Sitting out late in tourneys

Has anyone ever considered sitting out latein a tourney when u have a lot of chips to ensure you make the money? I have busted so many times before i made the money against another player with similar amounts of chips to me. Before I know it my 20,000 chips are down to 2,000 and I am out before the money. I feel like if i sat out and let the blinds go around for another twenty minutes then I would be in the money andcould start playing again....interested in thoughts!!??

...it's better than those who sit out for the entire beginning of the tournament.

Nobody likes to be the bubble boy but if you're that worried about this than play very tight poker until the money comes but I wouldn't recommend sitting out entirely. However, bubble time may be the best time to start stealing blinds in my opinion.

I've never considered sitting out. If someone has a better chance to win by NOT playing then they need to do some serious thinking about their game.

Don't sit out but don't mess around with stacks that can bust you either. Around the bubble, stack sizes can be more important than cards.

Let's say you have T$10,000 and you're on the bubble. A player with T$20,000 goes all in before the flop and shows pocket eights. Everyone folds to you. You have AKs, should you call?

Close to 50% of the time a call will double you up. The rest of the time you bust. Are you going to put your whole tourney on a coin flip?

What if the pocket eights guy only had T$500?

What I do is not to sit out but just play very very safe - I do not bluff too much and do not try to call a bluff - I only raise on REALLY good hands and then play very slowly. This works most of the time to get into the money.
So the bottom line is - Just slow down your game and play only really good hands and fold to big raise against you that might compromise your lead.

stay in ...keep any bets small ..dont get involved in big bets or preflop raises... if you cant keep yourself from calling big bets then sit out...personally i stay in use all my time and stall until i get in the money then play!

Stalling can get you ITM alot of times, but you might be missing some opportunities to build your stack as well.

Don't forget that everyone at the table is having the same thoughts as you. If everyone at the table tightens up as the bubble approaches it's a great time to steal some blinds. I usually do this with small raises and only if I'm in position and it's folded to me (or a weak call ahead of me)

And I don't usually try to steal from the big stacks, they seem to take offense to that.

My 2 cents.

Well mate, the real question is your expected value from both actions. Think about it this way. If you can fold your way to the money 100 times and make 10 dollars each time, it's not as good as if you can steal blinds and play aggressive, getting knocked out 99 times and placing first for $5000 that one time.

Obviously you can't calculate your chances like that, but the real money is late in the tournaments, so you don't want to be playing for ITM, you want to be playing for first.

You need to slow down and pick your spots carefully. Tighten up. If this is happenning alot you need to take a serious look at your game. You can not play just to get itm. All the real money is at the top.

I will try to increase my chipstack even when close to the bubble, I tighten up when I'm close to the bubble and short.
By no means will I stall just to make it ITM, I would rather go down fighting than sit there and die slowly.

I've cussed my self out and thought I'd been better off sitting out. But as many have said here this is a good time to steal blinds as well as increase your stack. Don't go after the small or the Big stacks! They are your enemies. lol

Stay focused, stay tight aggressive. I've done fairly well sticking to my game with good cards towards bubble time and not getting involved in any huge coin flips. Play position more aggressively and watch for the table to fold around to you on the button or cut-off seat. I've stolen blinds with even a min raise (and nothing in the pocket) once in a blue moon.

i never sit out close to the bubble,dats wer i tend to build up my stack,in freerolls its not the the in the money finishes that matter,its ur final table finishes dat matters.I always try to get deep in the money,even if that means i sometimes bubble out.

I don't sit out ever when nearing the bubble. I find that it is a great time to build up my stack by stealing blinds which will allow me when the bubble bursts to call off the small stacks easier if I only have a mediocre hand and not a great hand. Yes, I have caused myself to go out before the money, especially in one big tourney where I was like 3rd place going into the bubble and got KK, went up against the chipleader who had AA, lost obviouslly, but oh well, I wasn't going to fold because I knew if I doubled up I'd be a massive chipleader.

Boy I've had this fight with myself many times, I will not fold that AA or KK on the bubble and you know every once in a while it gets beat and this seems to be the perfect time for it to happen. I have learned a lot about the game by playing in these spots and trying to think about what each player is trying to accomplish. Though I do seem to be happy when I keep getting dealt rags and can fold my way to some money.

I have tried sitting out with big stack, but found that playing your normal way usually TAG got you that big stack so why change. I fold if greater than half my stack is involved unless you feel you have a monster hand. I vary my style through out game if possible but on the bubble carefulness is called for if you just want the money. I am playing to make final table.

Instead of sitting I would simply play groups 1 and 2 cards pre flop. If there are any serious raises pre or post I am getting out of there unless it is AA KK QQ and maybe JJ depending on who is pushing me all in.

i think its a really bad idea to sit out in any tournament even if you have a big stack. If you just want to make the money it should work but if you want to win you have to get aggressive when the bubble comes near especially when the antes and blinds start to kick in. Dont overplay your hands but try to rob blinds in position. Try to identify the people who are just playing for the money and try and rob these blinds as much as possible.

U can do that only if u want to cash but i perfer to go big or go home and i keep playing. If i pay for a tournie im want to come in the top 3 spots for the big money.

I appreciate the feedback and will try and reconsider my game play late in tourneys

never do that.. you're just ruining your chances of doing really well in the tournament... im pretty sure you want to win that 1st place prize money instead of cashing last.. you might bust a few times but the chances of you accumulating more chips is just as good.. if you are a good palyer that is... i mean if you have a short stack then i can see someone blinding out to cash.. in that case it makes sense.. but for a chip leader to start blinding out would be very absurd...

I prefer to see someone sit out at the start than at the bubble.
Very well said, I couldn't agree more.
I agree with this, this is better than sitting out like someone that sits out like a donkey.
Well said.

i hear what all of ya are saying....it is a tough thing to get busted out with a huge chip stack before the bubble but I think the take home message for me is to not get mixed up in big pots prior to the bubble and pick my spotrs wisely. Thanks again for the great feedback.

Yeah, if you have a huge enough stack to coast into the money, then sit back, fire up a Cuban, and only play AA or KK, and even then don't risk all your chips with them. I wouldn't exactly sit out, but I would turn the chair around and see whats on the TV, and look back every time and again to see what you have.