The final table of NPL is all luck - agree?

[AceLosesKing]

Having this discussion with another NPL player. Is the final table of NPL all luck? I think it is. Unless you go there with a BIG stack, its based on who picks up a hand quickest. You have no room to play proper poker (ok, you don't in an NPL tourny anyway, but less so at the FT).

Agree? If not, why?

[marino_1251]

its luck unless there not a huge chip stack on the table its like the total opposite of a bad beats table wait wait wait

[Nevah play JJ]

Ok... being the person your having the argument with, I would say I should put something in here..

NO!! It isn't ALL luck.
There is an ELEMENT I do agree, but that comes in terms of the position taken by the player with the shortest stack.

Case in point:
At tonights game we had a lady that had the shortest stack at the table.
Her stack was $1,000 and blinds at this stage were $2,000/$4,000.
She managed to get position 9. (This is the one element of luck I will admit she needed).

The entire time she was on the final table she waited until she had a great hand to play, she didn't at anytime just call because she had an Ace in her hand. She played brilliantly.

From shortest stack on the table, she managed to get to 2nd position.
There were stacks of over $45,000.

If she had NOT had the mind to play and wait for good hands only, she would have been the first one out.

SO NO!!!
Luck isn't the only thing that you need to bring to final table.

[Jase Kemp]

Is not waiting for the perfect hand to go all in based on luck also?

if you dont get it you get blinded out...

haha

[Nevah play JJ]

Is not waiting for the perfect hand to go all in based on luck also?

if you dont get it you get blinded out...

haha

Can't argue that to a degree!
But I still believe it is a matter of knowing when and if you can just play an Ace high or watching who you are going up against with particular hands... blah blah blah

I still maintain the entire final table is not all luck.

[AceLosesKing]

Nice reply JJ.

Is not waiting for the perfect hand to go all in based on luck also?

if you dont get it you get blinded out...

haha

This is basically the biggest flaw I see on the FT. You are waiting for a hand to go all in with. Not a hand to raise 4xBB with, or limp in. Unless you have a big stack, its all in or fold (yet I still see idiots limp preflop for half/one 3rd/etc of their stack).

[Nathan Butler]

I disagree.

You don't always need to have the best hand to make your opponent fold. Also if your understand your odds correctly then logic should dictate your play more often the luck or skill (although, i would count logic play in the skill catagory)

Play it by the numbers!

Regards

Nathan Butler

[xtal]

negative
not true at all

[bennymacca]

i think you are right aaron - basically you are waiting to push or otherwise folding. granted, there are some cases where you might be able to steal the blinds, but most of the times when you make a raise, the other players are basically comitted to going all in - or folding

unless there is massive action before you, its impossible to lay down your A10 or 77 or something like that - you just gotta hope that if you get called down, that your hand holds up

[mr_niceguy_1979]

I think final table is not ALL luck, but you require more luck than skill in order to WIN the final table, unless you have earned yourself a big stack by taking risks and getting lucky early.