Final Table Strategy

By BJ VanderWoude
4-27-06

When playing tournament poker, the main goal is obviously to win, yet making the final table is an achievement in its own right. Making the final table means that you have outlasted everyone except nine other players and the final table payouts are usually a large jump from 11th -20th places. When making the final table there are several strategies that can be employed to help creep up some places and finish higher in the money.

There is a saying in competitive sports that states most players or teams who make the championship game for the first time do not usually win. The reason for this: “They are just happy to be there.” This is especially true in tournament hold em. I have experienced countless times playing at final tables where a player will be exited from the tournament in the first couple hands that are dealt at the final table. Many players will let their guard down once they have reached the final table, almost feeling that they have accomplished their goal. These are the types of players that you should be aware of as they will allow you to move up in the money without much effort on your part.

Making a final table of Multi table tournament at Full Tilt is a combination of patience, luck and skill. There is definitely an aspect of luck that is true in these tournaments because you are rarely allowed to make multiple mistakes and still finish high. The aspect of luck is more associated with your big hands not running into other big hands along the way, such as your K-K playing against A-A. These are the hands that will make you go broke and you will need some luck to avoid these situations. I like to start out tournaments rather loose playing a wide array of hands and then tighten up more and more after every period of blinds, eventually being at the final table and being extremely tight and selective.

There are several reasons to play tight at the final table. You can make the case that playing aggressive will allow you steal lots of blinds and thus accumulate massive amounts of chips, yet I would not recommend it to players who are there for the first couple times. The first thing you should do when at the final table is to make note of every player’s chip stack size and relate it to the current blinds. You know that a player with 20,000 in chips with blinds at 5000/10000, has to make a move quickly to avoid being blinded out. The payouts at the final table generally jump substantially from place to place, so staying away from action and allowing the shorter stacks to make their moves early will usually benefit you in a large way, allowing you to move up in the money without having to be involved in the action and risk your chips. This also goes hand in hand with avoiding action when there are more than two people involved in a pot. Why get into a pot without a very strong hand, when other players are putting their stack at risk.

Say your holding 10-10 in middle position, usually this hand is a middle strength hand in NL hold em that is a good raising hand but not a good calling hand. A player in early position calls and the player to your right, who is the chip-leader, raises double the big blind. Normally you have the option of re-raising and hopefully making the action one on one. In this case I do not even consider reraising, due to the fact that you have a player in early position calling, and you have the chip-leader raising. With other players behind you, you might be looking at three or four way action, which then makes your 10-10 a very marginal hand. I would fold this hand and induce the player in early position to battle the chip leader.

Position at the final table is very important, as it will determine where your chips go. By playing hands in early position you are asking for trouble because you are putting substantial chips in the middle without forcing an opponent to make a decision. With the blinds usually very large and antes getting up there as well, the most important aspect at the final table is to hold onto your chips. This will give you more rounds to play the blinds and generally speaking, allow the players with fewer chips to go out around you. The worst feeling at a final table is getting eliminated when other players are running out of money and about to be blinded out. You must still play your big hands as you are trying to win the tournament, but should try to avoid playing marginal hands especially in bad position. Hands to avoid at the final table with other players in or pre-flop raises are Q-J, K-J, 6-6, A-9, just to name a few. Obviously every hand has its own circumstances, but these are hands that generally lead to trouble because you are unsure of where you are at in the hand.

In conclusion, the best way to move up in the money at the final table is to abide by what I call my “NO CALL” rule. This means that I try to avoid simply “calling” hands. I would prefer to either raise or fold as calling is a certain way to watch your chip stack deplete. With no regard to your hand strength, if you are raising you are forcing your opponent to make a decision rather than you, which is where tournaments are won and lost. Whoever makes the most sound decisions, especially at the ladder stages of the tournaments, are usually the players with the best results. Remember this strategy and always try to think through every move before you make it, as this will also help after the tournament as you will be less likely to beat yourself up over bad decisions.