Final Table Strategy

Bananna man

I'm not a big tournament player and have never made the final table of a big MTT, but I watch them sometimes for the experience, and the play is quite different.

There is a big difference in money between 9th and 1st, and the blinds are big. People aren't looking for confrontations, they push all in with their AK's and QQ's and pretty much hope everyone folds unless they are getting down in chips.

So, dealing with this type of play should change your game strategy.

Imagine you are sitting at the final table of a $30 rebuy with 8 left. There is no one so short-stacked that they will be forced to play within the next couple of hands, but the blinds are big. The play has been mainly all in or fold, with an occassional limper or 3bb raise that usually ends up folding to an all in.

You get dealt pocket Aces and you are first to act. Do you limp, make a 3bb raise, or go all in?

Discuss.

aidankk

limp,

anyone in late position with q 10 or higher is likely to go all in anyway, if not they will push with top pair after the flop..

There is no way at this stage of a tourney that there will be more that 3 in a hand, because if there are a good few limps, someone usually tries to take it..

Only one prolem with this if you are going all in every time you play, someone might notice the limp and not reraise, but in general most final tables have enough bad players to make the limp more profitable...

Ollieboy

You put in a small raise,(any raise at this stage of MTT is big enough) this will let someone come over the top of you and let them think that they might be able to push you off the hand. If another player as a pair, you going to get action, but Ideally you want a AK or AQ to call you or put you all in.

The raise, gives the other player something to push you off and it also stops other limpers coming in and getting lucky with q 10 etc, you want a straight race in this position and the chance to double up, anything bigger might put people of calling you seen your in an early position, but it would also indicated that you dont want to be called, which could be a small pair, so its all about mind games.

Iago

all-in

Iceman78

Not sure about limping as you may get a few more limpers and then blinds may just check and see a flop. Dont want to see a flop with 4 or 5 players as easy to get outdrawn.

Been to a fair few final tables and my play here would usually be to make it 3xBB, usually you will either win the blinds, somebody will come over the top or you might get one caller.

All of the above situations work out very well as bullets plays very well heads up. If somebody comes over the top, happy days. If you rob the blinds, that is ok too.

Dont slow play at this stage of tourney as you dont want a multi way pot with bullets.

connie147

A limp from UTG on a final table smells of a big holding so the only action your gonna get after the flop is from a hand thats probably ahead of yours. I would raise 3xbb in that situaton(at least) and sometimes just go all-in.You'd be surprised how many donks would call with A-Q or K-Q thinking your aggressively playing a small/medium pair.

Iceman78

One other thing you have to remember is how aggressive people are at the final table. If either or the blinds are very aggressive, you may gets lots of action with a small raise.

It also depends on how you have been playing so far.

Gholimoli

never limp.
UTG limp on a final table with big blinds always always raises alarm bells.
a raise will put you on a wide range of hands as people would raise with a lot of hands here.AA falls in that range but so do alot of other hands.
also blinds being big its good enough taking the blinds and certianly much better risking playing AA on a 784 board against the SB and BB in an unraised pot.