The decisions. The emotions. The ups, downs, and make or break coin flip moments. Itâs all part of this beautiful game we call poker.
Anything can happen in a tournament. One moment you could be big stack and the next moment bust. In major MTTs and events like SCOOP, youâre bound to lose more often than you cash. It’s a journey, for sure.
Is the enjoyment of the journey enough? Or is it only possible to be satisfied with a tournament when you make the money?
We asked 2020 SCOOP winners, âAssuming you donât win, when are you happy with a big tournament performance?â
Hereâs what they told usâŠ
The path to success in poker
In an ideal world, youâd win every tournament. Thatâs never going to happen, and if it did your opponents wouldnât stick around for very long. In reality, even top players only hit the final tables a fraction of the time.
That said, how can players measure short term success at the tables? How do you know if itâs been a âgood gameâ when you donât win?
Main Event #96-M winner “LFFF22” explains, âThe right decisions do not prevail in the short term, so it is important to have resilience and understand that making the right decisions is the path to success in poker. Sometimes you donât win, but in the long run you will.â
Making the best decisions
Players are often content with their performance when they know they have made the best decisions. This sentiment is echoed in many of the 2020 SCOOP winner’s responses.
âI just need to have played my best in the present moment, resolving each situation the way I know best, hand after hand,â says #85-H winner Victor “victorbco” Hugo.
âI am content with a tournament performance so long as I made what I deem to be the best decisions,â says #95-H winner Troy âteckidtqâ Quenneville.
âI am happy after a big tournament when I played well⊠This is a game of chance, so someone can get a straight flush over your ace flush,â says #86-L winner Xiaoxiao âW.Leungâ Niao.
Niao also touches on a side point here. You donât have control over the outcomes of hands. You donât choose whether someone hits their draw or spikes their ace. All you do have control over is your own decisions.
Making the money
Ideals aside, we all know that going bust and missing the money is a horrific feeling. Itâs never going to be an enjoyable moment, whether it happens because of a mistake or bad beat.
Several 2020 SCOOP winners say that making the money is a factor when it comes to how happy they are with the tournament.
#87-M winner Tore âeagletore69â Pedersen says he is happy âto make the moneyâ, but also stresses that he will always âplay to winâ.
“TripleAjaxxx”, winner of #99-H, says, âTo be honest, I would never be happy with a tournament if I donât cash.â
Making the money takes a the pressure off. It means that those hours of investment have paid off in tangible terms. The only problem is, this would mean a lot of unhappy games if it were me playing!
Learn from your experiences
Tournament poker is an exciting game. The process of learning, practicing, and ultimately failing, eventually refines a player into a potential title winner.
âvpisjakâ shares his thoughts. âEven if I donât win in a big tournament, Iâm still happy I can take part in it and keep fighting, evolving, and doing what I love. You learn from your experiences. If you love what you do, you never give up no matter how it goes. Failure is a part of life and so is success. One canât exist without the other.â
This attitude seems to have served âvpisjakâ well enough. He now has a SCOOP title to his name after winning event #103-L.
The middle ground
Some SCOOP winners say they are happy when they make the money, others when they make the best possible decisions. âpingu2k4â, winner of #92-M, suggests there’s a middle ground.
âBefore playing any tournament, all the final table payouts look worthwhile. However, by the time you get there, busting out in anything but first place feels like an anti-climax. Thereâs always the lingering thought of âwhat ifâ. Thatâs not really practical or useful thinking, so recognizing that is important. I still get that feeling in tournaments, but if I played a good game thatâs all I really ask for from myself,â says pingu2k4.
Could it be the case that many players feel a sense of disappointment after crashing out, but have trained themselves in a more rational and practical way of thinking? We suspect so.
For #89-M winner âWill Eye Ammâ, happiness in a tournament comes from both the result and playing well. âI am happy whenever I cash and make a profit, but most importantly Iâm happy if I play well and lose to a bad beat, as opposed to losing to a mistake or being outplayed.â
Bonus tip: just donât lose
Not all the 2020 SCOOP winners we spoke to even had to be concerned with not winning.
âDonât win? Have you seen my resume? All I do is win,â says #97-M winner âTruthBeTold7â.
We did take a look at your resume. Itâs reasonably impressive… Bonus points for anyone who cracks TruthBeTold7âs aces!
Final question to readers: Is it the winning or the taking part that counts in tournament poker?
More wisdom from SCOOP winners:
4-step roadmap to winning a title
Six SCOOP winner’s tips
3 Things SCOOP winners do well
Common mistakes you’re making
Break free of your downswings
Mistakes are your friend