All of us “wannabe” tournament winners have been there many times. You play as smart as
you can, make well-timed💵 bets with the right cards, slip in a nice check-raise or even
a sneaky bluff or two along the way…💵 We find ourselves well above the average chip
stack when three quarters of the field is gone. Those “final table💵 fairies” start
dancing in our heads. We pat ourselves on the back, thinking “Hey, I can play this
game!” And,💵 then... it happens.
Three or four hours into the event (online as an
example), we get to see a cheap flop💵 in middle position with our J 9 suited against a
big stack in the blind. When a Jack high hits💵 the flop, we are overly convinced the pot
will be ours and we bet, even happy to be called by💵 the two players who checked to you.
The rag turn card “forces” us to show those other two callers who’s💵 boss by throwing a
big bet into the middle, and yet the big stack is “stubborn” and won’t go away.💵 We
think to ourselves, "How dare he still call, just because he has chips?" It’s not until
the river seems💵 of little help do we bother to realize, “How dare I think I have the
best hand!" Three hours ago,💵 we wouldn’t have dreamed of playing the same hand so
gung-ho (a.k.a. stupidly)! Why, now, do we assume unbeatable strength💵 that is only a
mirage? Is it due to fatigue? Is it because we are not used to having so💵 many chips to
blow? Those “I can play this game” thoughts we had earlier turn to “When will I ever
💵 learn to play this game?”, while we tap the table to the KJ in the small blind and say
good-bye💵 to an unwarranted number of our chips. Why the sudden blindness?
Focus. We
lose it. At least most of us average,💵 aspiring, players do. We lose focus on that one
hand late in a tournament, and now our “focus” turns on💵 us... turns against us! We are
taken over by the “dark focus” Luke. Our thoughts go from “playing smart” to💵 “getting
back what we lost” (greed!); from “being in good shape” to “how will I even make the
money now💵 – forget winning?” (doubt!). We lose a good chunk of our stack on one hand
late in the game, and💵 suddenly “all hope is lost” and we throw caution (not to mention
intelligence) to the wind. We want it all💵 back NOW because it is unacceptable to no
longer be among the leaders where we once stood so proudly.
Greg Raymer💵 took some huge
hits to his stack late in last year’s World Series of Poker Main Event. Yet, somehow he
💵 still managed to go on and win. Why didn’t he panic? Josh Arieh also took some huge
hits. How come💵 they didn’t lose sight of their ultimate goal? In fact, how on earth did
ANY of the final table players💵 (hell, let’s say “final 18” or “final 36” for that
matter) play in the most prestigious poker tournament of the💵 year – for DAYS on end
(12-14 hours on average), without losing focus? How did Chris Moneymaker “recover”
after losing💵 overR$800,000 in chips to Sam Farha on a failed bluff at the final table
in 2003, after 7 days of💵 non-stop poker? Granted, Chris still had lots of chips left –
but he was suddenly no longer the chip leader!💵 Why didn’t he just collapse and “give
up” like so many of us would (especially as he was an “amateur”💵 vs. the world’s best)?
Why didn’t he say to himself, “Well, I’ve had my run, but now it’s time to💵 for the
nightmare to catch up with this dream”? Knocking that down a few (hundred) notches -
Why can’t I💵 keep positive and play as well as I know I can after only 3 hours into an
online tournament?! “The💵 leaders are SO far ahead of me… what’s the point?” I’ll bet
David Williams never let that thought cross his💵 mind last year when he was incredibly
short-stacked compared to Raymer.
I suspect the difference is simply because the best
players💵 can maintain their focus longer, sharper, and unshakably. They don’t think
about losing simply because they’ve taken a hit, or💵 because someone outplayed them two
hands in a row. They refuse to lose sight of the pot (no pun intended)💵 at the end of
the rainbow! They don’t stray away to thoughts of “second place would be nice”,
followed by💵 “a final table appearance would be respectable”, and working their way down
to “making the money would be okay” -💵 all the way back to an early exit and “why do I
bother playing?” Negativity and lack of confidence are💵 traits the best players do not
possess. Nothing will undermine their focus.
These players know that continuing to play
smart in💵 the face of adversity will always prevail over panic. They welcome the
challenge. Their success seems to come simply because💵 they do not allow themselves to
go on tilt. All the emotions that go into tilt (anger, frustration, personal vendettas,
💵 etc.), while perhaps seeping through their veins unseen, are overshadowed by their
desire to win in spite of the setbacks.
So💵 how, in today's mega-tournaments (with
fields of 1000+ players), do we prevent ourselves from getting “bored” (definition of
which, for💵 purposes of this article, is: “a state of listlessness brought on by the
mere passage of time with no guarantee💵 of success thereafter”) and making dumb,
unnecessarily desperate plays? How do we overcome taking two small steps forward but
one💵 big step back? How can we maintain the concentration needed to get “heads up” after
many hours (online) or perhaps💵 days (WSOP!) of play?
Drawing on past successes, however
small, can help – especially after taking one of those backward steps💵 late in the game.
(i.e. – Remember when you were dead last by a mile at the final table of💵 that 2-table
sit & go – and still came in first?!... Remember when you tripled up after hitting that
nut💵 flush soon after losing half your stack with AA?) Thinking positive, thinking about
successes, thinking about the crazy possibilities in💵 our beloved game of poker can go a
long way in multiplying the last of your chips and keeping you💵 in the hunt. Staying
excited can help stay focused.
If you do not have “personal” successes to draw upon,
consider (and💵 borrow!) some of the newcomer's successes at the 2004’s World Series of
Poker. My personal favorite story in all the💵 33 events has to be that of Gerry Drehobl.
(Remember “Mr. Mobil Home”?) I’m sure he had some terrible bumps💵 along his road to
victory over the likes of Daniel Negreanu and John Juanda. But somehow, despite what
must have💵 been chest-pounding doubts, nervousness and mistakes along the way, he
managed to put the blinders on and stay focused on💵 his chances of winning vs. the best
in the world. His poker “career” at the time – 6 months old!!💵 His desire to win, I
imagine - a lot older, and stoked by similar success stories in past years. He💵 wanted
to win a tournament, and he did. We can too.
Whatever it takes to “stay in the game”, I
think,💵 is as important an aspect in a tournament as playing smart and knowing what to
do. It just has to💵 be “done” for as long as it takes! Stay focused, and never say die!
It may help you win that💵 first tournament. I guarantee you'll at least feel better
about yourself even if you don’t.
