Trouble calming down.

Whenever I'm in a bigger MTT I get too charged up post bubble if I have a big stack. Yesterday I was in 34th in the 5050 with about 100 to go and was well above the average stack. I was really excited about how well I was doing at that point and it started to affect my play. I played fairly tightly the whole tournament, but I ended up making a loose call and losing about 3/4 of my stack. I got bounced a few hands later when I lost a flip with my short stack, ending up with a meager prize.

Any tips on how to stay calm?

Boone's Farm works for me.

when i get in this mode i force myself to take 10 seconds to act. That gives me time to think about what im going to do before i do it. I also write sticky notes to myself and put them on my monitor. Probably sounds stupid but ill write notes like "take your time", "no tilt", etc.

It looks like you have identified your problem - so that's half the battle won.

I see a lot of players throw their weight (and chips) around when they get a big stack. Standard advice with a big stack is to use the stack to put pressure on the smaller stacks; but what often happens is that people overinterpret this and start shoving with marginal hands and lose to better ones. One of the uses of a big stack is that you can try a speculative bet/raise/reraise but still afford to fold the hand if you know your are beat. Sure you can call a tiny stack's all in with KTo but if you hold the same KTo to A9T flop with a medium stack don't assume a 3 bet all in will push them off their AQ.

Try marijuana?

lol yeah, I said it.

I find mself getting worked up nearing the bubble with a healthy stack too and making a few spewy plays. I found, for me, that a quick blast takes the edge off and helps calm down the need to think I have to make fancy plays and/or shut down and wait out the bubble.

killingbird said:

when i get in this mode i force myself to take 10 seconds to act. That gives me time to think about what im going to do before i do it. I also write sticky notes to myself and put them on my monitor. Probably sounds stupid but ill wriet notes like "take your time", "no tilt", etc.

Click to expand...

THis is pretty much exactly what I was going to write... "take your time". Take your time on all your plays to get into the practise of doing so (and at same time will eliminate any potential timing tells). Even force yourself to hit your extra timer button on occassion (amazing how many players will never use it ever). I find myself telling friends I'll coach on occassion... over & over & over.. "TAKE UR TIME!!!"

One of the recurring changes in an mtt I find is the speed of play when it pertains to the whittling down of the field. There comes a point when many of the players remaining know how to be patient. This slows the "feel" of the game down considerably and I have trouble adjusting to it myself.

It can be especially hard when your the big stack and it seems like no one but yourself is putting pressure on the short stacks.

My technique is go do the dishes. Honest and true. Getting out of my chair and forcing myself into taking time before any costly decision is the key. Having to dry my hands before I get back to the mouse is how I do it.

Breathe in Breathe out.... Simple as that... lol

Take your time!
Just because you have a big stack doesn't mean you will win!

I know that sounds like really basic info but it seems like you are forgetting it.

It is NOT your job to eliminate everyone!

It is NOT your job to eliminate everyone!

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this is great advice

i found that it was hard to keep my cool, but i changed my style of play later in the tournaments. i dont get too aggressive w/ mediocre hands and see if i hit against smaller stacks. when i hit the flop big then i'll slow play in hopes that the small stack just pushes all in on the turn or river. especially when i can take the hit if they suck out.

another way to relax is to play a cash game...where u can sit out if ur in a hand in the tournament but it keeps ur mind off of the tournament and allows you to be more patient. just keep replaying the last hands so u can see how people are playing.

Why we play MTT´s ? Because we love the pressure, especially late, when a lot of money is on the line. Stay calm. Don´t call loose, shove instead ! When you played enough tournaments you get used to it.

YouTube- The Duck Song its all i have to say on this topic haha.

i have have the same problem. I tried music to calm myself down but it makes it worse at times when ur doing good. Gets u geeked even more and u start fkn up. So i dont know. Im thinkin we're too inexperienced to stay calm in every situation.

i go for a run around the block. seriously. it takes less than five minutes, gets rid of that nervous energy, gives you fresh air; plus 'they' say one focuses better when they do extraneous activities, like doodling, or whatnot. especially if you have a big stack you can afford to miss a round of play- although i know that most pros would likely snigger at this...

Just take an extra second to think you play before do it. Calm down and just wait for your spot, once u r in the money u can loose in up a bit and expand you hand range. Unless u have a monster do not risk more than what u have to.