Emotions and challenges of tournament poker

[pirateglenn]

I have managed emotions better as the years have passed with poker, mainly due to relived experiences and an acceptance that anything can happen and often will over the course of an MTT.
I maximise breaks, even allow myself extra ones if i have accumulated a decent stack, the key for me is solid based decisions, i can live with the bad luck and bad beats as long as i can justify specific actions and calls based on a number of analytical things like board texture, online tells, probability and out percentages plus a few more.
MTT's are a marathon race, nothing is won in the first 2 hours often - gearing yourself up in the right environment to play is essential, keep hydrated, relax when possible, breathe!!

 

[john_entony]

It's no secret, that tournament poker has ups and downs and rarely does the game go as you may have planned.

How do you handle the mental and emotional challenges of tournament poker?

Yes, I try not to be hostage of a tilt, as I realize that I have to fight until the last blind. It's hard, but I've played a lot of tournaments and seen a lot of boards, so I try to get less upset about bad beats and coolers. But again, sometimes it's very difficult.

 

[MishkaZL]

It's no secret, that tournament poker has ups and downs and rarely does the game go as you may have planned.

How do you handle the mental and emotional challenges of tournament poker?

I just try not to give up in any situation, even the most unfavourable one. For me, the game always continues at least as long as I have at least one blind in my stack. I'm an optimist and I know that if today is not my day, maybe tomorrow I'll be lucky

 

[cwdignus]

Some time ago I realized that poker results are directly related to my emotional state, even the best results are achieved in spring and summer, seasons when my mood is high, I've tried to reverse and control this but it seems useless

 

[edenman1]

For me the biggest challenge, especially in a LONG tourney, is not getting bored (or distracted) and going all in on an A5 or something

 

[Mag_P1e]

Unfortunately, I have never managed to cope with these peculiarities and the pressure of tournament poker. My mental health simply cannot take it and I cannot force myself to believe that at least 500 tournaments a month are needed and only then will we SLIGHTLY smooth out the influence of variance - only then can we see any results and progress. As a person who immediately gives up when there is no immediate result, I have never been able to realize myself in this area, although I still have a very strong desire.

 

[ammje]

I think that first of all we have to accept that we are going to lose money playing poker, even the best player in the world will lose money, mathematically it is impossible to always win with AA and KK, the best hands.
If making money in poker was easy, everyone would quit their jobs to dedicate themselves to playing poker.
If we understand this, then we will know that in the long term we can succeed in poker, with poker study, dedication and bankroll control.

 

[mssmotilda]

For me, it's not a problem at all. From the very beginning of my acquaintance with poker, I am calm about losses and bad beats. I just understand that it is part of poker, and it is not worth my emotional health. You just need to be optimistic and life will become much more pleasant.

 

[Pabloro10321]

Frustration is something you can't escape, there are days when you fall and you can't get up. My trick is simple, if I lose twice due to bad decisions, I leave the session or pick up the chips and come back tomorrow.

 

[s0ftdumps]

My poker experience is limited and the majority is online. I used to play regularly up until my kids all got married and started families therefore when I do play poker now it's usually an SNG every so often.

My best experiences? Hmm. Some of my best experiences were some great finishes in CardsChat events especially if they had to do with the Team League. Another experience (two that I can recall) was playing a PLO tournament in the early years of learning poker. I had a basic understanding of the game but one particular time, I entered a $5.50 PLO tournament accidentally. I did NOT feel one bit confident to play a PLO SNG let alone a tournament. If I was any of the players at any of my tables, I probably would have been so annoyed based on how much time it took me to decide what to do next but I stayed the course and won the dang thing! I did that twice early on in my poker journey and both times it was PLO.

I remember tournament poker takes a positive frame of mind - staying calm in every tournament was not easy. Frustration would set in for various reasons so I had to find a way to 'fix' that. Believe it or not, meditation helped A LOT! If I was losing hands, and if it was important enough to me, I had to stop and wonder the 'why' and 'how' of a hand or if the hand was fixable for future reference. Sounds simple enough but this takes time to work on. Another favourite method of managing emotions while in a tournament (whether card dead, losing hands, etc.) I also found that sitting out for a couple of minutes without looking at the computer, such as getting up, walking around, and taking a quick break, helped me refocus.

As MK mentioned, if one is serious enough about fixing this part of their game, there is a lot of reading material and videos, too. You only have to find what works for you best.

I'm sure there were other methods I used in the past but it escapes me at the moment.

