The past few days I have discussed the four stages of tournament play. Today, we have reached the Final Table.

My intention is not to tell you how to play tournaments, specifically the final table, but rather to give you an indication of what to expect. Making it to the final table can be both exciting and terrifying, especially your first time there. Your heart is beating a mile a minute, and it can be hard to focus on the task at hand. 

Your ultimate goal is clear – to win the tournament. However, there are still a number of steps you must take before you can walk away as the winner.

Once at the final table, every move begins to count more than ever before. If you play too weak, the other players WILL notice and will try to run you off pots and blinds. If you play too aggressively, well…there are certainly players and Pro’s that believe you can’t be too aggressive at a final table - this is a matter of opinion. I’m not going to argue that point, but I will caution you on a few things:

All the players are tired after playing for (usually) over four hours. Chances are they are feeling impatient and want the tournament over with, so may be making moves with lesser cards. Again, the blinds are huge at this stage, so you (and the others) don’t have as much freedom to wait for premium hands. That said, if you are pushing aggressively with KJ or something similar, their loose call with A-rag could be enough to seriously dominate you. It is important to play smart against the short stacks. They are liable to push with just about anything to regain some chips, and in many ways are more dangerous than the chip leaders. 

Finally, the best advice I received after winning a tournament was: walk away. You are on a high, your decision-making abilities are affected, and worst of all – you feel invincible. You aren’t. Though this is a great feeling in every other aspect, it is detrimental to your poker game. Resist the urge to buy in to another tournament right away, and take a moment to enjoy your victory. You have earned it.