need help late late in game

In late game I find myself wavering in making a move. Seems I make a move and get caught up in players drawing on flush or straights. Power play I get called down and on the river I get crushed. All help welcome

At the end of the tournament game is just all go to an all in with high cards. Just have to guess the moment and move all in.

I have the same problem late in tournaments. The best thing you can do is play statistically the best hands. The obvious is AA KK QQ JJ 1010 99...You should also play AK AQ AJ...Late in tournament play you will see alot of all in pre flop...these types of hands have a great chance of winning...suited high cards improve your odds a lot more. Suited connectors can be playable as long as it is for a good price. It also helps if you have a huge stack late in tournaments. That way you can wait until more people get kicked out. Around the bubble right before you pay day. People do crazy things and with good cards alot of people will make snap calls which will help you alot

I think late in tournament, especially with shallow stack, I would shove pre flop with like any high card combos and pairs and if you really shallow (like nearly out of chips shallow) I would take just one high card and pray it holds up but yeah timing would be everything in a situation like this

I would shove with high cards like Top pairs and try to get till the end.

Are we talking on-line ???
If so, Keep an eye out on the Boards, keep it tight & keep it real.

if u go all in
most of the times others will fold
dont be afraid to go all in

completely agree

The fear that I have deep is when I decide to make the one move I get caught, but hey you just have to gauge the situation, and make the best decision possible.. It is tough sometimes when you are worried about making more money, or getting caught... just have to not sweat it...

get your chip stack in good shape early even if you have to play hands you dont like you need to chip up during the mid way in the game or the blinds will kill you if the other players dont

Thanks all for your input, I found one thing that was happening. I'd get hit by a bad beat and focus on that player. It was like the other players were not there and I'd get crushed. So hope that may help some one.

The blinds and antes become so high that you will wither on the vine if you play tight. Bet for value and punish the small stacks if you are big stacked.

Some good advice here, also, If you get past the bubble, just sit tight for a while as many of the smaller stacks will start pushing now they made the money. By doing nothing, it is surprising just how far you can move up the leader board and as the reply above says pick your best moment, that's all you can do and pray to the poker gods that they seem fit to reward your efforts.

Good thread I too have this problem often I sit and grind until itm and then get very cautious and get ate up but im learning more and more thanks to the online poker community

I personally change my play up later in the tournament getting closer to the money. If you have an average chip stack getting really close to the money you should tend to stick to nothing but premium hands. Since one wrong move and your out with the blinds being big stick to good hands.
I recommend not pushing your stack on a draw and be carefull of AKAQ since they are not made hands. If you have to push pre-flop I would recommend pocket 10's or better.
Now when you get to the final table and your short stacked just sit back and wait for a good pocket pair if you can.
About a year ago I came into the final table the shortest stack and just let the players KO each other and I just sat back and waited for good pocket pairs. It worked out for me because I finished in 3rd place. Instead of getting like 50 bucks for 10th I got like 750 for 3rd.
You really have to change you play depending on your chip stack and how close your are to the money.
Thats just my thoughts.

is there a time to play slow.. with a large stack deep int he tourney.. or play as a big dog?

It really helps seeing how the action at the table is. If there are other short stacks, it helps to be acting late. If you are acting late, you can feel better about pushing with less great hands. If you are always acting in front of a big stack, knowing if he calls loosely on all ins or not is a big help about when you should act.

Don't be shy,play to win,if you think its worth playing play it all out

Always difficult late in game when and what to do. Since a good part of the game is luck, just wait for a powerful hand and go all in.....

There is a lot of luck late in the tournament, which is where my game falters. not because i don't do it okay (okay, not great), but because I just don't have luck.

If you wait for premium hands you will blind out unless you are already very big or very very lucky.

i like raising aces, even weak ones. remember if you have one then that's one less in the deck for them to have (obviously don't chip off with A2 or other crappy ones unless you or they are really short) and Ax is a large part of the calling range so the steal will work more often.

obviously table dynamics matter. Also look for the guy who is on a heater and catching everything (you will likely notice him from his big stack and very loose play). Don't steal if he's in the hand unless you think you have a profitable flip or better.

Getting to the final table with a decent chip count is what its all about. I don't really care about just making the money. I always try to tell myself play to win. Problem is late in a tournament if im not getting a few quality hands it's a problem. The other day I busted out 42 of 900+ in a tourney that had a top payout of 5k+ because I called a slightly bigger raise than I should have with suited connectors against the chip leader. Granted if it had hit the flop I prolly could have doubled up and been the chip leader but that hand was the start of the downfall. I still think it was a good idea but maybe I should have just continued to play tight and wait for quality hands. But you never know if they will come. And I hate getting blinded out.

