How to play in the final 3 players

CadoARAJ

CadoARAJ

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Some questions:
a) What is the best strategy to play in the remaining 3 players of the tournament?
b) Which starting cards are considered good in this cases?
c) In the pré floppy I must just call or always raise?
 
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karl coakley

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Aggression wins.

The "gap concept" or "gap theory" is that it takes a stronger hand to call a raise than make one. I don't need to have a good hand, I just need to have some balls and raise knowing the odds are YOU don't have a hand, regardless of what I have.

At this point, you can't wait for a hand. Any Ax, Kx, Qx is certainly raise worthy. If you are playing a micro level, this will be very successful as people are just waiting for cards. On higher levels, you will find this more difficult to do because the villains are more skilled and will play back more.

Learning short handed poker is a separate skill. I certainly would suggest 6 handed SNGs to get some experience.
 
CadoARAJ

CadoARAJ

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Aggression wins.

The "gap concept" or "gap theory" is that it takes a stronger hand to call a raise than make one. I don't need to have a good hand, I just need to have some balls and raise knowing the odds are YOU don't have a hand, regardless of what I have.

At this point, you can't wait for a hand. Any Ax, Kx, Qx is certainly raise worthy. If you are playing a micro level, this will be very successful as people are just waiting for cards. On higher levels, you will find this more difficult to do because the villains are more skilled and will play back more.

Learning short handed poker is a separate skill. I certainly would suggest 6 handed SNGs to get some experience.

Thanks. That´s certainly a good tatic to follow. And if you have a pair in your hand and more chips than the opponent [in a heads up], do you go all in on pré-flop?
 
tauri103

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Personally, if I'm chip leader in chips I play good cards until it remains only a single opponent.
if I'm not chip leader, I play aggressive mode without too much regard for my cards. Anyway when it remains only 3 players the blinds are too high your play your hands.


Posted by CadoARAJ
Thanks. That´s certainly a good tatic to follow. And if you have a pair in your hand and more chips than the opponent [in a heads up], do you go all in on pré-flop?


yes with a pair I play preflop.
 
tagece

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You must try to have the initiative of the game. You will be in the blind 2/3 hands and probably the antes will be very good at this time. If you play tight and passive, your stack will melt very fast.
 
CadoARAJ

CadoARAJ

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Yes, you certainly need to be agressive, but if you have a middle hand and you raise and your opponent re-raise, what do you do?
Ps: You have a Q - 4, not suited, and 100.000 chips. the blinds are in 5.000/10.000 and you raised to 20.0000 and the oponent re-raised to 60.000. Call, fold or all in? The opponent has 250.000.
 
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zawvc1

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I would go all in or fold so you don't lose money to hands folded preflop
 
tagece

tagece

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Yes, you certainly need to be agressive, but if you have a middle hand and you raise and your opponent re-raise, what do you do?
Ps: You have a Q - 4, not suited, and 100.000 chips. the blinds are in 5.000/10.000 and you raised to 20.0000 and the oponent re-raised to 60.000. Call, fold or all in? The opponent has 250.000.

If you raides with a speculative hand and didn't work, just fold. It's part of the game retreat sometimes.

But if you receive a really good hand after that, just play the same way, with the same bet value. Probably the villain will 3bet you again. Just call. If the flop helps you, just continue hiding your hand. You will extract a good value playing like that.
 
CadoARAJ

CadoARAJ

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If you raides with a speculative hand and didn't work, just fold. It's part of the game retreat sometimes.

But if you receive a really good hand after that, just play the same way, with the same bet value. Probably the villain will 3bet you again. Just call. If the flop helps you, just continue hiding your hand. You will extract a good value playing like that.

I like this strategy, my main fault in this game is to not fold when it´s necessary. Thanks.
 
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LalaBliss

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When there are remaining 3 players the tournament it depends if you are chip leader or not. If you are running out of chips the best is to go all in as much as possible. On the other hand, if you are chip leader you can play safe and let the players to kick one another out. However, the best would be for you to play tight-aggressive and kick them both out ;)
 
Senneville

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for sure the agression style will permit you to bluuf more on take and protect a hand. If you thing you are favorite to win a hand with your card push.
 
korneel

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Yes, you certainly need to be agressive, but if you have a middle hand and you raise and your opponent re-raise, what do you do?
Ps: You have a Q - 4, not suited, and 100.000 chips. the blinds are in 5.000/10.000 and you raised to 20.0000 and the oponent re-raised to 60.000. Call, fold or all in? The opponent has 250.000.

I would fold this hand. The best you can have is like a 60-40 advance(I don't see the oponent raising with 24 or something like that).

If you want to put in chips, go all-in not call. why?
1. He can think you have a good hand and still fold> 'free chips'
2. The only hands you are really behind are AA,KK and QX(being higher than 4)
3. If you do call you're pot commited and it makes the postflop hard(for instance when the flop is 24K)
4. When you do call and fold the flop you have only 4 biggies left, which is like 7 hands.(If the blinds don't go up and if there isn't ante).
 
CadoARAJ

CadoARAJ

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I would fold this hand. The best you can have is like a 60-40 advance(I don't see the oponent raising with 24 or something like that).

If you want to put in chips, go all-in not call. why?
1. He can think you have a good hand and still fold> 'free chips'
2. The only hands you are really behind are AA,KK and QX(being higher than 4)
3. If you do call you're pot commited and it makes the postflop hard(for instance when the flop is 24K)
4. When you do call and fold the flop you have only 4 biggies left, which is like 7 hands.(If the blinds don't go up and if there isn't ante).

