Sunday, June 1, 2008

Winning the Ones that Matter

Been in a bit of a funk lately... not a losing streak per say, but a frustrating run nonetheless... I suppose you could call it a winless steak. In the past 15 SNG's I've played, I've cashed in 11 of them (73.3%), but have failed to win even 1. I've had 7 2nd place finishes, and 4 3rd's. I don't even want to think about all the times I've been down to heads-up action and have failed to seal the deal, even when going into it with a 2-1 lead. Granted there were a few poor plays in there, but I can't tell you how many suckouts late in the game did me in... river cards in particular have been very unpleasant.

Obviously this isn't the worst streak in the world to be on, as I have maintained a nice profit over the course of it, but in playing tournament poker you have to realize that the difference between 1st and 2nd place finishes is HUGE! Especially in larger tournaments, but even in one-table SNG's. It's what makes or breaks your return on investment. Win one STT out of 4 and you're a profitable player, finish 3rd in twice as many and you're going broke.

On a semi-related note - being a track and field nut as well I have to bring up the parallel of what happened yesterday between Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay (new 100m world record by Bolt over reigning world-champ Gay) - now THAT just goes to show the difference between 1st and 2nd.

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