I keep busting out just before the final table!!??

[DaFrank]

IDK what my problem is!!! I do fairly decent most of the way through most tournaments and then for some reason I just fall apart at the final couple of tables and most importantly right before the final table.

Last night I was in just a little 10$ freeroll on ACR. 684 people total I believe. I obviously had my ups and downs throughout the tournament, as everyone does.. but for the most I had a pretty healthy chip stack the whole tourney. At some points being well above the average chip stack.

Getting down to the final 15 players or so I had 60,000 in chips, in 8th place. At that point in the tournament you hardly ever see a flop because the short stacks raise all in whenever they have decent cards and the bigger stacks raise well above the big blind to steal them.

At that point I guess I just get nervous or something and am not sure what to do exactly. So when I get a couple of cards to where I decide to raise 3 times the big blind at 1000/2000 to 6,000, someone raises me 12,000. I have 10/J suited and am now not sure what to do so I make the call anyway. The flop is AJ9 and the person I'm against bets 24,000. I panic and raise ALL IN hoping that he doesn't have the Ace and will fold. He calls and flips over KQ and the turn,river is 2,10. He hits a straight and I bust out in 11TH FREAKING PLACE when obviously only the top 10 are ITM.

This happens to me over and over and over. What should I do? What would you have done? Should I just hold on the decent chip stack I have and wait till other people go out? I've finished in the top 25 of those freerolls probable 15 times times and just can't get over the hump.

I know its a long post but any advice?

DaFrank

 

[63burner]

down to last 15 and busting..

If you don't have absolute conviction in your cards, call, or fold. If the blinds aren't absolutely eating you alive, maybe throttle back when you hit the 1,00 2,0000 blinds. If your goal is ITM(final table), and not winning, let the blinds work for you, not against you.

.
If you relax with a decent size stack, play the game that got you as far as you did.

Others will argue about playing not to lose isn't the same as playing to win.
Personally, if I can get ITM or the final table, that's as good as placing first. At least I won.

Good luck, it all evens out in the end.

 

[Brandlad]

Whenever There is last leg of players remaining in a tourney say 20-30 players then the optimal play is to crush the shallow stack players by applying big raise from the late positions. Do try to create your image as an aggressive player which helps you a lot in the last phase of the tourney.

 

[Rumengh]

final table.

Hi DaFrank Post is good for you but it's a long time I'm glad you give an example poker hand you played. So I will try to be short though I can write about poker for constantly. I will only say that I regularly earn freerolls and it's exactly where you play in American Cardu.At the final table you have the biggest prizes and you have to fight like a lion, otherwise you have played for several hours ... That's what most players think ... YOU ARE HAPPYING THERE. If you are a winning player you will often get to the final tables you play with my heart. My game is one. REALLY HARD hands AGESTICALLY AND WAITING YOUR MOMENT AT THE FINAL TABLE.

 

[najjah166]

I know it's the tired that makes you anxious, but made deep breaths and relax yourself, be patient and watch your opponents at this stage games, expect a big pair and made allin, instead of raising,

 

[Pokagambler]

Some things you need to realise...

First: You don't care how much your stack is.You care how many big blinds you have,Every time you fall under eleven big blinds you should push with any cards you have that make sense.For example a six nine off will do just fine.
Second: Every time that a short stack pushes and he/ she has less than seven big blinds CALL WITH ANY TWO, if you are the last to take an action and you are sure no one is going to push all in and force you fold.If you have less than eleven big blinds push all in over him with ANY TWO CARDS.
Three: in the last twenty of the tournament you raise with ten jack?Really?Why?Limp or fold or push.Raise with a hand.Thats not a hand.

 

[MagicDick]

IDK what my problem is!!! I do fairly decent most of the way through most tournaments and then for some reason I just fall apart at the final couple of tables and most importantly right before the final table.

Last night I was in just a little 10$ freeroll on ACR. 684 people total I believe. I obviously had my ups and downs throughout the tournament, as everyone does.. but for the most I had a pretty healthy chip stack the whole tourney. At some points being well above the average chip stack.

Getting down to the final 15 players or so I had 60,000 in chips, in 8th place. At that point in the tournament you hardly ever see a flop because the short stacks raise all in whenever they have decent cards and the bigger stacks raise well above the big blind to steal them.

At that point I guess I just get nervous or something and am not sure what to do exactly. So when I get a couple of cards to where I decide to raise 3 times the big blind at 1000/2000 to 6,000, someone raises me 12,000. I have 10/J suited and am now not sure what to do so I make the call anyway. The flop is AJ9 and the person I'm against bets 24,000. I panic and raise ALL IN hoping that he doesn't have the Ace and will fold. He calls and flips over KQ and the turn,river is 2,10. He hits a straight and I bust out in 11TH FREAKING PLACE when obviously only the top 10 are ITM.

