Best advice for bubble play

EDIT - Sorry I didnt see that a thread already exists like this on the front page. I will look through that one - EDIT

I seem to lose a lot of my "1 table tourneys" $1-10 on the bubble. What is the best advice for playing this when short stacked or middle stacked on the bubble (4th position for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker)

I am on the bubble as I write this....LOL

Thanks

It seems you have been tight throughout... take the smaller table into consideration and loosen your opening requirements. Loosen your calling requirements against ppl who seem to have loosened themselves. There is temptation to try an exploit your tight image by betting at rag flops but if you are tight you are unlikely to have hit that flop so unless the others are asleep it wont work.

A lot depends on just how short your stack is. If you have a descent stack as compared to the other players... just keep doing what you've been doing... otherwise pick a spot and try to double up.
good luck, I hope you take this down

Thanks for this wishes of good luck. I did in fact take it down.

With a very sweet ending I might add.

PokerStars Game #18794243008: Tournament #95580598, $1.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (100/200) - 2008/07/13 - 15:44:13 (ET)
Table '95580598 1' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 2: kmixer (8105 in chips)
Seat 9: Funambul (5395 in chips)
kmixer: posts the ante 25
Funambul: posts the ante 25
kmixer: posts small blind 100
Funambul: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to kmixer [Kd Ad]
kmixer: raises 200 to 400
Funambul: raises 4970 to 5370 and is all-in
kmixer: calls 4970
*** FLOP *** [3d 5d Ac]
*** TURN *** [3d 5d Ac] 7♠
*** RIVER *** [3d 5d Ac 7s] Q♠
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Funambul: shows [As 8s] (a pair of Aces)
kmixer: shows [Kd Ad] (a pair of Aces - King kicker)
kmixer collected 10790 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 10790 | Rake 0
Board [3d 5d Ac 7s Qs]
Seat 2: kmixer (button) (small blind) showed [Kd Ad] and won (10790) with a pair of Aces
Seat 9: Funambul (big blind) showed [As 8s] and lost with a pair of Aces

The Official KC Strategy

check my bubble section

Thanks KC I will check that out.

They are probably scared of doubling you up so all in sometimes will work if you have a decent hand, otherwise pray a lot. lol

Short stacked, you have to play hyper aggressive, unless the big stack will call you down with anything. If I'm the single shotr stack I will open shove with a lot of semi decent hands like k10 (if say 3/4 handed). middle stacks need a big hand to call because they dont want to be the short stack if they lose. For me, overbetting is the key.

I find it really, really difficult to be aggressive with junk hands (which is what I usually get at that point). The best advice I saw here was "Pray a lot".

Hopefully I wont be short stacked on the bubble anytime soon but if I am I will try the over agressive play and see what happens.

when its bubble time i play very agressive, because many ppl play tight to get into the money. There you can steal many blinds/pots. But be careful with ppl playing the same strategy.

Sit & Go

It seems like I'm always in good postion when the table gets down to the bubble postion and I've played tight and aggressive. I just can't seem to ever get off. I don't know what to do. Should i just quit playing sit & go tournys.

Shortstacked you've got to play very TAG, medium stack you can loosen up a little but still play solid poker.

From experince I've seen AK suits (or unsuited) KO more players than I can count. from the HH you had more than enough chips to let it go and let someone else bubble out. With that said only you know how loose the villian was playing and that alone can justify the call. Had he have sucked out you'd have taken a big hurt but still able to make the money.

I've found the best way to play is to completely ignore the bubble (yet be mindfull of play by shortstacks at the bubble). When one is worried about the bubble too much he/she will change his play so much that winning the entire game becomes impossible. Just keep on playing your best game, it'll pay off in the long run!

Yesterday on bubble I had AA and raised 5x BB 100 were the blinds I think). I got one caller. Caller had me out stacked 2 to 1. Flop came out all low cards but with two hearts. I put out another 400 I am now 2/3s of my stack in. I get called. No heart on the turn. I check. Caller puts me all in. I call. As expected caller shows two hearts and as expected heart hits the river. I am out.

when it is bubble time I try to pick my spot and bet aggressively or go all in and hope for the best.

Close to the bubble I think aggressive play is key to increase ur stack while people are hanging on to make the money. I think that it's an area that I need to improve upon. I find myself playing too tight to ensure that I'll cash even when the bottom of the paytable isn't so good. I think that this tight play near the bubble has cost me much better finishes in the past.

My bubble woes continue. Played in four 9 player SnGs today and bubbled on three of them. The latest which I just finished I entered the bubble short stacked. One hand I had A9s and went all in and got called by A7o and ended up as a split. Last hand had 1010 and raised pre flop got called by 2nd big stack flop hits 679 I go all in and caller has 67.

I want to think that aggressive play is the best move as everyone is suggesting I just havent seen proof of it yet.

Should I have been all in pre-flop with the 10s? I was under the gun.

"Yesterday on bubble I had AA " this hand, why check the turn, if he had checked and a heart comes on the river u have no-one but urself to blame.

Read HoH vol2 , very good book on the end game, your right to trust the other posters, aggresive is right, u shud be pushing at least once per orbit i think.