Weekend Update

I've been taking a look at my multi-table tournament game recently, making sure I'm making that I'm doing my best to make all the right decisions at all the right times. I guess most players probably do the same, but I tend to go through stretches where I get into more of a "tournament mode" or a "cash game mode." For most of this year, I've focused on mostly cash games.. but there are some nice scores to be made by going deep and winning the right tournaments. So for all intensive purposes, I've been trying to work on my tournament strategies and hopefully take down a big one.

I was able to freeroll my way into the FTOPS Main Event by placing in the top 72 out of 3600.. which was a tall task.. but I still haven't been able to go deep in a money event and cash for a significant profit so far in my poker career.

According to the pokerdb on Bluff Magazine, on Full Tilt under my screen name roccav, my multi-table tourney results are:

Total Winnings: $240.17
Biggest Cash: $106
Biggest Buy-in: $500 (which was freerolled because I satellited into the Main Event)
Avg. Cash: $30.02
Wins: 0
Seconds: 0
Thirds: 0
Final Tables: 3 (6.98%)
Cashes: 8 (18.60%)
Total Played: 43
Avg. Field Size: 697
Avg. Finish 45/100
Longest Non-Cash Streak: 10

I am slightly frusterated that I have yet to crack the top three in a big tournament. I want to believe it has to do with bad luck.. but I'm not sure yet. My sample is kind of small.. and I am cashing at a solid rate so far.. so it could be that I just haven't gotten the right situations at the right times.

For example, I played in Saturday's $2000 guarantee $24+2 buyin Razz event. There were 92 players and I felt I played very well. I was in the top 10 in chips for most of the tournament.. and when we got down to about 35 players.. my cards went as cold as they go. The best hand I saw that I tried to steal with in the late stages was a 239 with the 9 as my door card. A Queen brought it in, everyone folded to me two seats to his right. There's an 8 up in between us but I raise. The 8-up calls, bring-in folds and I proceed to catch a K and Q on the next to cards (which I saw for one small bet) as my opponent catches an A and 2. I lost 1/4 of my chips because the bets/antes were so high. I ended up placing 17th.. 12 spots were paid.

If anyone has input on my stats, I'd love to hear it. I feel that I play very well in the early stages of any size tournament, playing any game. But I do feel that I can be doing more in the middle stages, where everyone is making basically life or death situations.. If you've been through this kind of cold spell.. or the feeling of it, I would enjoy your ideas on the subject.

- Rocco