PAYING THE BUBBLE

I just wanted to see what the concensus was for this situation:

I'm playing a two table tourney at a local card room. The door fee is $10, buy-in is $30, re-buy $30, and add-on is $20. We're on the bubble and as usual they ask if we're going to pay the bubble. As always I say no. Everyone else wants to, but I say no so the bubble isn't getting paid. The person who goes out on the bubble ends up getting knocked out by me, (my AJ vs his A10) at which point he throws his chips across the table and talks trash on his way out the door.

I have always been unwilling to pay the bubble on a tourney that has a buy-in for less than $100, even if I am short stack at the table. I think it's down right silly. If these people are there to win their money back, and get so upset if they don't then it sounds to me like they shouldn't be playing at all.

I've been harrassed about it over and over at other card rooms too, and I'm sick and tired of it. And I honestly think that if I were a man these guys wouldn't throw their chips at me or trash talk me. I've had people claim it's poker etiquette to pay the bubble, and I say, since when? If we're going to pay the bubble every time then why not just put them in the pay out in the first place. Also, when you agree to pay the bubble it changes the play a little, as the short stack may go all in with a questionable hand and win, and before you know it they've gotten lucky over and over again and take down the tourney.

Tonight I took first, which was $400 for this two table tourney. After tipping the dealer $40, paying $31 for daycare, and excluding my door fee, buy-in, re-buy, and add-on I walked out with $239. So why the hell should I pay the bubble?? I shouldn't even have to defend or explain myself that right away I'm down the cost of my daycare regardless of whether I win or lose, as I'm a single mom.

These card rooms will enforce the 'no cell phones at the table' policy, but they let these guys get away with throwing chips and trash talking me when I say no to the bubble in a $30 tournament. Absolutely ridiculous if you ask me.

Does anyone agree with me on this?

I'll be the first to agree with this

I had something like this happen to me 3 weeks ago at my local casino
there was only 20 paid places, long story short, it end up with the bubble guy following me to my car talking trash to me, but he never did anything...he was just all talk

the only time I would pay the bubble is if the person is a close friend of mine, or if he pulls my car up to the front when it time for me to leave

it's just a common courtesy because they worked their way to the same spot as you but fell just one short of the cash . selfish people have the right to say no and should not be chastised , they will get their turn on the bubble too .
I think you are both just greedy but thats JMO and I will fight for your right to say no .

I have seen it go both ways.
If you don't want to pay the bubble then you have the right to say no.

I always wonder why it's still the bubble if they are going to get paid?
Then the guy who went out before him is really the bubble.

I have been part of both online and live games where everyone in the money
tossed a few bucks back in to cover some (or maybe all)
of the bubble boys fee
but if someone doesn't want to do it, that's fine.

We all bubble eventually if u have never bubbled then i feel sorry when it happens to you :P bc if u play poker u will get bubbled haha

I agree with the OP.
As for "everyone bubbles eventually"... The money that I would get from 1 bubble, probably wouldn't make me as much cash if I have been itm often enough and have had to pay the bubble every time.

I've been in tourneys where I was the short stack at the table and have said no to the bubble knowing that I was more than likely going out on the bubble unless I got REALLY lucky. I don't change my mind according to my chip stack.

If we pay the bubble then where does it end? Then we pay the bubble before the bubble? You can call me greedy, but that's not it at all. It's the principle. You either played and made it into the money or you didn't. I've never in my life gotten upset if the bubble didn't get paid in a $30 tourney.

Do they offer fourth place in the Olympics a sterling silver medal even if he came in 3/10 of a second after third? No because there's a first, second, and third for a reason.

Why don't we all just play down to where everyone gets double their buy-in back? Shouldn't everyone be happy? LOL

Some people are just ridiculous. Like I said, if you're getting angry enough to follow someone to their car or throw your chips across the table because you didn't win your $30 buy-in back then you shouldn't have been playing in the first place.

I like a room that offers paying the bubble. Then the person walks away with something. It costs me almost nothing as the cost is spread all around. You would think after playing for over three hours, that one would not have to walk away empty handed. Some forums go so far as to pass out Swag to the bubble.

No different than at the bingo parlor when I play lucky dollar and whenever I win I give a buck to the person on my left and a buck to the person on my right if I happen to bingo.

But you have people who say, I am not gonna share my dollar with a person on each side of me. So you do what you want, princess.

Congrats on your poker win.

I will only do it in a CC game, and then only if it is agreed to by all of the players that are involved.

Lol

Next time you should agree to pay the bubble.

Then 5 minutes later, say "Let's pay the bubble bubble too!"

Repeat as necessary until everyone realizes how silly they are for complaining.

