One of the hardest things to endure as a poker player is playing in a tournament for 3-4 hours (or even longer) and narrowly missing out on the prize money. This phenomenon is known as finishing on the "bubble". Any player that has participated in a number of tournaments knows this feeling. I know it well.
Just this week I placed 39th in an online tournament that had a starting field of almost 400 players. Not bad, but when only the top 36 players get paid out it's a tough pill to swallow. I've found that when it comes down to crunch time and players near the prize money cutoff point, many begin to lose it mentally. As a result they start pushing their chips all in attempting to steal blinds and antes. At this juncture one small mistake can make the difference between winning the tournament and busting out on the bubble.
The mistake I made in the tournament I mentioned previously, was playing pocket 6's far too agressively. I put in a large raise hoping the blinds would fold. Instead, I got one caller from the small blind, and when two overcards appeared on the flop I bet out only to have the other player raise me all in. I folded my hand, but managed to lose over half my chips in the process. Two hands later I was out of the tourney.
What did I do wrong? Well actually a combination of things. First, by raising a significant portion of my chips with a small pocket pair I actually dug my own grave, letting the opposition reap the rewards. Had I flat called and subsequently folded when I didn't hit my set on the flop, or simply folded the hand entirely pre-flop, I could have saved myself and easily made it into the money. At that point in the tournament there was no reason to play that hand (especially so agressively!).
My advice? Be patient. Wait for quality starting hands like big pairs or high suited connectors. There's nothing wrong with trying to steal blinds, but pick your battles carefully. If in doubt FOLD. It's the easiest thing in the world to do, but players all too often overlook this option. I can't count how many times I've seen players with relatively large chip stacks get knocked out, while those with much shorter stacks slip their way into the money. If you're not getting cards simply wait it out - they'll come, I promise. Let other players come to you, and enjoy taking their chips when you finally pick up that monster hand you've been waiting for. You'd be surprised what you can do with just a chip and a chair, and a little bit of of patience.
If you have any questions or comments on this article feel free to post a reply or email me at dave_leggott@anteupclothing.com |
