I HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT "The Right Play"
When I first started playing poker in 2007, I was a maniac. I learned fast to tighten up, but it was a hard lesson learned. My game has evolved a lot but I still wonder when I am playing tournaments, whether there is a deeper science in the art of small ball poker and being patient. A small ball strategy that would reduce my exposure to putting my tournament life at risk. The problem with evolving your style of play or adjusting and playing different styles is that it becomes difficult to not be result oriented, and to know whether a line you take- (that you have never taken before) -is optimal or not when it fails to work and you don't have a large enough hand history to support the decision.
I have won first place in a pool of 400 players, and ran good to cash decent in tournaments with over 5,000 players, while being the chip leader for the majority of the tournament. Despite this, my results are nowhere near as good as many of the individuals I see making hundreds of thousands and millions ranked on Pocket Fives.
Obviously, I have leaks in my game.
Often, I dominate until I go bust and that happens from a suckout or just me not being patient enough wait for right spots or to accept I am beat in a hand.
I know my game has leaks, but I have come to wonder if there is a different style of play that would, over night, turn me into someone who consistently crushes tournaments, or at least cashes huge in one.
WHAT PART AM I PLAYING IN NOT WINNING?
I study the game intensely, and I am very defensive and cautious about those who criticize how I play without having better results...also I am skeptical about people who aggressively judge how others play considering that only 5% of the poker world is really crushing it. This means two things, 1) most of those crushing it most likely are playing in a non-standard way that would definitely be harshly criticized, and 2)Most of the people judging calling people fish, and donk, and idiot etc... are more than likely in the 95%.
but I still want to know...
WHAT PLAYS AM I MAKING THAT I SEE AS NECESSARY BUT ARE REALLY JUST CHOICES I COULD CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE AND IT WOULD IMPROVE MY GAME?
Your post just made me think all of that out-loud.