Tournament Strategy: Win the Final Table

Reaching the final table of any online poker tournament is a great achievement. You will already have made a good profit compared to your initial investment. However the ‘top heavy’ payout structures of poker tournaments require some strategy adjustments at the final table that many players fail to make – costing them dearly in potential profits. This article looks at how and why you should play to win at the final table.

Firstly we examine a typical payout structure for a final table and highlight the differences between placing and winning. Next we look at the critical factor of stack sizes (both your own and your opponents) and how this affects strategy. Finally we look at the tendencies of individual players and how to use information gained on playing styles to your advantage.

Payout Structure

Here are the final table payouts for a small tournament at a leading poker site – the buy-in for this tournament is $11+$1. This tournament was played at PokerStars.

1st Place: $594

2nd Place: $396

3rd Place: $235.62c

4th Place: $158.40c

5th Place: $128.70c

6th Place: $99

7th Place: $69.30c

8th Place: $51.48c

9th Place: $33.66c

Once you reach the final table the facts are that coming 1st will pay for more than 17 last place finishes. Your aim should be to reach the final three places at the very least, as this is where the bigger payouts come into play.

To demonstrate the effects of the payout structure on your strategy imagine that you have an average stack (no micro stacks) and are presented with a slightly positive expectation decision early on. For example you have a pair against an opponent’s ace-king with ‘dead money’ already in the pot. Winning this pot will give you a big stack, with a great chance of accumulating more chips and getting a final three finish. Losing will leave you out in 9th place. The average of the top 3 spots is ($594+$396+$235)/3 = $408, if you took 100 ‘coin flips’ in similar situations then the bigger payouts for these finishes would more than compensate for the small payout for 9th place. When you have a positive expectation bet then this effect is even more marked.

Of course other factors also come into your final table strategy. The presence of diverse stack sizes is one of the important elements involved. Micro-stacks, those players with one or two big blinds only will have a marked effect on the strategy of those players with medium stacks. The ‘comfortable’ stacked players will be reluctant to bust out while one or more micro-stacks are still at the table. This, in turn, presents you with some great opportunities to steal the considerable blind and ante money from those medium stacked opponents.

Profiting from the Big Stacks

Big stacks are often (correctly) aggressive at a final table – picking up many pots uncontested from players who wish to move up in the money. If your objective is to ‘play to win’ then being aware of profitable opportunities from big stacked players is a key strategy. Big stacks will often raise ‘light’ to take the blinds and antes – if you have a medium strength hand you will often be able to re-raise as a semi-bluff. Your hope is to pick up the pot without a fight – however if you are called then your hand has a good chance of winning a showdown.

Finally, playing to win at the final table involves taking account of the tendencies of your opponents. Here watching the play from 3 tables (for example) before the final table may allow you to take notes on the betting patterns and styles of individual opponents. Many players will be looking to move up the payment ladder once they reach the final table. You should identify these players as early as possible and exploit this tendency by raising their blinds often.

To summarize, playing to win at the final table of an online tournament will give you the highest return over time. Because the payouts are ‘top heavy’ the times you gain a healthy stack to hit the top 3 will more than compensate for those times you bust in 9th. Positive and aggressive poker which takes advantage of the stack sizes of your opponents (both large and small) and their known tendencies is the best way to achieve this.