Hello 2+2, my first post on this sub. It will be short because english is not my language and I don't think I can explain it deeper, anyway is simple: I just do stupid moves when deep in tournaments.

I don't know why, I just do it. Example: I had 28 bb and get deal AQo in BTN. 80 left in a 3k people tourney. UTG pushes 22 bb (he had 10bb last rounds and win a pot with A3). I call.. I loose to AK

Do you know anything to read or to do about this leak??

You need to learn the ranges you can play against this or that seat/player with this or that stack sizes. Against an early position raise in a full ring game, there is no shame in folding AQ, or even JJ if you sense it as so in a bad stack situation (not deep or shallow enough, like in your case).

20 bb vs. 2 bb open is generally an all-in or a fold with the antes but in practice, there are other options and they are subtle. Here UTG goes all-in and it is "basically" the same thing but you have fewer options. If you think your hand is good enough, you call, but it is not unusual for some players to go all-in with AQ+ for that big or so (you make a note), and calling with AQ is probably a mistake, especially vs. this early player. So, the size.

1) Diagnose exactly what the problem is. Is it that you generally make bad calls? Or that you get too aggressive and bluff away your stack? Exactly what mistakes are you making?

2) Why do you think you're making those mistakes? Is it fatigue or boredom? Ego? Or is there a flaw in your technical game, ie, you have to do some off-table work on push/shove ranges?

Hi guys, thanks for the answers. I don't think my leak is a game/strategy related leak. I just do stupid things when I go deep in tourneys.

Another example: Bounty bulder 4,40, 78 ppl left. There was this guy who won last hand and got 20bb. He pushed I don't remember exactly but they were 2 not suited broadways and won. Ok.. now he has 20 bb, He is an unknown. I am at BTN seat and get dealt KQo. with 13bb (next blind lvl is in 4 min). He is at CO seat, folded to him, he opens x3 and I push him..... insta, automatic push

That was realy stupid. In those moments I just don't think and press the buttons.

Another good example: Ussualy when deep in tourneys and I have a good stack like 40/50bb I KNOW and REPEAT TO MYSELF all the time I mustn't call bets post flop OOP to get proyects, or 2 barrels with 2/3rd pair in BB. Then for a second I forget and just do it.

All this mistakes are not a problem for me in general, I mean I understand they are mistakes. I can't say I never make them in other scenaries because never is too much but I think I handle it ok. Fatigue or boredom I don't think could be, maybe Ego.. if it means not believing villains bets and strenght to death.

From my point of view there seems to be some deep desire of not winning. This is not a "tought proccess" it comes to me at the moment in feelings. Like some kind of adrenaline.

Anyway I think I am doing fine in general. I play almost 75/80% multi table sit an gos and some mtts. My problem comes when deep, specialy in "big" prices mtt's (from my micro stakes wiew, like 4.4's, 3.30's. etc)

I always make the same blunder twice before I learn it; both in cash and tourneys. It is in a lack of attention and experience as combined in my case. A second later you are kicking yourself and can't believe you did it.

Even when the opener rates to be a bit tighter than JT+, for only 13 bb, I would find it difficult to not move all-in with the 2+ bb dead money and 5+ bb that I pick if all fold. If I had 20-25 bb, I would need to be pretty sure I am 3-betting the right man.

It sounds like you have trouble backing down to aggression - when someone bets you end up either playing back at them or calling down, even though you know you shouldn't. There's probably something psychological underlying this.

Have you heard of Elliott Roe? He's a hypnotherapist and mental game coach who works with poker players and mixed martial artists. A couple of times I've heard him share an example that you might find interesting. He had a client who had a big leak in his poker game of not backing down to 3-bets. He hated when people 3b him so he could call or 4b way too often, and end up losing big pots. Through his work with Elliott he realized that the source of this issue was that he was bullied as a child, and when someone 3b him at the poker table it made him feel bullied and he reacted emotionally by wanting to fight back against the 3b.

So maybe for you there is something psychological or emotional about these situations that make you reluctant to give up on pots?

I will look for Elliot, thanks. What you say is kind of true but it just happens when deep in tournaments. I mean, I am just a fish who wants to play poker for real, but these situations are like 6471849653 says: is a blank mental moment, then (and even while) you can't understand how you did it and feel stupid.

