corrections:

OK, so maybe I don't suck. I was beginning to wonder with so many seemingly bad losses... I took 2nd in a little higher-stake sit n go last night (was honestly the tightest stt I've ever seen: 36 minutes before the 1st bust, 46 minutes and still only 1 gone, entire thing took 90 minutes!!!). And I had plenty of time last night to review some of my recent busts from these things. I have been SERIOUSLY overplaying hands. One that comes fastest to mind is on the 2nd or 4th hand of a stt: I just say to myself outloud that I will be very conscious, and play carefully - aggressively, but carefully. I find JJ UTG+1, standard raise that's called by the small blind . I forget the flop, it's checked to me, I bet and am called. Turn is a J so I have a set, check / bet / call. River - half-pot bet, smells weak (there's a Q and an A out there I think - I'm hoping he's got 2 pair or top/top) so I push, INSTAcall -- broadway.

...and just after I told myself I would play "carefully," I don't even NOTICE that possibility. He had the open-ender on the flop, had that plus a flush draw on the turn, and hit it on the river.

Some of my play I did get supremely unlucky, but I also willingly put myself at risk with easily beatable hands -- if a river was checked to me, and I have a STRONG hand (but a non-nut hand), I pushed! Why? Well, I saw so many idiots push with say JJ on a A-K board, and get called by like 77 that I figured that's what would happen. Guess what? Sure, it did a couple times. But putting my tourny life on the line - when not necessary - is SILLY.

In the RPT forums today, someone made a post that reminded me of all this. I used to even say outloud on the river, "Well, you'd only call a raise if you've got a stronger hand, so I'll just call." No need to put myself at risk like that. Well, maybe if I'm getting short in a tourny and think I will be able to double - like the "gotta move or else" tourny time.

Tight / carefull / aggressive. That's my motto for now.