All the money in MTTs is made at the final tables. But in order to take this money for yourself, you need to cope with the excitement, calm the fear, and overcome the panic you'll face before the huge prize money. We learned from MTT regulars about how to quickly pull yourself together, find a second wind and show the best game, if you were lucky enough to get to the final stage of the tournament. They also found out why Minton never bluffs again and plays fair.
Greg "GregGT" Rodin
Excitement at major finals is normal because you are a human, not a robot, which means it would be a little strange not to experience such emotions. You don’t have to specifically “fight” with excitement. On the contrary, it has a certain charm – unique emotions, adrenaline, and drive that make you feel alive and real. So I can still worry if this is a very big final table with phenomenal prize money.
The goal of the player is rather to ensure that these emotions do not influence game decisions. From recent personal experience: with the purchase of a table with a lifting mechanism, I began to like playing the final tables while standing, when there is more space to move around. In my opinion, it relieves tension better.
You need to fight fatigue and drowsiness not at the end of the session, but before it starts. I mean that the player must prepare his body in advance in order to have a supply of "batteries", including for a prolonged session – to recover well, eat and get enough sleep. Ideally, if you are sleepy or out of shape before a session, then it is better not to start this session initially. You can reconsider your plans and just relax or do something else.
But, if it so happened that we are sitting at a million-dollar final table and at the same time experiencing drowsiness, we can carry out a number of “resuscitation measures”: make coffee or tea, do simple physical exercises such as yoga, go out into the fresh air on the balcony, wash your face with cold water, you can even have time to take a cold shower in a five-minute break to cheer up (I remember doing this once at the finals during a very long session).
Usually, I play a session without music, but if there are a couple of tables left, and important stages are not closed yet, I can listen to something for a change. If we talk about the decisive stages of important tournaments, then the music would actually interfere with me. But this is an individual moment, on the contrary, it can help someone.
I don’t have any favorite products for the final tables, I hardly eat during the session. But I really like to raise glasses together with my favorite spectators during exhibitions. Although I now remembered that a friend gave me a miniature bottle of whiskey many years ago and told me to drink it when I won the Sunday Million. It still stands unopened :)
What should you not do during a deep run?
It’s a pity to reveal this secret, but what can you do for the sake of GipsyTeam readers: during deep runs, you shouldn't inattentively play bad hands and make expensive mistakes. I do not understand why many people neglect this secret knowledge. There is a more boring answer: don't watch TV shows in the background, flip through memes and Insta stories, or be distracted by chats.
Misha "FAL1st"
At the beginning of my career, almost all deep runs and final tables were exciting, regardless of the buy-in, due to a lack of experience in such stages. Confidence in new knowledge, and hence in one's own game, helped to cope with excitement then.
While grinding tournaments, I usually wake up right before the start of the session, so during deep runs I am still full of energy since most of the day is ahead. When I play a lot of tables, I sit in semi-automatic mode with music in the background, but with a small number of tables, I turn off the music and turn on full concentration.
For especially important final tables, I use a secret weapon – my beloved spouse, who sits next to me from the stage of several tables and carefully monitors that opponents take off with a good frequency, and also gives out an unrealistic amount of positive aura.
What should you not do during a deep run?
Too often people monitor the prize money and worry too much about this, changing the game in a completely non-optimal direction. Of course, we should start from payments when making decisions, but only from a mathematical point of view.
Vasily "regisser" Krasnov
I'm not sure that it's realistic not to worry at all during deep runs. However, a large number of played tournaments (and final tables) have definitely taught me to treat deep runs simply as “higher difficulty” hands. On the streams during the finals, both interest and online grows, and thanks to the support of "hard workers from the chat" it becomes easier to play.
If the final table is expensive, then adrenaline usually copes with fatigue on its own. If this is the pre-final table of a medium or small tournament, then I advise you to walk around, wash yourself, and drink coffee. It will not be a mistake to track the game of opponents already from three tables.
I sometimes include something for the background, although I know that this is not a plus. My ideal film for deep run is a standard action movie, so as not to be too distracted from the game.
What should you not do during a deep run?
Almost everyone believes that it is important to play "perfectly" in the final game, forgetting that excitement and the opponent's cards are also present. You need to try not to succumb to tilt, not to simplify the game, not to rely on the dealer, well, and not to watch streams at the same time.
Previously, during the final tables, I liked to lean eat some nuts, but I signed up to lose 20 pounds until the end of summer, so for now only some water and tea.
Andrey "XPEHA" Osipov
In the early stages, I was lucky, the first serious deep runs happened in a year, and I usually had a chip leader stack. And then I got used to it.
I try to get enough sleep before the session – I lie down to sleep for 5-6 hours and get up for the beginning of the session. I try not to load the body with heavy food, my diet during the grind is almost like that of marathon runners. I am also trying to move away from playing with the background – streams, videos, and even music can not only influence the aggression factor but also distract from obtaining valuable information.
And you can think about your favorite food and drinks later, during the grind, it’s better not to be distracted by this.
What should you not do during a deep run?
