I have a lot to learn about tournament poker

I like to think I’m a better than average poker player.  I prefer the cash games but have experienced some success at tournament poker.  I haven’t had what I would call a HUGE score, but I have won several MTTs and made several final tables for nice cash scores.  I’m still looking for that elusive 5 figure score (or 6 figures :) )

I’ve been frequenting the MTT boards on 2+2 lately.  There are some absolute sickos on that board.  On Sundays they usually have a thread where you can see how other 2+2’ers are doing in the major tournaments.  You see the same people going deep in the big tournaments over and over and over again.  These guys are amazing.  One dude yesterday won both the 11+ rebuys and the Sunday Million in the same day! Nothing like a nice $250K+ day.

I rail them trying to catch some of their secrets.  They just seem to be magnets for accumulating chips.  They take down lots of pots  uncontested.  It seems like I have to claw and scratch for every pot I win.

Now I can accumulate chips pretty well.  I usually take a go big or go home approach early on in the tournament.  This often leads to me to the top of the leaderboard after the first or even second break (or to the rail early which is fine with me…better than bubbling).  Then my opponents just lose all respect for me.  So I have to adjust.

Eventually my big stack becomes average becomes below average and I find myself bleeding chips.  And then there’s the bad beat/cooler.  This usually either starts my demise or puts me out of my misery.  For example, as I was typing this, I was on the button with AKo and the CO, an over-aggressive donk, raises in front of me.  I have 21K in chips when the average stack is 10K (blinds 200/400 w/ ante of something …50 maybe).  CO has about 10K in chips and shoves over the top of me.  I call and my AK < AQ.  At this point, my table image gives my raises no respect.  So stealing and squeezing usually ends up in bleeding away more chips.  I have to actually make a hand.  I never make a hand.

This isn’t meant to be a whine post, just proof that I’m not a great tournament player.  A great tournament player can handle all the crap thrown at them and still get the job done.  I just need a better understanding of how to handle my chips from beginning to end of the tournament.  So I’ll be posting more hands in the MTT boards on 2+2.  I’ll also be playing more tournaments.  Probably as I grind cash games, I’ll throw in a tournament.

I still feel like I’m owed a bit of Darvin Moon-eque rungood and a big score!