Final Table Tournament Strategy

Most poker players are just happy to make it to the final table but this is where your poker skills really shine through. The final table separates the big winners from the people who go home with a small consolation prize. Just take a look at the differences between the payouts for people who place 9th to the people who take first, second or third place. If you play hard and play like you want first place, you'll make a great showing no matter what happens.

At every final table you'll find a mixture of people who barely crawl in with short stacks, people with average sized stacks and a giant stack or two. The strategy you employ will mostly take stack sizes and player styles into consideration, as well as your position relative to each person.

If you reach the final table with a short stack you're going to need to play aggressive just like you would with a short stack at any other point in the tournament. Your only moves should be folds and all-in raises. Look for opponents with medium stacks and try to push all-in when they have the blinds.

You can't afford to wait around for good hands at this point. The blinds will eat you alive if you sit around so stay alert and steal everything you can. If you catch a strong hand, play it the same as you would any other steal - push all-in with it. Your opponents will know something fishy is up if you try to get fancy and limp in with a premium hand. Instead you should disguise it by playing it just as fast you would any other hand.

Don't get tempted to sit around and wait for other players to knock each other out either. You'll be lucky to make it up even one spot on the payout ladder playing like this. The whole table will be rooting for you to be knocked out first and the big stacks will avoid each other until the very end. You need to go for broke here because you're not going to get any help from the rest of the table.

As a medium stack you can afford to wait a little longer for strong hands but keep a close eye on the blind levels. If the blinds move up and you're still sitting on the same stack, you'll suddenly find yourself in a precarious position.

Take notes of your opponents and put pressure on the ones who fold the most. Other medium stacks are great targets, especially the ones who are playing just to outlast the next guy. Stay away from the desperate shortstacks and the confident big stacks. They'll both show no hesitation in getting it all-in against you.

If you're lucky enough to reach the final table with a big stack, you can push people around and start hunting the medium and short stacks. Don't be afraid to get it all-in against the short stacks because every time you knock one of them out you move yourself up one place in the prize ladder.

You can also pick on the other big stacks if you want to but be ready to insta-fold if they put up any sort of resistance. The last thing you want to do is blow a big stack at the final table of a tournament. If the other big stack is an aggressive, smart player just avoid him as long as you possibly can. There's no sense in battling it out against smart big stacks when you have a table full of other people you can knock out.

When it gets down to heads-up play, you'll want to be super aggressive. Make a lot of bets and raises but don't ever call unless you're floating or slowplaying. You should be raising the button every chance you get and rarely should you just limp in from the small blind. Keep the aggression high but don't get it all-in unless you become short-stacked or catch a strong hand.

From the first hand of the final table to the last hand of heads-up play, the pressure will increase bit by bit. The best way to stay cool is to just focus on making the best decision each hand you play. The time will move faster, you'll make better decisions and you'll play with more confidence.