No Limit Texas Hold em Strategy: Bubble Play & Final Table Play Continued

Let’s address how to play once you have reached a final table, or made the money. Depending on what kind of multi-table tournament you are playing, this may come at various stages from the last 3 or 6 or 9 players left in the tournament, to the last 300 players left in the tournament.

I do thinking loosening up and being aggressive on the bubble is paramount to getting into the money and giving you a chance to win. However, once you have made the money, it is not a bad idea to reign it back in a bit. Generally, every person that busts out before you, moves you up a slot in the amount of money that you will be paid. Because of this, unbridled aggression is not usually the best strategy. Remember, if you have reached this point, at least a few of the other players here with you, and maybe most of them, will be good players. If you get too aggressive, they will identify it quickly and simply wait for A-K to punish you for playing A-T or A-J.

Also, there will generally be short stacks that will have to make somewhat desperate plays or be blinded off. Hopefully you are not one of them, thanks to the aggressive play on the bubble. There is really no reason for you to try to do too much and bust out ahead of these players. Let them make the questionable plays and bump YOU up in the money. There is no need to get caught playing A-6 off suit if you have a moderate stack at the final table. It just is too likely that you can move up in the money by doing nothing.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you cannot tighten up totally. You are still going to need to play strongly from position and not be afraid to raise big with your strong hands. You cannot count on getting good cards, so don’t think you can sit and wait the entire time for pocket K’s or A’s. However, you do not need to get carried away playing J-9 suited from under the gun, either. You will see some small stack at every final table who fold every hand just waiting for the bigger stacks to get aggressive and bust out, thereby moving them up another rung in the money ladder. Don’t let them do this.

Your goal should be to build you stack to put you in a good position to win, but you should also concentrate on moving up in the money as well.  I would suggest tightening up your starting hand requirements to be more in line with what they were before you got aggressive close to the bubble. This will also vary your play so that anyone who was at your table previously, will have a hard time getting a read on what you are doing. They will attribute your previous aggression as just a run of good cards, and now that you have slowed down again, when you make a pre-flop raise it will be respected.

Speaking of pre-flop raises, when playing a hand at the final table, I like to make at least a 3-4x the Big Blind& antes raise. If you have blinds of $2000-$1000 and antes of say $500, your raise of $10,000-$12,000 into a $3500 pot will scare off most of the others unless they have a monster. Many times, you can build your stack at a final table without ever playing post-flop until you have gotten down to 2 or 3 players left. Do not try to limp in in these situations. It is much better to show your strength and push people out, especially to avoid suck-outs.

If you follow these basics and perfect a final table strategy similar to this, you will find your bankroll increasing and you will be paid much more for the time that you have put into multi-table tournaments. If you would like to hear more about bubble play and final table strategy, check out my e-book, The No B.S. Guide To Winning Online No Limit Texas Hold’em, or see our website at www.internetpokercoach.com for live coaching sessions.

To purchase my 224 page ebook The No BS Guide to Winning Online No Limit Texas Holdem or live one-on-one coaching sessions with Chris Wilcox,  click this https://escient.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp
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For any questions, concerns, or opinions,  please email Chris Wilcox at chris@internetpokercoach.com

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