Poker, Football, and everything sports

So today was one of the best poker days of my life. I got 1st in a 90 person KO for 600 bucks. I also got a 2nd in the 50 buck heads up for 610. And in the biggest cash for me in a long time, I got 1st in the 30 buck turbo for 2300 bucks. One of the biggest things I pride myself on is closing out once I'm at the final table. I was looking at my stats and I saw something very interesting. In my time on Full Tilt, I have had 194 finishes between 4th and 10th. I also have 151 top 3 finishes. So I have almost as many top 3 finishes as I do bottom half of the final table or final table bubble. Closing out a tournament can be very difficult, but there are a few pointers I'd like to give for those players trying to improve their game.

1. Up the aggression- This can mean different people for different players. For those who are already aggressive, keep you foot on the pedal. For those who tend to play tighter, open your play up a bit. On the final table bubble, alot of people tense up hoping to make the final 9. So this is where you can really take charge. Don't worry about the cards. Worry about the players.

2. Be very weary of stack sizes- This is mainly true on the bubble but also at the final table. The best people to go after are the middle stacks. Its bad to go after the short stacks because they could be committed and will be looking to shove in with any good hand. So you need to have a good hand when you are playing into them. If you play into a big stack, you run the risk of getting bullied. The middle stacks are often sitting around waiting for the short stacks to bust, and will often only play back at you with premium hands.

3. Don't look at the money payouts- This is more of a personal thing then anything. I don't like to look at the money payouts. I think that far too often, people look up what the money jumps are, and will alter their play accordingly. The simple fact is this: the best players don't care about the money. They do, but they don't. They play with no desire to simply work their way up the money later. In order to win you have to be out for blood. Perfect example in the 30 buck today. 6 handed, I had a monster stack, up against 3 small stacks and 2 solid stacks. Anytime the small stacks were not involved, I raised pre flop. No matter the cards. I raised with 83 one time, 10 4 another. There's no reason for them to get involved unless they have an absolute monster. Alot of players would even fold A10 or AJ in that spot, just to move up a few spots.

4. Keep your head- No matter what, this is probably the most important thing. Even the pros sometimes let the tilt get to them, and they go off and before they know it, their big shot at the money( look up Scotty Nguyen 2007 WSOP Main Event). Today for example, I had a couple small suckouts in the beginning of the final table, and I could have gone off my rocker, but I just kept my cool and didn't let it affect my game. Its almost impossible to dodge a suckout in the final table. Its going to happen. If you are lucky enough to not be busto after it, you gotta keep you head. If you lose you head, you're done.

So this ended up being alittle longer then I had planned, but I'm hoping that those who are trying to get better will read and take my advice to heart. If you follow these steps, you will find closing out is alot easier. Good luck at the tables.