Equilibrium
This column discusses the importance of being as clear-minded as possible during end-game play of MTTs. Being completely clear-minded and sharp is important because success in MTTs requires near-perfect play throughout the tourney. In contrast, in cash games, you can make errors on occasion and still be a profitable player in the long run; however, in an MTT, with limited stack sizes and growing blinds, you are not afforded the luxury of a miscue.
When I started playing poker, I was rarely fresh and alert at the end of a tournament. Often it was later in the tournament that I would be frustrated, tired, tense, and just ready to snap at any point. Once it became clear to me that if I kept screwing up in tournaments I would have to get a real job again, I came up with some mental strategies that helped me keep even-keeled all the way through the final table.
A major part of the mental “battle” is sitting down at your computer knowing that you are prepared and in a proper mental state. I once had a football coach who would tell me, “I can tell how you’re going to play before you even walk out onto the field.” I’ve often found that when I play poker I can tell before I even start how my day is going to go. If I am tired, if I have other things I should be doing, if I haven’t eaten, or if I’m pissed off about something else in my life, I usually do not play well.
Before I sit down to play any session, I remind myself that tournaments are not sprints, they are marathons. Just because I do not have a great start does not mean the rest of my day is going to go that way. I remind myself that poker is a lot like baseball, in that even the best hitters do not get base hits more than 35% of the time. Comparably, if I win one tournament out of thirty, I am an amazing MTT player, yet I would still be losing a great majority of the time.
To reinforce this idea of the long run being more important, I like to play a number of games at a time. This helps me because when I bust out of one tournament, I often have several others going that still show promise. I also do my record keeping at the beginning of every session so that I can see statistical evidence that I am a winning player over time, no matter what happens on any given day. This mental reinforcement helps to keep me focused on long term results and prevents me from tilting or becoming scared to lose.
Another small but helpful tip towards staying focused and mentally stable is that during any given tournament I make it a point not to check the lobby regularly. I’ve found that when I see that I am lower than the average stack or that I am one of the low stacks, I will start jockeying for position more than I really need to, making more desperate plays than necessary.
Perhaps a bit more eccentrically, when a large coinflip situation comes about, I do not watch it unfold. I will look at one of my other games or sometimes even go the bathroom. It’s much easier to write off a tournament to “just lost a key coinflip” if I don’t know that I paired one of my overcards on the flop only to have my opponent river a set.
Another stability tip is to refrain from looking at the cashier’s window regularly while you’re playing. Often, your account balance will be considerably lower than when you started because you’ve spent the money on tournament entries but are yet to collect the dividends. When you get knocked out of a number of tournaments, seeing your low balance creates toxic thoughts such as “well I have to finish in at least X place in this one or else I’ll be negative for the night.” By not opening the cashier’s window or paying attention to your balance when you register, you will be able to avoid these kinds of thoughts and more effectively play for the win.
I have also found that music helps me stay calm through the ups and downs of tournament poker. Personally I like mellower hip hop, trance, and indie rock when I’m playing, but I’ve heard of other players being calmed by other genres of music. It also helps if later on in tournaments, when many of your critical decisions are being made, you have music without lyrics. Studies have shown that students perform worse when listening to music with lyrics while working, and I can say from personal experience that having music with lyrics does distract me later on.
Not many people consider it, but caffeine can also negatively affect your performance. When I started playing I would often gulp down Rockstar energy drinks till my body was in a permanent fight-or-flight mode. When you’re that wired, it’s often hard to effectively analyze situations because your body is screaming “go go go!” It’s also hard to keep level because you are more prone to excitement and thus also more prone to becoming angry.
These strategies are all easy to employ though. The real hard work comes when the inevitable bad beat happens. This is where a lot of seasoned players shine, whereas a novice player might throw away his tournament.
Often, immediately after I endure a tough beat, I close my eyes for five seconds and then open them again. I pretend that the tournament has just started and that nothing has happened before that time. I ask myself, “what would I do here if this was a tournament my friend asked me to take over?” I remind myself of how many big blinds I have and how many tournaments have been won by players who were below five big blinds at one point. I do not allow myself to dwell on where I could’ve been in the tournament or how much harder it is going to be to win now. I act as if the short stack is all I have ever had, and now it is my job to make the best of it.
When that doesn’t work, I try other measures. Getting up for a short walk has always helped me clear my mind a bit. When I still lived in an apartment with a balcony, I would walk outside for a second to look at the stars and get some fresh air, if only for a couple seconds. Talking with my roommate, kid sister, girlfriend or anyone who makes me happy also mellows me out. Having a picture of those you love next to your computer is also a great way to remind yourself that someone is going to be affected by what money you win or lose tonight, so you better get your act together and play through this.
If I have been knocked out of a tournament, I do not whine, cry, or bemoan bad beats to friends, either online or off. It does not help me to relive the bad beat or the cooler. A friend of mine once told me, “Don’t bitch, because 90% of the people you bitch to don’t want to hear you, and the other 10% are glad you are miserable.” I allow myself about 30 seconds to be angry, and then I move on.
It’s also all right to do something that makes you laugh. I have a few friends who can always get me chuckling after talking with them for a few minutes, so sometimes I will call them up to talk for a bit when I’m really rattled. The Off Topic forum here on Pocketfives.com is great too if you want some quick laughs before focusing on your game again. Obviously, if you can avoid taking time away from your game you should, but if a quick break is what it takes to get you ready to play again, you should do it.
In addition to the tips above, I would like to emphasize the importance of regular exercise, sleep, and diet. Although an in-depth conversation about them is beyond the scope of this article, they go a long way towards helping you achieve emotional tranquility. If you’re adventurous, you might consider meditation and Eastern philosophy. I have found them to be beneficial. Texts such as the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu have always helped me keep my cool when times are tough in poker as well as in the rest of my life.
I hope the lessons I have learned from my own personal experiences can help you in some way with your poker endeavors. Good luck to you all.
-Alex
