Playing with confidence.

tazer

tazer

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So here lately I have been struggling to just play. I have a big fear of going bust, so much so that I won't even enter into any tournaments. The few tournaments I have gotten in to lately I have done very well, but they were freerolls - the 20k Frenzy which I won a ticket into by way of the freeroll.

Just out of curiosity, how does one get over this sort of fear to play their game confidently? I've shown myself that if I just play my game and be smart I can do well, but something about the money tournaments just brings the obsessive fear into play.

What do you do when you get into this sort of rut, and what can I do to get out of it?
 
XXPXXP

XXPXXP

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So here lately I have been struggling to just play. I have a big fear of going bust, so much so that I won't even enter into any tournaments. The few tournaments I have gotten in to lately I have done very well, but they were freerolls - the 20k Frenzy which I won a ticket into by way of the freeroll.

Just out of curiosity, how does one get over this sort of fear to play their game confidently? I've shown myself that if I just play my game and be smart I can do well, but something about the money tournaments just brings the obsessive fear into play.

What do you do when you get into this sort of rut, and what can I do to get out of it?

keep enough money in your account.
if you got like 200 bux
with the buyin fee like 0.1 USD
you would fee comfortable to play, regardless bust or whatever.

:D:D:D
 
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alexis8888

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Play with money won from freerolls, so there will be no fear.:)
 
n3rv

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If you are only playing tourneys then just make sure your bankroll is at least 100 buy-ins. Drop down in stakes if you are still scared of losing.

Long term if you want a change in variance then play cash games instead. It feels a lot less like a lottery. You can control more outcomes so it can help with confidence.
 
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Dareshell

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Choking Due To Pressure

I play in quite a few number of online freerolls and considering some of them have ten thousand entries, I find it not too bad at all to place from time to time in the top 100, however; when I find myself in a tourney with a real cash buy in (mainly anything over a buck or two) I seem to not do so well and am usually out rather quickly.
I know that my mind know that this one is for real and actually costs me and hits me where it hurts when I lose.. right in my bankroll!
So, recently I have tried a new approach and I register in two freerolls and an actual cash money tournament, and play them all simultaneously. I also hide the names of the tournaments at the top of the screen so I am unsure whether or not the hand I am playing at any given time is for real or for free-real and this way my mind doesn't psyche myself out as much and I find myself not folding when I shouldn't and making the bubble on many more cash tourneys
 
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Yes, with the fear of not particularly play. I also had. I think it eventually disappears. Just get used to it and then did not pay attention.
 
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vinest

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the difference between the players in the tournament freerolls or $ 1 - $ 2 or 10 - 20 or $ 100 - 200 is very high. You see how people play in the cache in the big blind, they are very agressive, by my standards they are for one or two hands someone loses and who wins the car. and if the name of the tournament hide it will not save you! .
 
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oooo

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I agree with vinest, freerolls and cash tournaments are totally different. The pressure choke might affect your game, but most probably it is more about the way the games are played that is affecting your result than the pressure itself. And if it is a 1 dollar buy-in just think like this: What can I buy with 1 dollar? Cup of coffe? How many hours will the joy of that last? 1 dollar in a poker tournament? How many hours of joy will that last? Think that is an investment that can bring you MUCH more Money. It might help. It does for me. :)
 
tazer

tazer

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XXPXXP - I don't quite have that much of a roll to work with, and I don't feel like depositing at the moment.

Alexis8888 - Carbon and Bovada don't really offer alot of freerolls for me to jump into to give myself an opportunity to win some money that way.

n3rv - While I do value this statement I feel as if I can lose my roll faster playing in cash games due to the amount of hands I play when I am playing well. I tend to lose a lot to the blinds. Also countless times I can run up my stack and get someone all in and have them completely dominated and they hit a 1 or 2 outer.

Geldi - At one point in time I felt very good about my game and had no fear of any tournament and I did quite well then everything just went sour.
 
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Dareshell said:
Choking Due To Pressure...

Watch more poker vods and read articles how to play correctly in the microlimits..

You just do not say not a word about the learning and what you're doing to improve your game.. Of course you do not know how to play correctly without learning...
 
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Mr Sandbag

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Proper bankroll management and practice. Mental challenges like fear and tilt are things you have to learn to overcome through practice. You should be focusing on making correct decisions in every hand rather than on the possibility of losing a tournament.
 
tazer

tazer

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Usually once I'm in the tournament I am fine, it's just entering into it. The beats I have had lately are so gross it made me not want to play and be scared to sit at the tables and play.
 
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satirist

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I would try and find a specific game type that is relatively low-risk, but not as low as freeroll, because people generally don't take them as "seriously" (if ever*!) until deep-ish... and even that's a stretch. I'd find something relatively acceptable, like a one table, one-up micro stakes, and practice your techniques there. Once you're feeling sharp, i.e. after a couple of successful warm ups, then I'd "splurge" for a buy-in. When I'm feeling like the cards are saying no, or that my game is off, I refrain from putting myself in a losing position without any confidence.. That's how I look at it anyways.
 
tazer

tazer

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I would try and find a specific game type that is relatively low-risk, but not as low as freeroll, because people generally don't take them as "seriously" (if ever*!) until deep-ish... and even that's a stretch. I'd find something relatively acceptable, like a one table, one-up micro stakes, and practice your techniques there. Once you're feeling sharp, i.e. after a couple of successful warm ups, then I'd "splurge" for a buy-in. When I'm feeling like the cards are saying no, or that my game is off, I refrain from putting myself in a losing position without any confidence.. That's how I look at it anyways.

