Early game short stack play

Hey,
So I've been playing at a local bar poker league, and I'm wondering if there are any other ways to play then the way I've been playing.

Everyone starts out with 1500 in chips, with blinds at 25/50. Blinds move up every 20 minutes, so a fast game.
25/50
50/100
100/200
etc.
If you spend money at the establishment, you get an extra 2500 -3500 chip bonus. So most other players have a starting stack of 4000-5000. Sometimes I play with the bonus, but sometimes I do not.
When I do not have the bonus, I play an aggressive long ball strategy. There are good players at the game, but people can be pretty loose/wild, so you encounter a lot of variance. I am just wondering if there are any other strategies that would work.

I don't have a problem with longball, it's just that you are constantly risking your tournament life until you get a stable amount of chips and can switch gears.

I wonder whether it is even worth playing in these tournaments without the bonus chips. You don't see very many hands in a 20-minute level, particularly if the players take turns dealing the cards themselves. Once you hit level 2, you are so short-stacked that you have little choice but to play shove/fold poker. This is the best strategy because it is the one that your opponents will have the most difficulty adjusting to. You can only hope for a quick double or triple up so that you have enough chips to maneuver with.

Why wouldn't you start off with the +3500 bonus stack? 30 BB starting stack is nothing at all to work with at all at 20 min blind levels. Why not give yourself an early advantage over some players and not be forced into shove/fold mode so early into the game?


My only question is what is the buy-in for the game and how much do you have to spend to get the bonus 3500? If it's worth get the bonus, get it but if you're spending way more than the actual value of the chips, then maybe the bonus isn't a good idea.

In the situation where the bonus isn't worth and you play the 30 BB stack, play tight, and wait for spots to jam your money in and double up or pick up spots. It might seem silly jamming 30 BB stacks, but if they're loose players you'll probably get called and you really want at least a double up before the 2nd blind level or you're be playing with a 15 BB (or less stack). So, you need to find spots early on and take those risks.

Umm... how about 'play according to stack size'.. & 'other players on the table'.

I've been using these strategies, I guess there really aren't other options. To get the bonus you have to spend at least 10 dollars.

$10 Well Spent.

with 1500 in starting chips and 20 min blinds , u might as well play bingo , no time for small ball , my strategy would be either double up quick as you will only have 15 bb in the second level , get the bonus or stay home and watch a video. even with the bonus i would be playing quite fast.