I need some guidance...please..

coyotegal

coyotegal

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Heres the deal.... when I'm playing in MTT s I get my stack up... I make it to the last 1/4 or so... then I find myself scared to get in the pot because I don't wanna loose my chips or end up having to go all in and end up busted... It's the same scenario over and over and I've made it to the money only a few times out of more than a few tournaments (free rolls and cash tourns..Low entry of course. cuz im still figuring this wonderful game out, LOL:eek: ).....and it's driving me nuts! Of course I eventually end up loosing because of this insecurity... Can any one help?




"Howl Like Ain't Nobody Listenin' "
 
dwolfg

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Find whatever inspires confidence in yourself in other areas of your life and apply that to poker.
 
coyotegal

coyotegal

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Thank you...

now I jus gotta figure out which attribute to choose. LOL
:eek:
 
rcrocketman

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try reading some of the poker stratiges on position, what to bet pre flop, flop and so on,it will help u make a more imformed decision on playing in the latter stages, should ease your mind we all are carefull at that point,and u will see u dont have to go all in untill u are pretty sure u have it gl to u
 
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Grinder101

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One word CONFIDENCE. If you have that you won't be afraid to put your chips in when you're a favorite. My idea is to get more experience in the MTT's, the confidence part will come naturally as you develop your game.

And don't worry about going nuts, poker is a game that naturally encourages insanity.
 
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Skaplun

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start looking at MTTs on your site, how people play, calling ranges and shoving ranges are very different. in some spots you shove ATC, in some spots you don't call with AK (ICM considerations mainly.) otherwise try to think about the game, dont complain about it, think about why you are playing and how the situation is evolving. most hands dont even see a flop at that point. Its all prf play, figure out where you should raise, fold, 3bet, or even 4bet shove. if you have 11 vpip there's very little reason anyone would call your shove with anything less than top 4%. this is a lengthy topic but sit down and think about the game, its much much different from cash.
 
Zorba

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coyotegal said:
then I find myself scared to get in the pot because I don't wanna loose my chips or end up having to go all in and end up busted
These 2 things in your post really stood out for me, If your scared to get into a pot with possibly the best hand then poker may not be the game for you.
As for the 2nd bit I bolded, you should never think that you have to go all in, there is always the option to fold, you should only go all in if you know you have the nuts or if you are a good favorite to win the pot, as with all poker related questions this reply falls into the category of "it depends" and it depends on a lot of things, your image, your opponents image, fold equity and so on and so on, but never feel that you "have to" go all in.
 
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I used to have the same problem as you do. Getting a decent stack up then being scared to play until nearly blinded down, being forced to shove etc.

I started making myself play more aggressively. Instead of being tight/passive where you'd limp in then make a bet and fold to a re raise or limping then folding to a bet post flop don't give in so easily.

I'm selective about what pots I play but when I decide to play I am very very aggressive. I hardly ever limp or call. If I'm going into a pot I'm raising it, I'm taking control of the hand then I'm almost always c-betting post flop even if I miss.

I'm not a pro or anything and am still learning the game but this has helped me. Having the mentality of raising or folding and never calling. It was uncomfortable for me at first but I got used to it and now I like it.

Think about how uncomfortable it makes you feel when people raise the pot on you, why not do the same thing to them instead, let them get stuck with making a hard decision.

Don't get me wrong there are times when I change things up depending on board texture and how people are re acting but that is my basic strategy.

I play normal abc poker until half the people are gone then slowly start changing gears getting more aggressive. The great thing is that because you were so tight earlier on you'll be able to steal some blinds easily.

This approach has helped me become less passive in later stages and it may be flawed as I am also still improving everyday.

I posted this just to illustrate what I do and as I say it may be flawed as I'm not a great player....yet.
 
coyotegal

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Well.....Z...

These 2 things in your post really stood out for me, If your scared to get into a pot with possibly the best hand then poker may not be the game for you.
As for the 2nd bit I bolded, you should never think that you have to go all in, there is always the option to fold, you should only go all in if you know you have the nuts or if you are a good favorite to win the pot, as with all poker related questions this reply falls into the category of "it depends" and it depends on a lot of things, your image, your opponents image, fold equity and so on and so on, but never feel that you "have to" go all in.


Well Z.. I appreciate the input..Im sure alot of people go through the same thing when they are learning..LOL ... but poker IS the game for me. I have only been playin for 3 months so.. I'm just a begginer... I WILL figure it out and I'm sure Ill have all you fine folks here at cc to thank for the Help. after thought... Life IS beautiful :rolleyes: , Z... and to me, poker has made it even better!
 
coyotegal

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Right on...Dead Money..!

It's funny that just yesterday, I spent all day studying and not playing at all and I actually studied the very info you speak of! So today I got on there and my game improved alot... allthough I've a long, long way to go...it felt good just doing a little better. I was really stuck in a rut@ LOL... Thanks for the positive input... @positivity@ goes a LONG , LONG WAY@

Maybe I'll see you on the tables someday, Eh! And Good Luck on your Journey!


