Final Table Psyche

Degen · #1 08-22-2005, 08:43 PM

I'd like to know how the better players approach the final table. I tend to get really pumped up and fall into one of a few traps because of this...trying to run over the table, fancy play syndrome, lack of patience etc. etc.

After surviving a massive field and bringing a healthy stack to the final table, it is natural to be excited about this...but this is where most of the money is made, and i think my best work is being done PRIOR to this piont, not at this piont.

How do people keep their focus? Keep their cool? Keep their mind off of the vast sums that lay before them?

gobboboy · #2 08-22-2005, 08:47 PM

I have the same trouble. I punted a 10x bb stack of about 300k when the average was about 250k with 13 people left on a blindsteal when I should've easily made top 5 with some smart play.

Now I try to keep myself busy so I don't get impatient trying to build a big stack. Listen to music, watch a video while you're playing (until a big hand comes along). Blind steals are the easiest part to screw up on later in the game, so open pushing is the easiest way to minimize play errors.

JohnFR · #3 08-23-2005, 01:14 PM

Once I get to the final table, I usually try to figure out how many chips are in play and how big the blinds are.
So let's say there were 2200 entries on a party multi, so there are 2.2 million chips. If the blinds are 10k/20k(I think this is what they were at) then I think well if I was playing a $50 SnG there would be 10k chips so there are 220 as many chips I take 10k/20k and divide by around 200, so I would imagine there was 50/100 blinds. I then figure out what each person's stack would be with blinds of 50/100, by dividing everybody's stack by around 200, so if I had 200k chips it would be like having a 1k stack.
Because the big money is in the top 3 in a multi, and in a SnG only the top 3 pay, you should play almost exactly like a SnG with whatever blinds you calculated and whatever stack size you calculate. Always keeping in mind how the other stacks are playing. If there are some kamikaze players trying their hardest to stick their chips in every hand I wait around just like I would in a SnG unless I pick up a great hand. And if the table is playing super tight I try to pick up the blinds.
These are just my suggestions, SnG's should prepare you for final tables as they are very similar. In SnG's usually I try to lay back a bit until the play gets to 5/6 handed unless I pick up great hands or my stack is so short I have to make a move.