How to deal with bad beats on tournaments at final table?

MrCaspanMrCaspan Admin
in Brags, Beats & Variance
So question, how do you handle MTTs, playing poker for 3 hours to get to the final table and someone sucks out on you?

I had AKs on the BB and Cut off did a 3xBB open, everyone folded and I did a 3bet to which he pushed to an all in, I called.

AKs vs ATo (3:1 odds) the board ends up running out 69987

I had 75% odds pre flop then 78% on turn. 6 card would have split the pot, 4 for him to win! I know variances happen but man it's like I always get suck out on at the final tables.

This happened to me when I was at Waterloo poker Classic as well. I got final table and got 1 hand that went heads up all in and I was 3:1 and he hit his outs, then 3 hands latter the same thing happened again to put me out of the tournament.

I just don't know how people handle putting in all that time to lose to a 2,3, or 4 card suck out?

Comments

  • compueasecompuease Admin
    Are you related to DJ? lol... Seriously would you have wanted the villain to fold knowing what he had each time? If not then you can do no more and it really does even out over time. Start to count the times that your hand did hold up and I bet you find out that the % to win really does hold true.. All you can do is say, "well played" and move on to the next one.
  • moosemoose
    Chop if you can't take beats
  • MrCaspanMrCaspan Admin
    haha, yeah I know in the long run and over many times the odds will come out in your favor but what frustrates me is the amount of time put in and bad beats ends the tournament. In cash you just reload and keep going and deal with variance and it's not hard to continue playing.

    moose to your point it's not as simple as "if you can't take bad beats, don't play" that's a little over simplifying the question. it's not about the money either it more about how do you deal with variance when if you loose, you're out! I can't play more to hope my variance evens out.

    IE Let's put me in 20 x 3:1 heads up/all in pots in a tournament, let's pretend the odds work perfect and I win 15 hands but lose 5 hands. How does it matter that the first 15 were for small amounts but the 1 time of the 5 losses is for your tournament life. Sure variance was perfect but if you can't reload you are done.

    I guess that is more of the question about how to make money at MTTs when variance can hit at the Wong time in your favor and at the right time not in your favor!
  • MrCaspanMrCaspan Admin
    Oh and to your point compuease. You are 100% right I would take these odds any day in a tournament!! I want these kind of odds.. I do understand that part of it :)
  • compueasecompuease Admin
    MrCaspan wrote: »
    moose to your point it's not as simple as "if you can't take bad beats, don't play" that's a little over simplifying the question. it's not about the money either it more about how do you deal with variance when if you loose, you're out! I can't play more to hope my variance evens out. !
    Moose never gets upset when he gets beat as the favorite...>:D
  • BfillmaffBfillmaff
    the key is to recognize that the game never ends.. there's always the next one. Looking at busting a final table as "you can't reload you are done" is the wrong approach - you need to shift your mindset to simply getting past it and putting yourself back into that situation - and enough times that the odds will start to be realized.

    Sure you will remember the losses more vividly... but the larger the sample size the less it will matter.

    So keep getting it in good, you will be fine.
  • BfillmaffBfillmaff
    MrCaspan wrote: »
    moose to your point it's not as simple as "if you can't take bad beats, don't play"

    PS - To be honest, it really is that simple.
  • moosemoose
    All good reasons why cash games are superior to tournaments.
  • kwstevekwsteve
    Live is rigged.
  • woog30woog30
    MTT tournaments can be gut wrenching, the great majority of tournament players are losing players (at tournament results). Enjoy the social aspect of live poker and the beats are easier to take.

    The last 2 weeks I've played 2 local MTT tournaments, luckily cashed in both. In both cases I flopped 2 pr vs flopped str8 at final table. Poker variance!

    Get yourself to the final table enough you'll break through.

    Most important have fun, Poker is fun!
  • trigstrigs
    Remember that good players will get more bad beats than the average person because they get their money/chips in ahead more of the time. That's all you can try to do. That, and play cash instead of tournaments ;)
  • djgolfcandjgolfcan
    The reason I like tournaments more than cash games is the entry fee is all you can lose and you can turn it into 10 - 30x your buy in if you win, you can't do that in a cash game.
    I agree that it is frustrating but if you do the math, being a 75% favourite, if that situation happens four times in a tournament, the odds say you will lose one of them. Tournaments are a mine field, not only do you have to get lucky but you have to not get unlucky as well.
    My latest gross spot was the $2500 WPT satellite at Fallsview. 40 players get a ticket and we are down to 50, I have 20BBs left. I pick up AA UTG and raise, UTG+1 goes all in, I call, he has JJ and hits a Jack on the flop and has me barely covered and I am out.
  • MrCaspanMrCaspan Admin
    moose wrote: »
    All good reasons why cash games are superior to tournaments.

    100% agree with this!
  • MrCaspanMrCaspan Admin
    djgolfcan wrote: »
    My latest gross spot was the $2500 WPT satellite at Fallsview. 40 players get a ticket and we are down to 50, I have 20BBs left. I pick up AA UTG and raise, UTG+1 goes all in, I call, he has JJ and hits a Jack on the flop and has me barely covered and I am out.

    Ouch that has to hurt!

    Thanks to everyone else that posted. I really do truly love the social aspect of poker and the game itself, so online takes away from that. Bad beats after a long tournament with just music kind of sucks, feels like I wasted time but if I was being social it would for sure be different. I generally like to play 45 person MTT so it's not too long but 90 player MTTs take forever! It is like a mine field like someone said.. I have always played cash and just stated to get into tournaments more deeply as most of the games around KW are tournaments followed by cash and I want to play the cash more then the tournaments :)
  • BankItDrewBankItDrew
    I find maturbation and watching sports to help with the stress after an mtt bustout. Not at the same time though. The WNBA isn’t even good in that regard.
  • compueasecompuease Admin
    BankItDrew wrote: »
    I find maturbation and watching sports to help with the stress after an mtt bustout. Not at the same time though. The WNBA isn’t even good in that regard.

    Womens beach volleyball? Not that I am advocating that tho...
  • BankItDrewBankItDrew
    A Brazillian women’s beach volleyball team - now that’s something I can get behind.
  • MrCaspanMrCaspan Admin
    And no one seems to complain when you do this at their house?
  • BankItDrewBankItDrew
    Not yet.
  • EdtheTedEdtheTed
    As so many players say “all you can do is get all your chips in the pot with the best hand.” I always look up the odds to be precise and if I am ahead I am fine with it. I find listening to Boogie Woogie piano music is also good. No one can be frustrated after a minute of boogie woogie.
  • marbanmarban
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNe5npkio
    you mean like this Ed?
  • marbanmarban
    I thought I could cut and paste...……….anyway I was trying to put up Mess Around by Ray Charles
  • EdtheTedEdtheTed
    Mess around is not boogie woogie, but I think that it is perfectly acceptable.
  • ReefAquariumReefAquarium
    How to handle Bad Beats:

    Celebrate!

    High 5 the fish!

    Invite them to play cash games!
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