I used to have the same problem as you do. Getting a decent stack up then being scared to play until nearly blinded down, being forced to shove etc.

I started making myself play more aggressively. Instead of being tight/passive where you'd limp in then make a bet and fold to a re raise or limping then folding to a bet post flop don't give in so easily.

I'm selective about what pots I play but when I decide to play I am very very aggressive. I hardly ever limp or call. If I'm going into a pot I'm raising it, I'm taking control of the hand then I'm almost always c-betting post flop even if I miss.

I'm not a pro or anything and am still learning the game but this has helped me. Having the mentality of raising or folding and never calling. It was uncomfortable for me at first but I got used to it and now I like it.

Think about how uncomfortable it makes you feel when people raise the pot on you, why not do the same thing to them instead, let them get stuck with making a hard decision.

Don't get me wrong there are times when I change things up depending on board texture and how people are re acting but that is my basic strategy.

I play normal abc poker until half the people are gone then slowly start changing gears getting more aggressive. The great thing is that because you were so tight earlier on you'll be able to steal some blinds easily.

This approach has helped me become less passive in later stages and it may be flawed as I am also still improving everyday.

I posted this just to illustrate what I do and as I say it may be flawed as I'm not a great player....yet.
 
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godoy

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One thing that really helped me is read a LOT about position, I once played a 45 players sit n go without seeing my cards any round, just trying to play based on my position, and it's a really cool experience, I ended up finishing in 3rd place, and when I saw my hand hsitory, I folded some crazy hands like JJ, QQ and tons of AK =)
but it helped me understand a little bit more of position
 
et1961

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I feel ya dog.

What happens to me alot is I will get good cards in the begginig and middle of a tourney and build a decent chip stack and then go card dead at the end. With the blinds high I feel forced to rely on position heavily. It seems like I am always hoping to steal pots. I am patient and try to wait for good cards until I feel forced to act. The fact is to do well one has to win some races and my luck near the end of tourneys is just not there. The only thing I can do is say OH WELL and move on.
 
Zorba

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Well Z.. I appreciate the input..Im sure alot of people go through the same thing when they are learning..LOL ... but poker IS the game for me. I have only been playin for 3 months so.. I'm just a begginer... I WILL figure it out and I'm sure Ill have all you fine folks here at cc to thank for the Help. after thought... Life IS beautiful :rolleyes: , Z... and to me, poker has made it even better!
I wasn't trying to be facetious, I was trying to point out that you have to have faith in your decisions. I don't know how many times it has been that I have called with AK or QQ knowing full well that the other person might have AA.

Glad to hear that you did better yesterday.
 
qia1989

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I wasn't trying to be facetious, I was trying to point out that you have to have faith in your decisions. I don't know how many times it has been that I have called with AK or QQ knowing full well that the other person might have AA.
just yesterday i hold KK and all in TWO Players call with AA and another was AKs in fulltilt.
THE aks is winner , ithink you all have guess the reason , i just want to say that you must believe yourself when you make decisions, that is very important!
 
lektrikguy

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If you're in the last 1/4 and well stacked, then you're doing something right...keep doing it. When players get under 10 BB they usually shove. If you are in position on a short stack and have a decent hand, try bullying them. Reraise once or twice. If you can pick up a couple blinds and antes that will boost your confidence and you will see there are players more scared than you. Don't turn into a maniac, just do it and boost your confidence.
 
coyotegal

coyotegal

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Thanks Z...

I wasn't trying to be facetious, I was trying to point out that you have to have faith in your decisions. I don't know how many times it has been that I have called with AK or QQ knowing full well that the other person might have AA.

Glad to hear that you did better yesterday.

Thanks Z. I do appreciate it.... and guess what... this post has made my game waY better@
thanks for all the advice from you and everyone@
 
coyotegal

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Your the bomb@

I used to have the same problem as you do. Getting a decent stack up then being scared to play until nearly blinded down, being forced to shove etc.

I started making myself play more aggressively. Instead of being tight/passive where you'd limp in then make a bet and fold to a re raise or limping then folding to a bet post flop don't give in so easily.

I'm selective about what pots I play but when I decide to play I am very very aggressive. I hardly ever limp or call. If I'm going into a pot I'm raising it, I'm taking control of the hand then I'm almost always c-betting post flop even if I miss.

I'm not a pro or anything and am still learning the game but this has helped me. Having the mentality of raising or folding and never calling. It was uncomfortable for me at first but I got used to it and now I like it.

Think about how uncomfortable it makes you feel when people raise the pot on you, why not do the same thing to them instead, let them get stuck with making a hard decision.

Don't get me wrong there are times when I change things up depending on board texture and how people are re acting but that is my basic strategy.

I play normal abc poker until half the people are gone then slowly start changing gears getting more aggressive. The great thing is that because you were so tight earlier on you'll be able to steal some blinds easily.

This approach has helped me become less passive in later stages and it may be flawed as I am also still improving everyday.

I posted this just to illustrate what I do and as I say it may be flawed as I'm not a great player....yet.


Your post helped me sooooooooooo much@ THANK YOU@:party: l.....
 
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