Watch streams and cheer for friends at other events. It is much better to open other tables of your tournament and mark potential opponents in advance. And, of course, the top problem is drinking, they are bored during a break and get drunk almost immediately, and then 15-20 minutes before the next break, all thoughts are about how to run over everyone in the room. So try to drink less or closer to the break.
Ilya "h8autumn"
Now I try to play a lot because I came to the conclusion that any variance is beaten in the long run. Therefore, final tables began to happen more often. It's just statistics, the more you play, the more you win. And without the final tables, there will be no victories.
The pressure of money in the final tables should not affect your game much. This also comes with experience. Now I'm trying to show the best game, whether it's a $20 or $250 deep run. It is important to realize that in MTT all the money is made on the final tables.
Thinking that I'm making money doing what I love helps me deal with my anxiety. This is a huge success, so I just try to play my best game. In addition, it is very important to have a deep bankroll. When you don’t need constant cashouts for life, when you can survive big downswings, then playing becomes much more comfortable. The money factor stops pressing on you. This is a very important point since the excitement and worries during deep runs are often associated with the fact that some final tables play for life-changing money. When the bankroll is in order, you take the next long runs easier.
I load hyper turbo tournaments and try not to be distracted by anything else on deep runs. During the session, I always have music playing – this is the only thing that is in the background during the session. Well, the main thing is to carefully think over the tournament grid in advance. My average game day lasts from 8 to 12 hours. For example, if I load tournaments at 12:00, then at 17:00 I will no longer sit in a big field event, which will take 9-10 hours to play. It is necessary to plan your working day so as not to play one table for 5-6 hours, when the entire session has already come to an end.
At the stage of two or three tables, I try to run through all my opponents with Sharkscope. This makes it easier to play and make decisions. I recommend everyone to do the same, it's a definite +EV.
What should you not do during a deep run?
You shouldn't be distracted by YouTube and TV shows during deep runs. Final tables do not happen every session, so you need to be especially careful. Let me remind you – all money is made at the end, so it is important to survive to the final stage as focused as possible.
Mikhail "Minthon" Yakovlev
At first, I dealt with deep runs in the same way as everyone else, that is, I could not cope with it
I still remember my first deep run in the regular $530 PLO tournament – a big buy-in, a cool final table, solid prize money. Well, I slightly overestimated the quality of the line-up, it seems that Johnny Lodden was sitting there, and someone else. In general, I thought that everyone there is very cool and will squeeze me out of hands, so I must not give in. Well, I played too much. As a result, I lost my stack and quickly busted out. Since then, I don't bluff and play fair!
But anyway it was a good experience. I do not think that one can prepare for this, jitters cannot be avoided, although I do not exclude that your first long run will be better than mine!
Now I try not to make mistakes in planning – I don’t register for a deep tournament at one in the morning, the final table of which will be in the morning. But if you win a conditional GG Masters or a high roller, then you will automatically cheer up from the prize money, even though the finals are always late.
I have been playing without music for over four years now. I also always have a red bull in my fridge, although I don’t like it, it’s harmful garbage, but I think I drink a couple a year.
I also have artistic headdresses brought from different countries. Their effectiveness is questionable – with each of them there have been big scores, but them every time I put them on in the final tables, there was a big slide! However, I continue to believe!
What should you not do during a deep run?
Watch my streams. But don't deny yourself the pleasure and watch anyway!
Nikolai "nsmirnov" Smirnov
My approach is simple – sooner or later, the deep run will end, and usually not in first place (the probability of this is stupidly small), but most likely in some kind of all-in. So, it's better that we leave calmly and without excitement, than we'll waste our nerves on something for no reason. You just need to try to show your best to close it. And all the best runs are always ahead!
I almost always start a session with the expectation that I can play 10+ hours. If I didn’t sleep well or I’m tired, then I just don’t sit down. If suddenly it’s really bad during the game – coffee and push-ups in between hands!
I can also start up my stream. It calms me and I play much more collected because it's dumb to make a mistake in front of the audience. If I play without a stream, then I turn on my favorite music, it cheers me up!
My favorite food during the final tables is sugar-free protein chocolate, walnuts, and coffee.
What should you not do during a deep run?
Roll your face on the keyboard, play every hand as the last one in your life, and load new tournaments.
Mental Coach Oleg "lllllllllllll"
How to prepare for deep runs in advance?
Focus all attention on choosing the most positive solution on each street. Remember that each open tournament brings ABI*ROI dollars and the room is calculated with us at different intervals.
For example, ABI $10, ROI 20% = Each open tournament has already brought you 10*0.2 = $2, so try to play it well.
How to cope with the excitement and fear during important final tables, especially when you have not been playing for so long and the money is under a lot of pressure?
Look at the opponents at the table – they are all different people. But now they all want to get first place money, and because of this they get worried, make mistakes, or start playing too actively.
While other players are looking at the prize money, pay attention to their weaknesses: write notes, and pay attention to the size of the bets. Collect all the bits of information available, keep your mind busy with adjustments, then there will be no time for fear. All that's left is the excitement that helps you focus on better solutions.
What should you not do during a deep run?
Watch how much they give for first place, and think about how this amount can change your life situation. A tournament player who is looking at the top prizes in the top 30 is like a boxer who looks at the championship belt during sparring, instead of covering his jaw and hitting his weak spots.