That's a good way to look at it. Maybe a few double or nothing SNG's to bring up the confidence level. Sounds like something I need to try out then. Thanks for the advice. :beer:
 
PapaC

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I think I know how you feel, because I'm like that, even though my BR can stand a lose or two. But that's my plan right now. I just don't put much out there until I am a better player. For example, I don't play in tournys over $5 buy in. But the way you are think can only be changed by you. I seen someone said here "You are thinking so much about losing, you can't focus on winning." I do that some. Like saying if I lose my buy in at a ring game I will just quit, instead of thinking I will quit when I'm up $10. The way you think has a big effect on how you play.
 
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satirist

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That's a good way to look at it. Maybe a few double or nothing SNG's to bring up the confidence level. Sounds like something I need to try out then. Thanks for the advice. :beer:

No problem! Glad to hear it, that particular strategy helped me in a few aspects, hopefully it will help you, too!
 
ringworm

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If you are only playing tourneys then just make sure your bankroll is at least 100 buy-ins. Drop down in stakes if you are still scared of losing.

Long term if you want a change in variance then play cash games instead. It feels a lot less like a lottery. You can control more outcomes so it can help with confidence.

This . . . 100 buy ins makes sure you're not sweating it trying to make it to the money. Also, playing multiple tables helps me not get board and make sure my starting hands are solid.
 
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I find that it is well worth it to play in the time tourneys as they are not so matter of fact win place or bust, as long as you make it to the end (as little as 15 mins) you win some bucks
 
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Also when considering cash tournaments, I have totally found that if you choose to participate in a 3.30 and up entry tourney that the people are more serious and there is not 15 people going all in every hand; However, if you do take part in the lower tourneys it is well worth it to either sit out or fold anything less than AA KK or even QQ for the first 25 mins until all the donks are out of the running. and then the threat of losing to a friggin 6 2 offsuit is at a minimum. Hope this helps
 
tazer

tazer

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Also when considering cash tournaments, I have totally found that if you choose to participate in a 3.30 and up entry tourney that the people are more serious and there is not 15 people going all in every hand; However, if you do take part in the lower tourneys it is well worth it to either sit out or fold anything less than AA KK or even QQ for the first 25 mins until all the donks are out of the running. and then the threat of losing to a friggin 6 2 offsuit is at a minimum. Hope this helps

I definitely noticed that as well, but at this point in time my BR cannot support $3.30 and up buyin tournaments. Which is also very hard for me to play ring games due to the large swings in cash.
 
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Bankroll management. The classic one people use is 100 buy ins for MTT's and 25 buy ins minimum for cash games.
 
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Make sure you can beat the level you are playing. All the bankroll in the world can't help you if you can't beat the game. If you are beating the level and have a bad streak, don't drop down but deposit and keep going.
 
PapaC

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It will get better

So here lately I have been struggling to just play. I have a big fear of going bust, so much so that I won't even enter into any tournaments. The few tournaments I have gotten in to lately I have done very well, but they were freerolls - the 20k Frenzy which I won a ticket into by way of the freeroll.

Just out of curiosity, how does one get over this sort of fear to play their game confidently? I've shown myself that if I just play my game and be smart I can do well, but something about the money tournaments just brings the obsessive fear into play.

What do you do when you get into this sort of rut, and what can I do to get out of it?

tazer I was and still am in many ways. I find myself not calling hands that I would have won just because I way afraid I would lose. And I have just now got to where I will raise when I have a good hand,even in early position, and it works. Limping because of you are afraid will cause you to lose more than the raise. As for MTT, just play the low one's to start with. Pick you a point you would like to get to if you did not make the money. I do that, and if I make it there, then I can go farther. Play tight. I ask myself every hand, how many hands will beat this. So more than 50% I throw in the muck. That fear will go away. You just have to play it out.
 
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I think I share the same fear. It's like we worked so hard and long to get the money in the account, we fear losing it super fast in the next tournament.
I feel ya. good luck
 
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Jeremy Schatz

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It's a unique fear, because when playing MTT's you are putting money into something that most of the time will not give a return. It's like insurance, but without assurance. To get over the fear, you can slowly play bigger and bigger SnGs/MTTs that you should win MOST of the time. You should win heads up MOST of the time. 3-max you should win over 33%. 4-max you should win over 25%, and so on. That way you can get used to the idea that you have to win not very often to make a profit in larger tournaments.
The real thing to do though is just ditch emotion. If you are scared to lose a pot, you are just going to get exploited. If you are scared to lose your buy-in, you are just going to get exploited. Detach from it if you have made the correct decision, let your stats speak for themselves.
 
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