Very good observation. Many thanks.
 
antonis32123

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I think it depends on the structure of the tournament , the same if it was sng . I mean if it's turbo , so the blinds go up very soon , so you need to shove more than call / you'll be needing more blinds than if the blind level was going up every 10 min . So if if it's turbo or higher it's a shove festival . You have bigger stack or position , these factors determine when to shove or fold . Most of the time you shove , the less big blinds you have the wider range you call when sb shoves , for ex in the BB if you have 10 bb left you might call with AQs+ AQo+ 99+ , but with 8 bb you might call shoves/all ins with AQs+ AQo+ KQs AJs 77+ etc , now this is not absolute , it's a guide more or less . The more blinds you have you shorten the range of cards you call . If you need to shove , do it almost always from position , start from low as K8s+, K8o+, Q8s+, J9s+, T8s+, T9o+, 76o+, 64s+ if you're the biggest stack or else ,start from A2+KTo+ QTo+, JTo+, T9s ,54s+ , if you're middle orsmall stack , a lille shorter range (aces K,Q,J-10 ,SUITED).
Now if you have more than 12 bb , play correctly , aggressively , raise the good hands as you know (now 3handed more hands of course) , try to follow the rythm of the other two , don't stay behind by not trying to take blinds/raising when you must raise , don't be afraid that sb might have a better hand .
I must say that it's kinda difficult for me to remember the exact hands to call or shove at every position , this knowledge is acquired by experience , or else/until then use a chart , there are many on the internet , charts about what hands to play ON SNGs , the same rules apply on the turnaments when it comes to the final table . Don't know if they have here on cardchat , try the one they have on pokerstars' pokerschool :)
 
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Running Nose II

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So much depends upon your stack, the type of player you are and the other two. I play aggressively on the good hands, raise or go all in in the small blind when two left, and play normal premium hands when UTG
 
CadoARAJ

CadoARAJ

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I think it depends on the structure of the tournament , the same if it was sng . I mean if it's turbo , so the blinds go up very soon , so you need to shove more than call / you'll be needing more blinds than if the blind level was going up every 10 min . So if if it's turbo or higher it's a shove festival . You have bigger stack or position , these factors determine when to shove or fold . Most of the time you shove , the less big blinds you have the wider range you call when sb shoves , for ex in the BB if you have 10 bb left you might call with AQs+ AQo+ 99+ , but with 8 bb you might call shoves/all ins with AQs+ AQo+ KQs AJs 77+ etc , now this is not absolute , it's a guide more or less . The more blinds you have you shorten the range of cards you call . If you need to shove , do it almost always from position , start from low as K8s+, K8o+, Q8s+, J9s+, T8s+, T9o+, 76o+, 64s+ if you're the biggest stack or else ,start from A2+KTo+ QTo+, JTo+, T9s ,54s+ , if you're middle orsmall stack , a lille shorter range (aces K,Q,J-10 ,SUITED).
Now if you have more than 12 bb , play correctly , aggressively , raise the good hands as you know (now 3handed more hands of course) , try to follow the rythm of the other two , don't stay behind by not trying to take blinds/raising when you must raise , don't be afraid that sb might have a better hand .
I must say that it's kinda difficult for me to remember the exact hands to call or shove at every position , this knowledge is acquired by experience , or else/until then use a chart , there are many on the internet , charts about what hands to play ON SNGs , the same rules apply on the turnaments when it comes to the final table . Don't know if they have here on cardchat , try the one they have on pokerstars' pokerschool :)

You just said a key word: follow the rythm of the ohter peopel and do not stay behind of them. Some tourneys I can do this and easily goes to the final tabel without sacrifices, but in other times, just as yesterday, even with premium hands, nothing goes in the rythm... Thanks for your tip.
 
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3 handed you'll be playing much more aggressively. Never open limp, 3 betting to resteal is a must, and never let your chip stack get so small that you're irrelevant and will be called by any 2 cards when you do shove.
 
Michel_11

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I think you must play more aggressively than at the early stages. The cards vs two opponents gain more strength, and playing forward I see more chances to win
 
CadoARAJ

CadoARAJ

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I think you must play more aggressively than at the early stages. The cards vs two opponents gain more strength, and playing forward I see more chances to win

It os true. The probability of perfect hands is very reduced to all three players and this simple fact is a signal to be very strong and agressive against your opps.
 
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CallmeFloppy

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I agree that aggression is key. Just don't be a blind bull rushing at every pot.
 
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This question can not be answered for you.

We have no concept of how you play/played in the said tourney to know how you look to the other two players. Image is very important and will help adjust the steal range for you.
Ignoring all these factors I would take a peak at payouts and if the first place is significantly larger with second and third pretty much the same,I look to push the other lower stack into dancing with me by overbetting/shoving and raising everything to isolate them.

I play a lot more aggressive at this stage but I tend to have developed a good read on the players tendencies and weaknesses.
Last night I was playing a guy that would spew on the turn if I was out of position to steal and I would just check and shove. Not everytime but it cost him. Thats a example of reads paying off later on.

Dynamics is important as well,its just to open a question to fit into your style as we all have different styles and one solution may totally disrupt the way you play.
 
9peso

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Play aggressive and sometimes bluff, because at final table all players are stressed.
 
Clark Kent

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If you have something that you consider like very good cards, you only call. Someone will raise to try you and then go all in. On the last table usually you dont get to see the flop. You raise, go all in or call others raise
 
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