A looser definition of MTT NLHE success

I've decided to loosen my definition of MTT NLHE success. Heretofore, it was achieving a percentile north of 60. As of now, it is finishing in a place which is less than double the number of paid places. By this new definition, I can claim to have played successfully last night - just barely :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      69   18    32        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,578,668
2020 balance: $1,603,343
balance: $63,411,353

Pure futility

MTT NLHE tournaments have a gold standard for futility - failing to outlast the late registration period. The ignominy of hitting the rail in this fashion? You can't be assigned a finishing place at the time of your ouster. All the tournament lobby can show next to your name at this point is a double dash. In my poker database, I record this as a 0th place. Last night I had a pure futility session. That is, I only played MTT NLHEs, and I recorded 0th places in all of them. It was the sixth multiple tournament pure futility session of my career. Ouch!

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      85   21     -        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      41   10     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,628,668
2020 balance: $1,653,343
balance: $63,461,353

Going like sixty

Tonight, I'm going to quote from an earlier post in which I quoted from an even earlier post. I'll have to use two different colors :-) Here's an excerpt of what I had to say on September 8, 2018:

The more blog posts you write, the easier it becomes to quote yourself. Here's what I had to say on June 20, 2016, in a post with the same title as this one:

To make the money in an MTT, you need to outlast roughly 75% of your competitors. Outlasting less than 50% of them would clearly be a failure. However, is there some percentage you could outlast, and still be able to consider it a success of sorts, even though you failed to make the money? I think there is, and I'm pegging it at 60. By this criterion, the first of the two MTT NLHEs I played last night was a success, since I outlasted 61.68% of my opponents :-)

I went like sixty for the duration of last night's session, though I failed to make the money. I have to believe better outcomes are coming my way.

Last night, I had a percentile of 61.84% in the one tournament I entered. As before, I have to believe better outcomes are coming my way.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      76   21    29        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,828,668
2020 balance: $1,853,343
balance: $63,661,353

A much better bubble

Last night, in the second tournament I entered, I bubbled the final table. That was a much better bubble than the one I'd had the session before, when I bubbled the money. In other news, I hit the rail on the final hand of last night's session in an unusual way, losing to a full house. Sheer overkill :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9      40    8     -        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      77   21     7   173000

delta: $73,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,878,668
2020 balance: $1,903,343
balance: $63,711,353

999? nein

Last night, I ran into a cooler on the final hand of the session. On the money bubble, I was dealt pocket nines, and hit a set on the flop. I went all in and got one caller. It was a set over set scenario; the caller had been dealt pocket kings, and had hit a set on the flop. If that isn't the cruelest way to bubble a tournament, I don't know what is :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      77   21    22        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,805,668
2020 balance: $1,830,343
balance: $63,638,353

I hope I shall arrive soon

This is the third time I've used this blog post title. Here's what I had to say the second time, on September 17, 2019:

The longest sojourn of my career between blue sessions is 381 sessions. My current one is 28 and counting. The longer I'm out of the blue, the less I like it. I hope I shall arrive soon at my next blue session :-)

I'm still on the same sojourn; its current count is now up to 174, good for the fifth longest of my career.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     104   24    61        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9      99   27    18    53000

delta: $-97,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,005,668
2020 balance: $2,030,343
balance: $63,838,353

The second cruelest uberflush

I wrote about the cruelest uberflush in my August 15, 2015 post; here's an excerpt of what I had to say:

Uberflushes are to be expected in Omaha; that's one of the many reasons I don't play Omaha :-) In hold'em, however, uberflushes are much less likely, and consequently inflict much more anguish when they occur. The cruelest uberflush is when you've made a king high flush with king x suited, and end up losing to the ace high uberflush.

Last night, my most memorable hand was one where I suffered the second cruelest uberflush. I had a queen high flush with queen x suited, and lost to a king high. Ouch!

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     148   36    79        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      77   21    47        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     117   30    67        0

delta: $-300,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,102,668
2020 balance: $2,127,343
balance: $63,935,353