Final Table Takedown: Thomas Taylor Takes Advantage of an Aggressive Image to Capture a Title Ring at Canada’s Casino Regina

Thomas Taylor is from Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada. He is an avid golfer holding a two handicap and has won his club championship title three times. He plays poker a lot around Canada, and is close friends with poker phenom Mike Leah.

Most of 2016 was a banner year for Taylor. He final tabled the World Poker Tour Montreal main event last spring, had 11 cashes last summer at the World Series of Poker, and won a $1,500 buy-in main event in Calgary for $80,000 in August.

In September, Taylor had two separate $100,000 online scores during the WCOOP series on PokerStars. Taylor has more than $1.4 million in career cashes online and live.

Event: 2017 Station Poker Classic Main Event
Players: 188 • Entry: $500 • First Prize: $22,567 • Hand No. 1

Key Concepts: Being aware of own image at the table; Continuation betting.

Thomas Taylor: I didn’t really lose any key hands at the final table, so I’m going to give you two that I won; one of which I probably should have lost, but got fortunate, and it basically won me the tourney.

Craig Tapscott: OK. Set up the final table dynamics for us.

TT: First off, this was my first time playing a tournament series in Regina, and I had heard that they were a different beast. They were right.

CT: How so?

TT: Although I enjoyed the series and the wonderful tournament staff etc., they are a bit behind the times with their structures.

CT: What do you mean?

TT: They basically made the tourney play like a hyper-turbo, with 10-15 big blinds average stacks throughout. Part of this is because they want to finish the tournaments in one day, the second and more important issue in my opinion was the fact that there were no antes throughout.

CT: And how does this come into play?

TT: Well I mention this to help set up the dynamics of the final table. The average stack was about 10-20 big blinds most of the way, hence being very shallow, and with no antes making it less profitable to try and steal pots preflop. So not a normal final table.

CT: What did your stack look like coming into the final table? And how did your opponents perceive your image at this point in the event?

TT: I came into the final table as the chipleader with 365,000 at 5,000-10,000 blinds. The stacks ranged from that same size all the way down to 41,000. My image for this tourney and throughout most of western Canada for that matter, is spewy and aggressive. I had the chip lead and everyone was playing so tight throughout. I was opening and continuation betting a lot and just generally looking to put pressure on the right players.

CT: Did you come into the table with a plan in mind?

TT: My game plan for the final table was to try and attack the players that had the second through fifth place stacks. I wanted to apply as much pressure on them as possible while they were trying to wait out the two or three stacks with four to eight big blinds. And I knew they’d have to wait awhile because of there being no antes, so hopefully I could chip them down while they waited.

CT: Set up this hand for us.

TT: It finally comes down to the three of us that started the final table as stacks first through third (these were the two players I was intentionally targeting because of their stack sizes throughout the final table). 

Nisbet raises to 40,000 from the small blind.

TT: I have A Q in the big blind. Now I’ve raised this guy as a bluff to apply pressure a couple times earlier at the table. And by this point, I felt like he was getting frustrated with me. So this is a dreamy spot to pick up a big hand three-handed like A-Q, as I think I’ll have him dominated much of the time. So I decided to…

Thomas reraises to 105,000.

TT: He thinks for a second and calls, but still seems a bit frustrated to me.
Nisbet calls.

Flop: 6 4 2

CT: Is this a good flop for you?

TT: In my mind it’s a decent flop, as I don’t think he should have many hands that hit that flop in his three-bet calling range.

Nisbet checks. Thomas bets 80,000.

CT: You think you have the best hand obviously by far?

TT: Yes. I am continuation betting for value, which I have been doing a lot. Also, because I feel like after he called 105,000 preflop, he will feel ‘obligated’ to call just 80,000 more. But it only takes about half a second before he jams for his remaining stack.

Nisbet shoves all-in.

CT: Is this a snap call?

TT: For a moment I thought so, and I instantly grabbed a chip and began to flick it in.

CT: You were so sure you were good with ace high?

