I've been getting deep lately in online tournaments, but seem to make some sort of wierd mistake that I can look back on and clearly see where it went wrong. Call it a brain fart or whatever, but for some reason I'm dominating early and mid stages and when it starts getting closer to the final table, I'm making mistakes.
Part of this could be because I recently went through a downswing and hadn't made it deep in a while, but I figured out it was something else. I'm getting anxious (in an excited, impatient sort of way) about making the final table and making a big cash and I'm narrowing my focus to my cards. I'm losing sight of putting others on a hand and I'm forcing situations in order to win a specific (sometimes insignificant) pot. I'm not thinking about any particular hand I'm representing and I'm just blindly being agressive without regards to my opponent's holdings.
Why am I doing this and what am I going to do about it?
It only makes sense that after hours of play you are going to have wound up tension from multiple coin flips and dodging miracle river cards. This can create an anxious feeling as you get closer and closer to hitting it big. It's certainly a normal reaction, but in order to excel at this game (and any other competition for that matter), you have to eliminate this emotional response...especially when tensions are mounting. It all goes back to that detachment thing I keep talking about.
So the first thing I need to do is recognize that the tension exists. Do a gut check...literally. When you're all wound up, your stomach muscels tend to tighten. If your stomach and shoulders seem to be tensed up, it's a good sign you need to do something. This tension needs to be released in order to think clearly and approach the end game as a new beginning.
What I have done in the past when I recognize this feeling is to Re-set my mind. Consider it half-time or a TV timeout or whatever, but there needs to be moments of stepping back and re-assessing your game plan.
How you re-set is simple:
Step 1: Recognize - Just keep a general tab on your psychological and emotional state throughout the game so you can identify when you might need to do something about it. It's not like you have to constantly monitor yourself and make it a big deal, just be able to determine if your play is being affected.
Step 2: Relax - Step away from the computer (or table in live play), get a drink, stretch, take a big deep breath, shake it off, yell out, etc. Whatever works for you to break the tension and clear your mind, do it.
Step 3: Re-Focus - Take a look around the table. What are the stacks like around you, what are the emotions like of the other players, what types of plays are optimal based on your stack size and these other situational factors? In other words, determine a proactive game plan moving forward instead of being subjected to the luck of the cards. Thinking about the future helps you focus on the end goal and how each decision impacts that.
So moving forward, I'm going to incorporate this re-set plan as a regular routine for tournaments. I'm not necessarily going to stand up from the table everytime things start getting heated. It may be as simple as taking a quick breath and adjusting my game plan to the dynamics of the table. But I will definitely start using it to keep a clear, focused and determined mindset to take down more final tables.
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