Short stack deep in the field

Ive found that one of my achilles heel in my game is handling a low-medium to short stack deep in a MTT. I was talking to my poker buddy/teacher about that problem. It dawned on me during the conversation that I may have figured it out and Im gonna share my THEORY with you and it might help its worked for me so far this morning. When you find yourself deep in the field and your running just under the average and the blinds are eating you alive (300/600 ante 25 or 400/800 ante 25 or 50),most players wait for that miracle pocket pair to move in with and double up. I have learned that if you challenge the closer stacks to you instead of wanting the chip leader there to call your AA all in move you have a better chance of picking up those blinds and antes to pad your stack. Its not that I did it every time, I picked my spots with medium strength aces and high suited connector and waited for there to be the smaller stacks to be in the pot on limps and then raised 4-5XBB and they would either call me or fold. If got a raise I would debate and make a decision and go from there. I never tried to bring the pot to a turn or river card because it left more room for my hand to be cracked. Im going to practice it more in the PokerStars freeroll this afternoon and see if its consistent.

(This is only a THEORY and probably in Harrington on Holdem so if youve seen it tell me)

Deep in the MTT, players tend to play tight so a big raise with a decent hand is not a bad move in this situation. Most players will be willing to give up their blind or small bet than take a chance and call you down. It won't work every time but it's good way to build up your stack.

Another tip for you:
IGNORE the "average" chipstack.
It offers you NO useful information.

Instead, concentrate on your M value.
(# of orbits you can survive at the given level.)

(e.g. you have a stack of T4800, blinds are 100/200. your M=16)

( e.g. you have stack of T-8750, blinds are 300/600, antes 50 at a
9-handed table, your M= 6.5 approx.)

As for your point about playing a short-middlestack aggressively; picking on the middlestacks 'can be' correct. Short-stacks will HAVE to call you, and large stacks will be able to call you depending on their M value, and holding.

I find that picknig on the stacks smaller than you is a great way to pick up blinds. If they only called first time around, they usually don't have astrong hand. I can bet 4 or 5 times the BB and usually pick their blinds up. Often, they will also call because they realize that already put 1/3 stack in by calling the BB, so they may as well call your raise and go all-in. This theory is usually bad since if their hand was good enough to go all-in, they would have done that initially. Easy pickings!!!! You don't win every time, but I would guess 75% of the time I knock these guys out when I essentially force them all-in.

*Tells you*

Read HoH.