TT: Yes. This was my plan, to bet to induce a shove and to call off. But as I start to call I decided to hold up and take a second to think about it. Then I decided to trust my gut instincts and make the call.

CT: What hand range did you have him on to be so rock solid sure on the call?

TT: I was expecting to see A-3 or A-5 for a gutterball or maybe some frustrated A-10 or K-Q type hands. But I was dead wrong. He says, “I don’t have much” and flips up 7-6 offsuit. Fortunately, the timing was right and I found the ace I needed on the turn. That hand knocks him out in third as I have him just covered and this gives me a big edge to start heads-up play.

Turn: A

River: K

Taylor wins the pot of 1,280,000.

CT: Let’s talk about your table image. Please share how a conscious and aware player can use this as a huge advantage at a final table?

TT: Throughout most of Calgary and with many of the players I play with in these tourneys in Western Canada, I have a very aggressive and loose image. I think many of them see a bluff or two that I’ll pull and either it works and maybe I’ll show, or it doesn’t work, and I bust. But it sticks in their mind, and all of a sudden, they think I’m always bluffing. So, I try to use that against them. I try to maintain that aggressive image by doing a lot of opening and continuation betting, so that I can remain to be perceived as active and aggressive to them. But when the big pots play out, I try to have the goods when I put a lot of money into the pot. I don’t mind getting caught making small bluffs, if it makes me a lot of money in the big pots.

Key Concepts: Leaving room for an opponent to shove over a check-raise

CT: How long had you been heads-up at this point in the match?

TT: We are about ten hands into heads-up play. Remember, I’m facing one of the players that I have been targeting the entire final table. It’s a similar story image I held in the mind of the third-place finisher and it was a huge advantage for me. I had already check-raised Cody as a stone bluff heads-up twice vs. his continuation bets on the flop.  
Cody B. raises to 40,000 from the button. Thomas calls holding 10 8.

Flop: 10 8 4

Thomas checks. Cody B. bets 50,000.

TT: I flop gin obviously.

CT: So how can you get the most value, since he feels like you’ve been abusing him?

TT: I could go for a check-raise and get it in now, but I don’t want him to fold. So, I decided to call hoping he hits something on turn.

Turn: A

CT: The ace is such a great card for his range or to represent.

TT: Agreed. I think it’s a card he’s going to bet if he hit it obviously and one he would continue with his bluffs on.  So…

Thomas checks. Cody B. bets 80,000. Thomas raises to 210,000.

TT: Now I decide to go for the raise, hoping he hit the ace. Mainly, because I know with the image I had and how often I’d been check-raising, there’s no way he’s folding if he hit that.

Cody B. moves all-in. Thomas calls. Cody B. reveals J 10.

River: 6

Taylor wins the pot of 1,800,000.

TT: I fade the flush and win the tourney.

CT: Do you think he made the right play by shoving on the turn?

TT: Not really. I think he makes a mistake jamming in that spot. He should have just flatted with that hand to keep my bluffs in.

CT: Congrats on the win.

TT: Thanks.

CT: Can you share a few of the key things you do to prepare for a final table. Perhaps some strategy thoughts, a routine you might go through, mental preparation, etc.

TT: Well, if the final table is the next day, getting a good night’s sleep is key for me. Also, I like to google players to find out as much about them as I can, e.g. how much career cashes they have, and just try to get an idea of how much the money jumps will mean to them. With this tourney, we had 30 minutes while they set up the final table; I took that time to myself, and tried to think about who would be looking to ladder and who would be playing for the win. Also, I tried to replay the hands in my head that I’d played with my opponents earlier in the day. As for strategy thoughts, it really depends on where you are positioned stack wise at the table. With the chip lead, I like to attack the middling stacks. With a short stack, I’m obviously just looking for good spots to survive and hopefully get a double. What I’ve really come to realize this past year is that nothing is more valuable than experience. The more often you get into these situations, the more comfortable you become when there again. While your opponents are often worried about pay jumps and other things, you just focus on playing your ‘A’ game and the results will come. ♠