I do not have a problem with paying the bubble but I also do not have a problem with your thinking. If everyone agrees then fine but if one person says no it is their right and they should not be trash talked or intimidated in any way because of it.

Thi 'common courtesy' stuff is ridiculous. If there are 18 players and say 4 cash every time and that's the structure, why pay 5th for falling short. Then why not pay 6th not quite making the bubble. Hell, why not just refund all buy ins at the end so only the house wins and no one gets their feelings hurt by not winning every time?

My sentiments EXACTLY!

Eberreta: "You would think after playing for over three hours, that one would not have to walk away empty handed."

The fact is people are going to walk away empty handed. Otherwise it wouldn't be a tournament. When I go to play I go in knowing that there's a chance that I will walk away "empty handed", as I have done many a times.

Ben, I agree, when does it end? Bubble? Pre-bubble? Pre-pre-bubble? Gimme a break. LOL

sounds like you might not even know the meaning of common courtesy but I agree with you on 18 players and many other circumstances would have no need to pay the bubble . your last statement and those of others about
why stop there are silly and I wont even bother explaining or arguing just lol .

I like to pay the bubble only if I win and only if there were a lot of people playing and it was a tough job getting to the money . then I feel bad for the bubble having come so close and then getting their hope crushed (part of the game ) . just a booby prize for a good effort . (fun thing)

no player has a right to expect bubble payment or complain about it or act up , those are indeed idiots .
no player should be forced to pay the bubble or be called names if they do not want to .
my apologies to the OP and first poster for calling them greedy I just let my mouth overload my ass when typing sometimes .

JMO

my thing is this...i work hard to make it in the money, it not my doing that the other people don't make it, if it not your night, it not your night. Everyone who play poker knows that some times there going to lose.
But if it get to the point that your intimidated people to pay you, I think you need help at that point!!

Grunch

F the bubble. Some are going to win money and some are not. Its poker and im not cutting my profit to give someone money for failing

If you do not agree to pay the bubble, then that should be the end of it. If a player trash talks after bubbling, especially at a casino, then the floor manager needs to take appropriate measures to assure the "safety" of all players. One should never feel offended or threatened. It is the same as "making a deal" at the final table. If one doesn't wish to, then that is the end of it......
I was playing in a WSOP circuit event at Tahoe. I was very "green" to live tournaments. There were 99 entrants in the tourney and about 15 left when someone brought up paying the bubble. 9 places paid, I did agree to pay, as I was short-stacked and thought that was how it's done. I found it definately changed how people played, me included, I didn't play my A game because I knew I was still going to get paid. I was the bubble that night, I stood up and told the 9 players left, "Thanks for the offer of paying the bubble but I will pass and Good Luck."

Here at Cardschat is the only place I would agree to pay the bubble. Or in a freeroll.

That being said, the floor manager should not allow the abuse that obviously was handed out.

I concur. Even the best MTT players will lose their buyin more often than not. Getting in a state about it shows that one doesn`t have the right mindset to play tournies, imo.

Well if you do this then its fine, you're not a hypocrite.

Me... well if it looked like I was going out on the bubble, I would begin a tiradical speech on how the bubble NEEDS to be paid and that the poker gods demand such tribute to he who runs bad. If it looked like I wasnt gonna go out... bubble gtfo you get no money from me.

I'm a hypocrite, you see, and I don't care. Bubble paid when I go out on bubble = money for me. Bubble not paid when I dont go out on bubble = Even MORE money for me. So its win/win... if people you never see again hate you for it, whatever.

Depends... stack sizes, structure, who's playing, history, etc.

+infinity.
/thread

Being a bubble is a part of the game. It sucks. But its part of the game. You did the right thing.

just lol .

hate to tell you but anybody who changed their game because the bubble was gonna get paid don't have an A game JMO

why is that just lol? I dont pay the bubble and I dont expect to be paid if I bubble I think that is a logical thought

Where the hell do yall play that pays the bubble?I've been playing live for a long time an of course once we MADE the money sometimes chop it up sometimes not,but paying the bubble never heard of it.Like posted above also when do you stop paying the bubble since the bubble gets paid he\she is no longer the bubble w\e i don't realy care to each his\her own.

If you start paying the bubble ....what about the next to bubble...and then if 10th is bubble ..what about 2 away from bubble...why not suggest compliamentary drinks? Somebody has to go out before the payoffs!

it is logical and very much your right it's just that all these harsh opinions on something so trivial makes me just lol . can't help but wonder how far these attitudes filter down into real life .

I can see both sides and realize it's no big deal either way because these people had the money to gamble and bubbling is just part of the game

I've never been put in real situation , just cc games where I think of it as a common courtesy or good sportsmanship . I do not know how I would feel if the buy in was bigger or a live game with complete strangers .