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tournament's vs gambling
- Thread starter Flakid
- Start date
It is because you can lose. Gambling you don't have anything to fear you are in total control. In a tournament you are not, every match is sudden death. Gambling you can just play some more till you win. In a tournament you have to be nice, shake hands and go home with nothing.
In a tournament there is real pressure, screw up and you can be beat by anybody. The added pressure is real, It is not in your mind. I am not sure how you can train yourself to deal with it beyond not caring. That is an easy out, but most people I know care about losing. Since it is going to happen in tournaments you have to just suck it up and be nice.
You could of course as I saw a top money player do. Walk over to the guy and say, "Would you like to play some now for real"?
He will most certainly say no but at least you have gotten that out of your system. In tournaments, losing is part of the game. Maybe just that reality alone can take some of the pressure off.
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When you figure it out let me know...lol
I thought this thread is about Florida guy and getting over the tournament nerves. I liked your comment and added the tournament posters for him.
No amateur at Smokin Aces. Not enough tables.
Ray
simple, play in $1000 tourneys ($60 doesn't motivate you),
He said he's feeling the heat, so I doubt that motivation (or money for that matter) is the issue here.
Tournaments and gambling are a whole different animal. I'm the opposite as I play tournaments and only gamble on the rare occasion and struggle with it. You'll play better in the situation that you're most comfortable with, so if you want to get better at tournaments just keep playing in them, no matter how bad you play, and eventually your mind will adjust and you'll find that comfort zone.
Tournaments and gambling are a whole different animal. I'm the opposite as I play tournaments and only gamble on the rare occasion and struggle with it. You'll play better in the situation that you're most comfortable with, so if you want to get better at tournaments just keep playing in them, no matter how bad you play, and eventually your mind will adjust and you'll find that comfort zone.
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Thanks for everyone's input. Im just trying to reach out to anyone who had this same problem and overcame it. I have won tournaments, but let a bunch slip threw my fingers. Its get annoying after a while when it keeps happening. I work a lot and play in tournaments close by which isn't but ten a year maybe. But Im in action a few times a month. I just dont get it how my nerves bother me in a tourney and doesn't fade me gambling. Hopefully I will overcome it.
I once talked to a good player at a tournament that had never played a tournament before the one we were playing in. He said that he had never experienced his heart thumping and his hands shaking before when gambling. He said he didn't know how us tournament players can do it. He was always told gambling is where you get the real heart from, but after he played a tournament he changed his mind.
I still get nervous some times when playing tournaments even after almost 30 years of playing them. But the best advice I can give you is to keep playing tournaments until you feel more comfortable.
I still get nervous some times when playing tournaments even after almost 30 years of playing them. But the best advice I can give you is to keep playing tournaments until you feel more comfortable.
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I remember back in the 80's when road players were coming out of hiding and starting to jump into tournaments because the money was getting better. It was really tough for them to compete against the seasoned tournament players, even those who didn't play as well as them. Some felt so humiliated by their performances that they vowed never to do it again and went back into hiding.
Tournament play is a different mindset and you have to learn to adapt. It takes awhile to get the hang of it. Tournament play is loaded with surprises. You're switching tables, sometimes even switching balls, waiting between matches, the feeling of do or die comes often, and more.
Tournament play is a different mindset and you have to learn to adapt. It takes awhile to get the hang of it. Tournament play is loaded with surprises. You're switching tables, sometimes even switching balls, waiting between matches, the feeling of do or die comes often, and more.
^This
You don't get to re-flip the coin in a tournament. If you are gambling you can get stuck 4 games loser and still come back and win. Thats the difference.
A lot of the problem tournament players have gambling is lack of heart lol (they dog their brains out) and getting relaxed. Most players suffer from the latter anyways though. Just because you get up 5-7 games doesn't mean its over. Most players start to let up, especially in one pocket if they have a huge lead.
The problem a tournament player has gambling is, the decisions are not made for them. They have to decide if they should keep playing or quit. They have to evaluate if they think they can win or not.
In a tournament none of this comes into play. They pay their entry fee and play as hard as they can. Hope for a good draw but it doesn't really matter, they can't lose any more then they have already invested in the entry fee.
Some times they win and some times they lose but there are no decisions to make. Everything happens in spite of them, all they have to do is play, nothing more to think about.
The thing that harms and scares the gambler in a tournament is exactly the thing that helps the tournament player in a tournament, you have no control and no need to make decisions. The tournament player takes comfort in that.
That was my point, in a tournament you just show up and play the best you can. You may draw a world beater and he doesn't have to win. Once you have a little tournament experience you come to realize this.
You may never in a million years gamble with this guy but in the tournament in a short race you can still win. You know it and he knows it and trust me, it scares him a little.
Anything can happen, you may come right out of the box and before you know it this world beater is down 5 to 0 in a race to 9 fighting for his life.
You also have a chance to get loose and ready before a more flexible start time. In a tourney with only so many tables and a bunch of entrants you might have to jump up and play cold or only get to hit a few balls first. Then sit a long time before you do it again and again and again if you have the game to get you there