Winning a PLO tournament, especially when you were still learning the game, must have been incredibly satisfying! Your approach to managing emotions and maintaining a positive mindset is really insightful. Meditation and taking breaks are excellent strategies to stay focused and avoid frustration, especially in the often intense environment of tournament poker.

 

[Alex Sentsov]

These tournaments attract)

 

[akmost]

I have gone through so many bad beats and now I have no emotions at all , I mean when I know that is the time for the big flip I just go for it without any hesitation. This is tournament poker, period.

The only tip I have to share with you is to put volume if you are able to do that.

 

[istbno]

Handling the mental and emotional challenges of tournament poker requires strong focus, resilience, and self-discipline. Accept that variance is part of the game and understand that bad beats will happen. Manage your emotions by practicing mindfulness techniques like deep breathing or short meditations during breaks. Set realistic expectations, knowing that success comes from long-term consistency rather than short-term results. Take breaks, stay hydrated, and keep a healthy mindset to prevent burnout. Focus on making optimal decisions instead of fixating on outcomes, maintaining control over what you can influence.

 

[BelFish]

In general, now I am much more relaxed about losing when all-in with stronger hands than my opponents.
It's just game...

For example, yesterday was such all-in and I wasn’t even upset ))

Spoiler

 

[Spannerdeth]

I listen to loads of music albums when I'm playing online tournament poker specifically to enjoy during the plentiful downtime between hands. Whether I win or lose, the music is always enjoyable.

 

[Peteski84]

I love hitting both the ceiling and the floor in the same instant. I makes the whole experience worth the time and effort. Just like love.

 

[dangbaonguyen93]

the most fear is being badbeat

 

[Leandro6803]

The main challenges of poker are the natural bad beats of poker, falling into the bubble and emotional imbalance.
These factors can greatly affect a player who is not psychologically prepared for this game.

 

[dreamer13]

You can play the way you played and the game will remain just entertainment, new experience and a bunch of emotions for you. And most players do just that. When faced with a problem when a player cannot control his emotions, he does not even suspect that it can be different.Naturally, what kind of results can we talk about in poker when a player automatically repeats and reinforces the same mistakes over and over again?Firstly, you can reduce the strength of the emotion or not pump your energy into it, and secondly, you can replace the unconscious process itself that causes this emotion, but this is more difficult.

 

[fryderyk]

Tournaments are very random, you never really know whether a card will be favorable or not. You want to play sensibly, the guy next to you raises like crazy. What's nice about the tournament is its unpredictable ending, but what's annoying is the initial phase of the tournament, which is dominated by excessive risk.

 

[Dejana]

It's no secret, that tournament poker has ups and downs and rarely does the game go as you may have planned.

How do you handle the mental and emotional challenges of tournament poker?

I don't have it in poker - it's just a game, every hand can be winning one, emotions (laugh is there) 0%...

 

[hamon08]

Although I play cash poker, I often play tournaments as well. I've had a situation where I didn't win tournaments for several months in a row, but I realized that this could happen and I just kept playing and trying to improve my game. And the best cure for all of this is just to take a break from poker and spend time with your loved ones or do something else to just relax and restore your nervous system

 

[Poker Orifice]

I avoid them.

Not much edge even against bad players.

Unless the MTT is very deep and has a slow structure, the "luck factor when the blinds get high" is just a variance amplifier that I don't like.

But as a former high stakes MTT regular, wasn't it a daily thing?

 

[Poker Orifice]

It's normal to lose when playing tournaments. But in the long'ish' run, the better players will always come out ahead. There's still money to be won in MTT play. This format attracts more recreationals (& bad players) than cash games.

Years ago (when I was a micro stakes MTT player online), I saved up 23 $26 tokens on Fulltilt, thinking at the time that I'd perhaps cash in 1/3 or more of them and maybe get some great scores! (they had large guarantees on their $26 tournaments). I mean the first one I played prior to this I won over $1,000 and got on the final table, and then my next one I won ~$500. Seemed so easy!
Well I blanked all 23 games They were decent-structured games and at the time I was 2-tabling at the most (more likely 1 table while playing a $26 buyin). What I didn't realize at the time was a) I sucked at poker (yes I could beat micros SnG's & MTT's but even in Low stakes I was way outclassed but I didn't even know it yet) b) It is normal to lose & losing 10 in-a-row (without cashing) is not unusual at all.
fwiw, I played satellites to acquire those $26 tokens and I was good at them (I should've stuck to satellites... back then there were low stakes MTT players who were able to earn a living by predominantly playing satellites and nothing else), starting out with ~$50 so it wasn't all terrible but was a BIG eye opener for me on some of the realities of tournament poker (& poker in general)