Your final table strategy: aggression or patience (especially 3-handed or heads-up)?

[Sos1l]

I’d like to hear your thoughts on final table dynamics, especially when there are only 3 players left — or heads-up.

Personally, I often struggle to find the right balance between aggression and patience.
Sometimes, when I push too hard, I lose crucial flips and finish 3rd.
But when I play too cautiously, I end up getting blinded out or letting the other players dominate the action.

So, what’s your plan in such spots?
👉 Do you increase your aggression when it gets short-handed?
👉 Or do you prefer to wait for premium situations and let the others make mistakes?

I think this phase reveals a lot about one’s mindset, risk tolerance, and ability to read opponents under pressure.

 

[finaltable1]

I lose crucial flips and finish 3rd.

winning flips is the most important skill!

Spin&Go's are a pretty good way to practice these situations.

But since you've already made the final table and then the top three, in this situation you have a lot of information about your opponents, so a good approach is to play tighter against loose opponents and ofc. play loose against tight opponents.

Study ranges!

Sometimes 3bet-fold is a good option if you have a deep enough stack and you've studied your opponent well enough.

 

[Sos1l]

winning flips is the most important skill!

Spin&Go's are a pretty good way to practice these situations.

But since you've already made the final table and then the top three, in this situation you have a lot of information about your opponents, so a good approach is to play tighter against loose opponents and ofc. play loose against tight opponents.

Study ranges!

Sometimes 3bet-fold is a good option if you have a deep enough stack and you've studied your opponent well enough.

👏👏👏A very good strategic approach. In the final three, almost everyone plays loose, and few people expect the nuts because the blinds become huge, which puts pressure on playing the middle of the range, Sometimes even garbage for bluffing.Almost everyone plays based on intuition and as much as their courage allows. But of course, information about the opponent's type always helps. I like to observe players and analyze them, then assign them a category and then attack based on that information. Bad beats and coolers are a whole other story.

 

[fundiver199]

3-handed and heads-up are very different games, because 3-handed there are still tactical considerations about outlasting one more player and getting the payjump. So if we are the mid stack, or there are two equally small stacks, we need to be pretty conservative calling off the chip leader. And the chip leader in return can use that to apply ICM-pressure. Unless of course its a winner takes all format.

Heads-up on the other hand we are only trying to win all the chips and win the tournament. And of course we are going to be involved in a lot of hands, since we are always posting blinds. Its just like, when it folds around to the player in SB. Then SB is usually going to play anything but junk, and BB is going to defend a lot to small raises. The only difference is, that in heads-up SB have position postflop.

 

[Sos1l]

Thank you. This is a game you need to live and learn throughout your life.

3-handed and heads-up are very different games, because 3-handed there are still tactical considerations about outlasting one more player and getting the payjump. So if we are the mid stack, or there are two equally small stacks, we need to be pretty conservative calling off the chip leader. And the chip leader in return can use that to apply ICM-pressure. Unless of course its a winner takes all format.

Heads-up on the other hand we are only trying to win all the chips and win the tournament. And of course we are going to be involved in a lot of hands, since we are always posting blinds. Its just like, when it folds around to the player in SB. Then SB is usually going to play anything but junk, and BB is going to defend a lot to small raises. The only difference is, that in heads-up SB have position postflop.

 

[veryluckyfish7k]

I’d like to hear your thoughts on final table dynamics, especially when there are only 3 players left — or heads-up.

Personally, I often struggle to find the right balance between aggression and patience.
Sometimes, when I push too hard, I lose crucial flips and finish 3rd.
But when I play too cautiously, I end up getting blinded out or letting the other players dominate the action.

So, what’s your plan in such spots?
👉 Do you increase your aggression when it gets short-handed?
👉 Or do you prefer to wait for premium situations and let the others make mistakes?

I think this phase reveals a lot about one’s mindset, risk tolerance, and ability to read opponents under pressure.

i think agression and bluffing is best way sometimes on 3max or heads up,cause it's all about ICM pressure so people want more to win, so i prefer agressive style. but yeah some people can catch me on that, if i understand that opponent is smart to catch or reads oftenly i try to slow my agression and become fifty fifty tight/agressive mix

 

[dannystanks]

When it gets 3 handed and heads up you just don’t have time anymore to wait for premiums, I have to get in there and fight fight fight, if I go out this way so be it, that’s part of my game play.

 

[OnyxD]

I'm no expert, and have a lot to learn here, but it is highly dependent on stacks and you opponent's play styles. Obviously, you gotta play wider but if the 3d player is significantly behind might be worth to tighten up a bit and avoid tough spots as the pay jump is normally big. But if the 1st/2nd guy is very loose you might take a chance and catch him to put you in a better spot for winning the whole thing. Every table would be different.