Is Playing Winning Tournament Poker Boring??

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FlexNYC

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I play a lot of MTTs (at least one a day), and I find that most of the times that I reach the final table or late stages of the tourney, I'm actually getting kind of bored.

Most of the times I make it to late stages/final table, I've probably folded 80% to 90% of my hands up to that point: definitely at least up until the bubble. I only try to play premium hands (pocket pairs, suited connectors) and muck all other garbage. I'm not going to say that my chip stack moves in a linear upward trend line (there are a few times when I hold premium cards raise 3xBB but flop jack and forced to take a small loss), but most of the times I get involved in a hand I tend to come out ahead. Seems to me that this strategy is very effective but it's also pretty boring. Nobody wants to keep folding, but is that the best way to make it to final stages?

On the flip side, every time I look at my chip stack and compare it to my opponents' and I see the blinds increase exponentially, I get antsy and that's where I start making mistakes.

Does anyone else experience this? If so, how do you deal with it?
 
Tom1559

Tom1559

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I note your comment about the hands you play and it might be slightly low. Most of the recognised advice on this is that you should be playing 12% to 15% of your hands. However you have to take that over a long period and not just over 1 tourney. I have seen tourneys where my stats show 20% of hands played an others that show less than 10%. Poker stats have to be looked at over thousands if not hundreds of thousands of hands and not just over one tourney which might have a couple of hundred hands.
 
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Im_depressed

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oh of course it is somewhat boring... but the payouts are always nicer then going all in on the first hand :D
 
GDRileyx

GDRileyx

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I think it's Chris Ferguson, whose FTilt commercial says, "Poker is a game of patience and carefully timed agression. It's those bursts of agression that spell the boredom.
 
dwolfg

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I find I'm playing the best poker I can play at 20% of hands(free looks in blinds help). Thats me and my style. Find whats best for you. If you're bored, do something about it, as boredom can lead to bad decisions in the game.
 
fishfood80

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FlexNYC said:
I play a lot of MTTs (at least one a day), and I find that most of the times that I reach the final table or late stages of the tourney, I'm actually getting kind of bored.

Most of the times I make it to late stages/final table, I've probably folded 80% to 90% of my hands up to that point: definitely at least up until the bubble. I only try to play premium hands (pocket pairs, suited connectors) and muck all other garbage. I'm not going to say that my chip stack moves in a linear upward trend line (there are a few times when I hold premium cards raise 3xBB but flop jack and forced to take a small loss), but most of the times I get involved in a hand I tend to come out ahead. Seems to me that this strategy is very effective but it's also pretty boring. Nobody wants to keep folding, but is that the best way to make it to final stages?

On the flip side, every time I look at my chip stack and compare it to my opponents' and I see the blinds increase exponentially, I get antsy and that's where I start making mistakes.

Does anyone else experience this? If so, how do you deal with it?
Click to expand...

Yeah I've definitely experienced boredom in late stages of tourneys. I mean I've gotten a huge stack early and literally folded for 4 hours straight in a tourney. Didn't get one playable hand in all that time. When I find myself getting bored I'll start building little chip stack towers or put in the ear buds anything to keep from tilting and playing mediocre hands. It's just part of the grind and have to remember it's fun to play but if it's your only source of income it's still a job. The number one rule is your there to make money, maybe think of what kind of fun you'll have when you get to the pay out window.
 
blueskies

blueskies

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LOL if winning $ bores you that's good news for other players.
 
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darpblog

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playing one tabñle IS boring. I try to always have at least three tournaments going if possible. If not I'm probably listening to music, or watching youtube, whatever keeps you from getting bored
 
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chronical

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if you dpnt likу it - yes. you will be folding alot, stalling for that pay jump... all that, n the other hand many people fins cash grind borring, 5% ROI in SNG are also boriing. so you might be right/you might be wrong
 
R1temp

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I advise you to play 4-8 tournaments at the same time. Then you'll be less bored.
 
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jekan85

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the most interesting is the game on the final tables
 
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