congratulations for good plays and improvement wheel
my opinion is that on final table - everything is possible.. i'm talking about final tables in multi-table tourneys on
titan (full table -
titan blind structure) i think the skill/luck ratio it's 50-50% there. in marathon tourneys (with blinds raising on 15 or 20 minutes that ratio is in bigger advantage of skill). not unusual to see that lowest stack on final table wins the tourney at the end. i think final table strategy is the thing that everybody still can improve.
here is my opinion (i like to call it observation)
first of all blinds on final table are really high. your strategy must depend of how much chips you brought to table. there are 3 scenarios:
1) if you entered final table with short stack (for 3-5 rounds) you must move with decent hands (even with marginal ones) - of course it depends of position too. if you let bigger stacks to bully your blinds, you will get into problem, so if you are left with stack for 2-3 bbs, you can't get a good value of your good hands (ex. you are waiting your hand, and you don't get a premium one, when you're left in 2-3bbs, you get AQ or AJ. you must move with that, but if you have 2-3BBs stack, you can't scary bigger stacks of not calling with marginals, and there is great possibility that you will be called with more than one player, and you need great luck to win that hand). so my strategy when i have stack for 3-5 rounds i will move with solid hand (like pair of sevens) to try to steal the blinds. if i get a caller in most of cases i would have coin flip and there you need poker gods to help you. the point is to have a round for free so you can't be eaten by blinds, and you buy time for waiting the right hand for doubling
2) if you enter into final table with medium stack. i'm playing my normal game. positional play, raising with premium hands, if i'm broke with cards i'm waiting for others to kick each other. really rare you can limp here (everybody will try to bully and to steal the blinds). so i don't play marginal hands like J10, suited connectors and low pps from early position. good money is waiting in top5 (that's half of full table) - great money in top3.. so patience is the key here.
3) you're big stack-chip leader in the time you entered final table. almost the same style like in 2nd case only more aggresive play. that means: playing bigger number of hands than in 1st one, stealings from late positions, and putting pressure on low stacks with solid hands. you must agree: peoples are afraid of big stacks. even if you have decent stack, in late stage of a tourney you are afraid to play against bigger stack because that can be your last hand in tourney (and you have stack, so you want more money) . so knowing that (because i'm not quite often chip leader at FT) i'll act in that way - remember: people are scared of you!
but that's only my point of view, i hope it can help (but i'm still a begginer, so don't know is that usefull)
and, don't try to use this thread when you're playing against me