closing out a tournament, bubble to final table play

BIG MONEY TIME

i am going to look at one of the less discussed stages of a poker tournament. while correct end game strategy presents us with a wealth of discussion, this is usually focused on one or two narrower areas - bubble play and final-table play. but this leaves out perhaps the most important stage: the period of play between the bubble bursting and the final table starting. once the bubble passes, the tournament enters a crucial stage in which we need to position ourselves to take down the big money.

much has been written about how play tends to tighten up around the money bubble of a tournament. this used to be one of the most profitable times for the more savvy players, who knew to adjust their game accordingly. these days, of course, so many people are playing ultra-aggressive on the bubble that fewer dead chips are available. even so, sound knowledge of bubble strategy is still an essential facet of any successful tournament strategy, especially in larger events where the number of satellite qualifiers is higher. but what about when the bubble bursts?.

post-bubble, the same people you were looking to pound on a few moments earlier will ( mostly) still be in the game. how will their strategy change in the new phase of play, and how should your play adjust accordingly?.


mood changes

when the money bubble passes in any decent-sized tournament bursts, the tension that has built up while the tournament was hand-for hand is visably lifted. the most extreme example of this is probably in the WSOP main event where 60-80 tables full of people begin cheering and applauding. it is these very players who lose focus after the money is reached and begin making bad decisions.

this release of emotion tranfers through to the play of many people and it's no secret that play loosens up significantly at this point. since playing as opposing style the the current table norm is usually a profitable way to play, the money being reached should be your cue to tighten up and be much more selective about the hands you play and the opponents you play them against. identify those players who have assumed a newfound sense of freedom and are ready to push their marginal holding and risk busting out.

make sure you only gamble with these players when you have a genuine hand - dont try to push them off a hand and dont dont try to steal their blinds with particualarly weak holdings. that's something you should have been doing before the bubble burst.

once in the money. it's a good idea to set yourself a target stack for making the final table. how many chips will you need with nine or ten left to put you right in contention for victory ?. you are essentially looking for what you estimate will be the average final-table stack or better. this target will then stay at the forefront of your mind during the upcoming levels.

remember, winning any full-field tournament is a gradual process. first you need to make the money, then you need to reach the final table and then get all the chips in play at that table. you can't win a tournament with 50 players left, but ensuring that you remain in pole position as the final table gets closer will increase your chances and give you a signifcant edge.


key point

dont relax your game when you reach the money. your aim from this point on is to achieve and maintain what will be a likely average stack at the final table. dont do this by gambling with players who have loosened up after the bubble


changes in tournament dynamics

there are two factors that come into play deep into most tournaments, and as you pass the money bubble and approach the final table both of them become increasingly apprant :


1) increased short-handed play

most tournaments start ten-handed and for the most part tables will be balanced throughout the tournament to ensure play rarely drops below eight-handed. as we reach the business end of the tournament, however, short-handed play becomes much more prevalent. for example, at the stage where there are two tables remaining you may see two five-handed tables playing untill one more player is eliminated and we reach the final table of nine.

before that, table of six and seven will not be uncommon and people who fail to adjust for this are showing a big leak. some people may just have little experience of playing short-handed or may be so determined to get on to the final table that they are either failing to adjust or potentially playing tighter then they were throughout the rest of the tournament.

hand values go up and raising requirments go down as you move to short-handed play, and targeting those players who have not loosened up becomes key. experiment to see what your degree of increased aggression your table will accomidate and try and push the boundaries as much as possible.

2) escalating blinds and antes

as we progress past the bubble and head towards the final table, the escalating blinds and antes become increaslingly significant. you simply cannot survive by laying down moderate holdings and allowing the blinds to grind you down in your search for premium hand. not only is it essential to increase the frequency with which you steal the blinds but you should also be looking to find some key spots in which to resteal.

identify some suitable targets for a resteal ( usually players with a very high raising frequency ) and pull the trigger when the right situations arise. an obvious example would be coming over the top of one of their late-position raises. the risks associated with this move are more then justified when you are shooting for the top prizes and are looking to build your stack for an assault on the final table

terminology

resteal- an advanced play that involves re-raiseing over the top of a pre-flop raise with any two cards. the assumption is that the raiser is attempting to "steal" the blinds and will therefore fold.


i will carry this on an extra 2 blogs to make it easier to read