After a fun-filled 141 tournaments this month, I am finally in the green for a whopping 9.2 ROI and less than $7/hr.

Contrast to last month: 219 tournies, 83 ROI, $38/hr.

A problem I seem to have is that once I get to the final table I have an incredibly high number of ninth-place finishes.

This month I have 9 final tables and three ninths. Last month I had 19 FTs and three ninths.

So in total that's 28 FTs and six ninths. Is it a problem of maybe getting to the final table and then saying, 'shit, i made the final table, i'm happy and now i'll stop trying'? I'd like to think that isn't the case.

Looking back on how I got eliminated in ninth:
-Lost A9s vs AQo 4BB deep. (This was 10 hands after I lost JJ to AA 12bb deep for the chip lead.)
-Lost TT to AQo 8bb deep. I went AI on the button after a MP limper and was called by the big blind.
-Lost KK to 55 16bb deep for the chip lead. UTG and UTG+1 both limped, I raised 60% of my stack in UTG+2, folded around to UTG+1 who limp-RR all in.
-Lost QQ to AKs 11bb deep.
-Lost 77 to KTs 7bb deep.
-Lost 97s to AQs 6bb deep (my stack was depleted 14 hands earlier when I lost JJ to ATo 19bb deep)

I think part of the issue is that I do partially open up if I see the rest of the table tightening up. This creates situations where I might not have a premium hand. But it also means if I do accumulate chips, it increases my chances of a big cash.

So let's see how that is working out for me in the last couple months:
10 times I have finished first-third
9 times I have finished seventh-ninth

I'll take it, especially because (obviously) finishing 1-3 means a lot more than 7-9.

It's still frustrating though when I reach a final table to just finish ninth. For instance, yesterday I had a six-tourney session in which had five non-cashes and one ninth. I won a total of 48 cents.