If you're hesitant/scared to make a move deep then my guess is the $ means more to you then the win.

Try lower stakes where you can practice.

If it's a freeroll you're talking about, may the poker gods have mercy on your soul.

I play a lot of 0.27$ Tourneys and I'm Relatively new to Poker in General and for me to Learn how to go far, I had to spend both money and time on it to gain that experience. I now end up in the paid places 80% of the time and the only real secret for it is that I apply the advise I receive here to the experience I've already gained. It's also a matter of your emotional state and current streak for the day. If you've been losing a lot then take a break and play tomorrow. Keep a clear Head and don't take others luck on the table in a personal matter.

Interesting point,

Looking at the range you described it seems a bit tight for late stages when the blinds and antes are high. while this is a great range for early position I think you have to open it up a lot more from late position to pick up the blinds. on a side note I find it helps if you fold your btn or SB in unopened pots every once in a while just to maintain a tight image but generally if you don't keep building your stack your going to be in a spot where you have to shove A8s from early because of your stack size.

Another play that has helped me a lot is 3 betting late position raisers from the sb and bb with hands like A4 and even KTs some of the time.

Hope this helps

GL

This is some brainstorming because of the general nature of your question, so consider it some things you might possibly think about and come up with your own solution...
When you say "make a move" are you betting enough to make someone think twice about a drawing hand? Have you read the players well enough to determine if they will give up a drawing hand? Do you really want them to fold on a draw when you have a monster and it is possible that they will miss their draw? Are you remembering the river of some bad beats, but in general you are playing solid? What do you think other player's perception of you is at the table? Do you need to do a change in playing style every once in a while shake the dust off your skills? Could some 6 or 8 table sit-and-go play help your end game?
Also, maybe try this http://holdempokertrainer.com/wordpress/

Hope that may get some inspiration going.

Just noticed this, going on tilt can be a problem, especially with a troll. Maybe let someone else be sheriff and know that your chips are still there and you can get them back from someone else in the end if you are disciplined.

Man, i just love bigstack bullies final table. Their range of cards is stupid really. They are the reason you always have a chance, even if you tiny stack. They also think you are weak if you try to steal with a raise, so always all-in, and if you just call, some of them go all-in, knowing you weak. Some say always raise, but an excetion would be calling their blind with premium hands, acting weak. Watch them go all-in and then boom! Had a lot of fun doing this to these special people
"No one touches my blinds!" Lol, easy to outsmart.

I totally agree and this works as long as your stack is big enough to sustain the blinds for a while and i do this method also. I made it to the final table of a $100 freeroll the other night and was the lowstack at the table and just let the other players drop out and waited for pairs or premium cards and i ended up getting 3rd place but could have easily got 1st i lost with KK against AJ offsuit he hit ace on flop and my turny was over {all in preflop}.

play carefully with high cards u have to raise at least 5bb prelop and countinue betting if u hit the flop if u miss the flop and someone raise u have to fold
Play in late positions avoid playing in early positions

i see ure a tight player in late....thats cool because u willl go deep into mtts but if ure down to 20bb shoves any good cards...premium or position. but also tight game. dont call too much!

I think you need to combine the advice above.

1st, play aggressive earlier so you aren't a short stack later, but sometimes that doesn't happen....

2nd, shorten the table. The value of your hands goes up when you have fewer villains. You should be raising on the button and in the SB all the time, not just when you have a good hand. Adding the blinds and antes will really help till you get a premium hand. Don't play marginal hands from middle position.

This is where "gap theory" comes in. It takes a stronger hand to call a raise than make one. You can raise with 72o but it is difficult to call a raise with 72os.

is there any good book explaining the strategy of the late game in a tournament?

Well in late game you will need alot of luck. So gl with that.

Read Harrington on holdem. At least the first 2. They will help a lot.

thnx

Very basic solution- keep your stack around 20-25 BBs in middle to late phase. Do not shove if your stack is around 20-25 BBs. Play position wise. Stick to Better hands. Do no chase flush or straight draw till river. Eat small stacks when position and hands favour you. You will easily move to the final table.
In final table game is totally different. Here patience, skills, position and hand picking plays great importance.
Here you need to play wise and cool. There is no need of pre flop shoving.
Best of luck.

Yea I think shoving any premium hands late with 20bb or less is the best play regardless of position.

Great read. I learned a lot from it. It's very well written. One of the best manuals to learn poker.