5 Surefire Ways of Making The Final Table.

Entering into any poker tournament one certainly wants to take first place to take the prize and prestige, but in the world of poker first you need to put yourself in a position to win by making the final table (Usually the last 9 remaining players). For anyone that has ever finished 2^nd or 3^rd it can be a bit disappointing getting “so close” but keep in mind finishing in the money is really what it’s about if you want to be a successful poker player.

“Cashing” or finishing in the money is what makes you a winning player, not just the glory of taking the title. So here are a few tips to make the final table in any tournament to put you in a position to cash, or even go for the gold.

1. Establish a “tight” yet aggressive table image. In the beginning rounds make it clear to your opponents that you are only playing premium hands, not necessarily limiting yourself to just AA, KK, QQ, AK, and etc. but quality hands. In some cases when you raise with these hands and win a pot, you may want to consider showing on limited occasions. This is certainly and arguable point in poker, but if you show early on that you raised pre-flop with AK and hit one or the other on the flop, they will certainly take that into account when in hand with you at a later stage. When you do play a hand, play it aggressively. Setting this tight/aggressive image will be a benefit in later stages, and also open up some bluffing opportunities, as well as enabling you to change directions when you need to adjust. The key word here is image, not necessarily reality, but perception is reality!
2. Play only approximately 20% of your starting hands. In other words, you should be folding most of the time. Folding is not a bad or “weak” move in poker. Some of the best plays in poker are being able to get away from dominated hands that may have looked good in the hole until the flop. Don’t be afraid to lay down QQ for example if you had a few callers and A or K came out on the flop. If you’re getting called or you’re in position and someone is now betting into you, consider throwing the ladies away in this example.
3. Don’t look at your hole cards until it is your turn to act. This seems petty, but this does a couple of things: It lets you watch your opponent where you may get a sense of the quality of their hand or pick up on any potential tells. Remember you should be studying your opponents and getting a feel for their style of play, especially early. Also this will eliminate any potential tells that you may give off because you already know if you’re going to fold, raise, try to limp, etc. before it’s your turn to act. While not in hands, you should still be watching the game and trying to put others on hands. Watch professionals on TV, you will never see them look at their hole cards until it is on them to act
4. Rarely play in early position. There are too many people behind you to act to play mediocre hands in early position. Unless you look down at AA, KK, QQ, and maybe a few others, just throw them away. It’s certainly ok to try to limp with medium pocket pairs on occasion and see a flop and other similar situations, but set yourself a rule that in early positions (i.e. UTG, UTG+1, UTG +2, UTG +3) that you will only play a certain range of starting hands. Keep in mind this is going to change with fewer players at a single table. Obviously the fewer players at a table, the quality of starting hands increases. Of course raising in early position usually signifies strength, but be aware newer players behind you may not understand position yet and not recognize this.
5. You can’t always fold your way into the money. This is a big one! People have a misconception that they can just fold their way to the final table or into the money once they reach the top 9. Poker is obviously a game of math and odds; however it’s a misconception that the fewer players that are left give you a better chance at winning or cashing. It is the percentage of chips that you have compared to the total amount in play that gives you the odds of winning, not the number of players. A lot of players will tighten up when it gets close to the final table or the bubble (the last position that doesn’t pay). To an extent that is ok, but keep doing the things that got you there. If you try to sit back and let others knock each other out no chips are coming to where they should be…your stack! Take advantage of others getting too tight and be aggressive (Also be aware that aggressive and overly loose are 2 different things). If you are still in with 5 players total and you only have 5% of the chips in play because you have been folding every hand, but posting blinds that means the other 4 have 95% of the chips! That’s a big hill to climb, especially with quality players who know how to play bigger stacks. You will at some point be forced to gamble to try and stay alive. Always try to bring the chips home.

Follow these basic fundamentals and others and you will certainly see more final tables, more cashes, and hopefully more hardware on your wrist or mantle. Good Skill!

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