Final Table Poker Strategy

The Final Table is where the big prize money in poker is decided. You might have been playing poker for hours (or even days) to get here, and now that you are, you want to go all the way.

There is one aspect of final table poker strategy that all players agree on: If you are playing to win, you need to be aggressive. If you have a big stack or medium stack you can keep attacking the blinds, and keep putting pressure on the players with less chips than you. They will often try to avoid situations that could see them eliminated, so keep putting pressure on them. If you are a short stack yourself, you must find a hand and be willing to go all the way with it. Be the aggressor and not the caller if possible, because that way you may pick up the pot when everybody folds. Also, be willing to make a move sooner, rather than later as a short stack; It’s better to take a risk early to try and double up, rather than waiting till your stack is so small that even a double up wont put you back in the running. No matter what your stack size is however, the focus must always be on aggression. In a poker tournament, it’s better to bust out than to fade away. If the other remaining players are only trying to outlast each other just to move up one rung or two in the pay scale, you will be able to steal the blinds and antes often.

The payout structure of most tournaments is designed in such a way that the top three places, and the first place in particular, award prizes are significantly bigger than the other places. This means that’s it’s almost always best to “play to win”. Keep being aggressive, keep making the most of any opportunity that presents itself, and keep playing without fear. Remember the golden rule of tournament poker:

Only by aggression can you gain an advantage!