The final stage of any Holdem Tournament

Almost without exception the final stage of a Holdem tournament comes down to two players with a ton of chips playing Heads Up.  This is far different than at the beginning of the tournament when each player had the starting stake.  Heads up is different in play and starting hand value.  Players try to take away the power of the other player's hand by betting aggressively.  The starting hands are not even noted in poker books in many hands, as they are so low in quality.  The play at times seems to be a card version of the game of chicken and who is the best bluffer.

If a player gets a quality stating hand, they can only hope that their opponent has one too, only of lower value.  At this stage of the game, the players are ready to end it as quickly as is possible.  A lowly pair may generate a rather large bet after the flop and the other player never knows for sure whether the better is bluffing or they have a hand.  To make it worse, give the caller a small pair that is just a bit higher than the better.  This is the way the final part of tournaments usually goes.

Strategy for heads up is easily read about in books, but putting the methods in play is a different story when the tournament is hanging in the balance.  One thing is for sure the aggressor has an advantage unless the caller gets a very strong hand.   Many players try to wait it out, but that is hard to do when the blinds are eating away at your stack.  Most players really want to have a hand that decides the outcome right now and are not prepared to wait it out at all.

The point here is a pair of eights is elevated in value if the other player does not come out swinging.  If that is the case, a strong bet is probably in order.  If the flop is all low cards, the player with the eights may play strong and hope the opponent was drawing to high cards.  This hand can win not only the hand, but also the tournament.  This is the tense part of the tournament, when every play can be the nail in the coffin.  This is also when experience and feel need to be relied on by the player.

TagsHoldem game, online poker, poker game, poker players, poker strategy, tournaments

See also

• When to move up in the table limits in Holdem
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• Early position betting in Holdem
  The betting that a player makes in the early position at a Holdem cash game is different from a late position bet.  A good hand may be played softly in hopes that there is a chance to raise before the flop.  A weak pair should be played softly in case there is a later raise.  [...]