Hey tucanroman.
Reading this thread strikes a chord as I recognise something akin to your problem in my own behaviour. Been with me since childhood.
I suspect my own issue is something to do with a fear of success.
My first experience of this was one time when playing football (rugby) as a child. I found myself in the clear, racing down the sideline with nothing between me and the goal line. I was going to score. All I had to do was a simple sidestep around a defender who I knew was slower than me. The small crowd was cheering me on and I was about to score the winning points in what would have been the team's only win for the season. For some reason, instead of avoiding the defender, I let him tackle me and lost my chance of scoring the winning points. To this day (40 years later) I have no idea why I wasn't able to complete the simple task of avoiding that defender. And I didn't just not avoid him. I actually slowed down and allowed him to tackle me. I'm sure it was a mental thing. I subconsciously sabotaged my chance to be the hero.
Here's another example:
You know those radio quiz shows where a listener calls in? I'm a truck driver, I listened to this quiz show every night, and one time I decided "what the hell" and I called in. I was fortunate to be chosen as the guy to answer the winning question. The question was on a subject I am practically an expert in. Australian Numismatics. I collected and dealt coins, banknotes and stamps for a number of years and have more knowledge on this subject than probably > 95% of the Australian adult male population. The question? What was the highest denomination Australian banknote after Federation? For me this question is similar to asking a soccer fan how many players are on each team.
Imagine that soccer fan (who knows damn well the answer is 11), saying 13. That's what I did here. I gave an answer, not consciously, that was obviously wrong.
If I wracked my brain I could come up with other examples where I've done stupid **** that has prevented me from succeeding in something.
It's an unconscious thing, and I believe it stems from a complex fear of success.
If you follow through on the Elliot suggestion you might find something there as from what info I have found my problem isn't unique to me. Identifying and accepting the issue is the first step in dealing with it.
GL.

Elliott has also talked about the subconscious fear of success and how that causes poker players to sabotage themselves. The source of the fear of success might have something to do with the fear of the pressure and attention that comes with success, or it may be the fear of no longer have something to work towards. For example suppose I'm a professional poker player and my whole focus for years has been on working towards a huge tourney cash. Now I'm in position to achieve that goal with a mountain of chips on the final table. If I win this thing I achieve my goal...but what then? What comes next? What do I have to work towards if I achieve my goal now? So I end up punting off my chips on a couple of big failed bluffs, finish 7th, and I can wake up tomorrow and continue working towards my goal.

Human psychology is complex and fascinating.

I reached a FT 2 days ago. I focus a lot on this and managed to survive with 15/50 bb all way to FT. I think I found another clue: My desire is to get to the point of living of poker, and quit job. But I am realistic, it will take long or just never happens, but I will try. I managed to take it serious when I quit one of my jobs and couldn't put my money on this anymore, it was 1 year ago. I used to just gamble because I worked 12-14hs a day an poker was just my hobbie. Then, out of money, I found myself with just $13 and no chance to charge more. So I started to do a proper bankroll management and play for 3 months only 0.25 sit and goes. Then $1, now I am arround 1k bankroll and I haven't play out of bank never again in 1 year, so I think I don't have a problem with that.

I realy want to achieve like 10k someday and try to live of this. So... I was deep in this 1,10 bounty bulder 3,5k gtd, trying to focus a lot in not doing stupid stuff. And there were moments when I feel like messing it up, and the feeling was like: "I don't care" with some of "this is to much pressure and I want it over"

Will work on this. Anyway I did fine. I just loose in 8 place because I need to study more ICM

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/2...-spot-1720703/

I think I found something "new" about this.

Yesterday I end up 4th in a Mtt. But this time I was a bigstack or sometimes had a "good" stack over the last 100/ft bubble. This almost never happens, I am always in survive mode. And I found that I felt like "meh" with this.

Maybe deep inside is kind of a gamble issue, needing to be near death and how it feels.

Or maybe it's not a fear of success but a fear that you will lose. You so afraid of that you actually starting to believe that you won't accomplish anything serious in the tournament. You overwhelming yourself and starting to give up. Because it's not that easy to go deep in a tournament especially when you are not playing many tables. And when you do go deep this could apply so much pressure on you. Maybe try to play more tables so you could go deep more often or try to play something like mtt sng where path to the final table is much shorter. Try to listen music to relax. And just accept the fact that you probably will not go deep in the next tournament that you gonna play because its not that easy. And when you do go deep you could not hit the FT - it happense. Except it, relax and just focus on your particular hand you playing. Play hand by hand. Don't go any farther (of course keep in mind ICM). It's like solving quizes or something. And always try to study something poker related. Wins will definitely come. Hope, it will help you.