[WJL]

You know, I might be wrong, but I think . . .

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I also think the structure of a tournament makes a big difference here -- the more players and the shorter the playing time, the less likely that the cream will consistently rise to the top, because the luck factor, which we all know is huge to begin with, is going to be magnified.

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not =

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OTOH, I've been toying with the theory that superslow structures favor crappy players, since it makes it much easier to simply wait for cards.

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Just sayin' . . . sounds like us crappy players are going to win no matter what the structure is . . .

On the topic at hand, I think what I try to strive for is a sort of quiet focus that leaves my mind able to think clearly while retaining enough of that fear/desire to make possible the sort of gut-level decisions that are beyond the mathematics of the game. If I'm too wound-up, I can't think as clearly, but if I'm too apathetic, I'll miss some of the whispers from my gut that tell me something unusual is happening here. Can't always do it, but I try to practice it.