Poker Info Source

Your strategy may be working if you see yourself with the best players of the poker tournament on the final table. The kind of poker can be tougher since the skill set of your opponents will be higher. Most likely you haven’t seen much of them during the tournament so you ought to slow down and observe first how they play their cards.

Players on the final table will be going for the higher pay out rather than build on their stack. Expect players being more careful and each hand tighter than ever before.

During the first few rounds, learn if your opponents are aggressors, tight and willing to wait. Here are some strategies that you can use if you are the chip leader, when you have a short stack, or an average stack.

Chip Leader

It will be less nerve wrecking to find yourself with the tallest stack of chips when you get to the final table. You have to remember though that you still need to play precise excellent poker to win. As the chip leader, you can press on against the medium stacks who will most likely play safe and wait for other opponents to bet it all out and be eliminated. Raise when you think you have a good chance and grab some more chips.

The smaller stacks can be considered vulnerable but dangerous. See if you can play them hard and challenge them with your good hands. They can either push or stay away from trouble and it is up to you how you will handle when they try to steal the blinds. Don’t repop it unnecessarily with Five Deuce hoping to flop a wheel, but do play your King Queen Suited more aggressively, hoping your opponent will lay down his/her Ace Nine.

Average Stack

You need to spend a round observing how players will behave on the table. As a player with a medium stack, you can aim for smaller stacks or aggressive bigger stacks.

Be wary of the smaller stacks which will be trying to steal the blinds. You need to gamble a bit to knock them out of the tournament.

Bigger stacks who will be trying to steal blinds that often are also for the taking. Try to re-raise and most likely they will think twice of gambling with half their stack.

Short Stack

You don’t have much time to think or observe. You might have a choice between folding and going all in for good hands that you will get. Push against the medium stacks since they are more vulnerable to battle it thru. Larger stacks might be more than willing to risk some chips to get you out of the competition.