PLO8 - Bubble play

I am finding that I am bubble boy more and more in these 9 seat SnGs and I was wondering what kind of advice you all can offer for breaking out of this.

I have been coming into the bubble in either 3 or 4th place and can usually hold my own but it seems more times than not I am finishing in 4th place.

What sort of hands can/should I be playing as short stack (or not) on the bubble. What other advice can help to make my ITM percentage improve.

I almost feel like I would rather finish 9th than 4th. It gets frustrating.

It kinda sucks to bubble on the 9 person ones, doesn't it? However, it means that you get close.

You don't really want to go out first. Might as well not play. Going out first means you can't pick the correct hands to play and can't evaluate your chances, so you don't want that.

Going out on the bubble means you do have a sense of how to play correctly. Perhaps you are not capitalizing on those times when you could scoop. Or, when bubble time comes around, which is usually when the blinds are pretty big compared to stack sizes, you are not being choosy enough with your hands. (OK, you can't be too choosy -- not enough time.) You really don't want to split pots that much-- but bubble time is when most hands get down to two, and most of those showdowns result in a split, if your games are anything like mine. So get a bit choosier-- and try to play either more aggressively with your big hands preflop (No limping! I know it's hard.) or play less and let the others beat up on each other. Raise on the button. Raise an unraised pot in the SB. The blinds you win that way will keep you afloat. And you will win some blinds. The others are in the same situation as you-- they do not want to go out just now.

My preference in all SNGs, regardless of game, is to get a big stack--- and sit on it if possible until the bubble passes -- unless I have a monster, in which case I try to KO someone. If that big stack isn't happening, then I duck out of all 3-way and 4-way pots. I don't care what I have in my hand, I fold. I let the others battle it out. It usually works out that I make it ITM. Yes, it sounds wimpy. I don't care. No ego is involved -- the goal is to get ITM first.

I also don't care how short-stacked I am when I get ITM -- I can, often enough, get chips after... because suddenly I am raising and re-rasing with my playable hands.

After ITM, I get pretty aggro, because now my goal is #1. I'm not saying I make stupiod moves, but this is a 3-way battle and most hands nobody will have a great hand. The times you go to showdown--- well, whatever happens, happens.

You got try some diffrent things to see what works with you. I personally like to play slow in rounds 1-3. There is usually 5-6 players left after the 1st 3-4 rounds and this is were i get very agressive with subpar hands. Play them stong preflop and after the flop. If u have either low or high hands bet it like u can possibly scoop the pot. People get very timid when there on the bubble. It may feel uncomfortable to be hyper-agressive but more winning players are raising machines.

Thanks for the advice guys.