Building back confidence at the tourneys

A while back I wrote a post about losing confidence at the tables during a large tourney and how that had affected my playing.  In order to overcome that feeling, I have played in three Sit N Go’s with at least 27 people. I was able to win fourth place in one while not making the payouts in the other two. I felt a little more comfortable as a result.

The idea was to just play a hand at a time at a table and not worry about what was happening around me at other tables. Just doing so has  helped my concentration.  I even entered a tourney that had over 734 players and while I finished 262nd,  I found that my playing ability was passable.  Did I make a few judgment errors? Yes. Was I bluffed out of some pots that I might have won had I not folded? Yes. Did I win a few pots by bluffing? Yes!

It is important to make sure that you feel confident about yourself and believe in yourself before entering a tourney. Yes, there is some luck and you cannot avoid a streak of catching bad cards or playing good cards badly if you act unwisely.  But, if your overall play is sound, you will, in the long run, accomplish your goals.

How do you get ready for a large tourney? What helps you to maintain your confidence? Are you satisfied with your results?