! Why reward yourself for getting lucky and squeaking in the money?
Any lucky donk can squeak into the money; it takes skill to go deep and/or make the final table! When all I do is go out in the bottom tier of the money - I get mad! I should have done better! I read through my hand histories and find where my mistakes are and make a mental note to learn from them. Think about this next time you post about making the money and one of the regulars responds with:
“Do better”. Most of them aren’t trying to be jerks, they’re sending you a message, kind of like a coach, and you should listen to it!
*When I make the money in an mtt, I look at the lobby to see how many players are left. I do not concentrate on how many players I have to beat out in order to make it to the next pay tier; I know many players who do this, again this is flawed. Instead, I look and see that there are 800 players left, I tell myself
“Just 791 players to go to make the final table”. Try this and see if it helps you focus a bit more on
playing correctly, instead of comfortably during your next mtt.
Bubble Strategy:
*Step it up:
steal, steal, steal! This is the perfect time to steal blinds and accumulate a larger stack for the final table. Chances are you have some timid short and medium stacks at the table that have slowed down, waiting for a premium hand to shove with, or are laying low hoping to squeak into the money. Before you reach this stage in the tournament, you should already have notes on your opponents so you
know who you can bully, and who will play back at you. This is about the only time in a tournament that ring game play will be very similar to tournament play;
aggressiveness is the key during this stage and if the table is allowing you to get away with it, then steal, steal, steal!
* Putting on the brakes. If you have a very active table, lots of preflop raisers, players willing to play back at you, etc; then slow things down.
Chances are your steal attempts will only cost you chips or worse, your tournament life.
*Don’t mess with the big dogs! Even if you are one of the larger stacks, or even the largest stack at your table, avoid mixing it up with others who have stack sizes close to your own. This is a fatal mistake I’ve seen many people make and they quickly g
o from being chip leader to short stack in just one hand. Your JJ in the cut off may look enticing to you, but when you have to go through a big stack or the chip leader, then you’ve put yourself in the position to have a wide range of Ax Kx hands knock you down a notch, or out, so
play these hands cautiously around other big stacks.
and Id only change...maybe mess with the big dogs...it is
gambling and do you want ITM or the WIN???
)