This happens to me over and over and over. What should I do? What would you have done? Should I just hold on the decent chip stack I have and wait till other people go out? I've finished in the top 25 of those freerolls probable 15 times times and just can't get over the hump.

I know its a long post but any advice?

DaFrank

The biggest thing you can do is remember you don't have to have the chip lead or even the average to make the final table. You just have to out fold the other players. With a stack that is above average you can let people steal your blinds, (Including your AK or KK if you desire.) I ask myself two questions in these spots. 1) What do I lose if I fold? 2) What do I lose if I call and lose my stack?

That said the right move is almost always get in the money then open up the range according to all the dynamics at work.

 

[DaFrank]

There is some really good advice on this thread! I appreciate all of the tips and incite.
In those final couple of tables I just need to learn to make the right poker plays and not get married to the hands!

I've found myself even folding JJ when someone goes all in before the flop. Kinda sucks

 

[david1bear]

Wow man I have been on that same path man;0) It seems like every time I get close to the money my hands get nice where you have to play and they just don't hit I slowly fade out before the cash:0/

 

[knocker]

I find in those situations that if you want to raise 3bb, just limp. Somebody will raise it to 4BB,you get mostly what you wanted anyway. Then you don't have to ship half your stack to see the flop.

I know that the book says.... blah, blah, blah. **** the book. That's for real poker, not online bullshit disguised as poker. Sometimes you have to make a few adjustments. Limping limits the risk that you get raised so high you're pot committed and will tell most people that if they shove on you or raise 25BB you won't call. If they want you to come along, they are going to have to keep it reasonable.

Bubble poker is always about avoiding losing everything if you can. That's one way to help yourself do it.

 

[dedok0525]

Common situation. The main thing to understand in coca time you need to stop, evaluate the size of your stack in relation to the others, and review the strategy at the time of the final table. And having reached the final table did not lose your head, stop, evaluate the size of your stack and build our strategy on the final table. In books about poker are usually advised to wait at first, because many are beginning to lose my head and play very aggressively. The situation is very similar to the time after the bubble. And continue to play on.

 

[Moabs]

Just make sure your playing J10 in late position, never play it early. make sure you remain calm and think your way through the hands.

 

[tauri103]

before joining this beautiful community.I knew the same problem.Unfortunately I asked the same question on another post and I began to follow the advice and recommendations of other members.

I am an aggressive player which means that I like to play a lot of hand but since I tighten my game when I get closer to the final table. I realized that it was really the key to achieve this goal. even that I throw big pairs QQ or kk not to lose my place.

 

[Cajin007]

Yea buddy i feel your pain. I was in one of the 10$ freerolls, made it to 28th and busted out. Went card dead with about 45 players to go, and was at a table with 5 of the top chip stacks. Needless to say, they started to eat my A$$ alive. Finally got an ATo, bout 8k in chips, and pushed with 4 players left to act. Two players call and i'm fish food. So yea it sucks when your close enuff to smell the digital cash, and the poker gods say not today.

 

[Mr_Nuisance]

One thing you do have to remember when dealing with any type of freeroll is that the players playing in it have not committed any money in order to play. ACR especially gives players who really try to cash a disadvantage. Their $10 freerolls go on 24/7 and you will have many players who will shove with any two, and if they make a huge stack out of it, they will be a pain in the ass for the rest of the tournament. If you are towards the money bubble in these freerolls, it is best to start looking at it as a shove or fold period to get anybody who is trying to make the money out of the hand. Many people who play the freerolls are not trying to play optimal poker, so you have to play to fit how they play. Wish you all the luck and hope to see you on the freeroll tables on ACR!

 

[teutonic1]

Yes, we have to consider our stack, try and understand our table image, and know the tourney dynamic (freerolls are pretty loose) and so on. We might also know our push/fold situations, ICM ranges, etc. All these factors need to be considered, but even in a tourney, we just have to play one hand at a time. We should play each hand the best way we know, and we should lay aside the longer term considerations. Hypothetically, if we play each hand optimally, we will do better in the long run.

Easy said, not easily done. I produced 2 amazing bone-head plays in a tourney last night. I knew I was making the mistakes and did it anyway.

So, maybe when you have a decent stack going into the bubble you might just fold your way (bar premium hands) into minimum cash territory. Maybe this will allow you to put your bugbear to rest. Then you can concentrate on actually winning a tourney when you run good. I shouldn't dwell on this situation too much. You sound like you're working on your game and will progress. Best of luck