Theory Post:: Post our leaks between money bubble / final table

[BigAlK]

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Anyhow, I make my decision PF. Do I wanted to be committed? To whom will I committ? To whom will I fold? If I can't decide, it is often best to fold to avoid a tough decision.

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Although others have said it Sherman usually says it best. When you get down to the last few tables the "who" matters the most. My open-raising range is dependent not only on position, but on who is in the blinds (the villians most likely to resteal). My response to a raise of my blinds is dependent on who is doing the stealing as well as their position. Stack sizes of all parties also factors into the decision as do my cards. PT stats (which I filter based on number of people at the table which helps since you are often short handed) as well as feel enters into the decision too. If I'm in the BB with something like A9 or AT I've already put some thought into who I'm willing to resteal from (that guy raises from the CO every time and hardly ever calls a resteal) and who I'm not (he hardly ever raises, always 3-bets a resteal and hasn't shown down a marginal hand yet).

Obviously it's rarely as clearcut as my examples, but I think you get an intuitive feel for the players at the table pretty quick based on the rhythm of the game and the cards you see go to showdown.

What I hate is getting moved just when I get a handle on the table. You have to build a new table image (which can cut both ways I suppose) and have to act without a lot of knowledge about the new players. This is when I'm most prone to making a (sometimes fatal) mistake.