boyward
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I tighten up near the bubble but I feel that holds me back from better payouts. I was in a freeroll earlier and I could have held on and got into a cash spot (we are talking 6c or so). I got JJ and had 5BB. I took a gamble and pushed in. I got beaten 5-7off (they hit a straight on the river) and lost. I think I did the right thing, maybe not, but not going to get anywhere near the top ten holding on to slip into 1099th out of 4000. We'll, that is how I am thinking at the moment. Freeroll so nothing lost either, just the time playing.
Alizona
Visionary
Bronze Level
Bubble play is about position, and about fear. If you have position on an opponent, and you have a larger stack than they do, you have to use those two facts to your advantage somehow.
If I'm the short stack at the table, meaning I have no capability to make my opponents fear me (in fact, they may actually be drooling to play poker with me), I'm gonna play no hands and just be looking for one spot to get it all-in when no one else has opened the pot yet.
But If I have twice the chips of everyone else at the table, well, let's just say my opening and 3-bet range is gonna be pretty wide indeed.
I will probably open every hand and most often every player will just fold. If someone actually plays back at me I'll just fold and try again next hand. It's the most profitable moment of any tournament, being a big stack bully on the bubble.
So the point is, what you do on the bubble really depends on your ability to make your opponents fear you. Usually our chip stack will be middle-of-the-pack at the table, and in this case we want to be selective and only find spots to pick on stacks smaller than ours. We won't find many such spots unless we're lucky enough to have a short stack to our immediate left... and thus average stacks usually just fold their way thru the bubble phase, after all as an average stack you're really not in any risk of being knocked out, unless you foolishly get involved in a big pot with a bigger stacked player while holding a speculative hand like a big draw.
If I'm the short stack at the table, meaning I have no capability to make my opponents fear me (in fact, they may actually be drooling to play poker with me), I'm gonna play no hands and just be looking for one spot to get it all-in when no one else has opened the pot yet.
But If I have twice the chips of everyone else at the table, well, let's just say my opening and 3-bet range is gonna be pretty wide indeed.
I will probably open every hand and most often every player will just fold. If someone actually plays back at me I'll just fold and try again next hand. It's the most profitable moment of any tournament, being a big stack bully on the bubble. So the point is, what you do on the bubble really depends on your ability to make your opponents fear you. Usually our chip stack will be middle-of-the-pack at the table, and in this case we want to be selective and only find spots to pick on stacks smaller than ours. We won't find many such spots unless we're lucky enough to have a short stack to our immediate left... and thus average stacks usually just fold their way thru the bubble phase, after all as an average stack you're really not in any risk of being knocked out, unless you foolishly get involved in a big pot with a bigger stacked player while holding a speculative hand like a big draw.
I Live Poker
Legend
Platinum Level
It's normal man, don't be influenced by a hand.
But it depends a lot on your range to play ... for example if you are very short stack and your chips do not exert pressure against the villains it is possible until you fold pocket aces mainly in multi way pot because the more opponents are in the hand the worse it will be your equity and it's simply not worth risking your tournament for one hand since in a few moments you’ll be in the ITM.
But if you have a lot of chips, you have a lot of bluffing range and also polarized values, due to the fact that you exert pressure on your opponents and because simply most players will give up to wait for the prize. So don't be fooled by players who keep pressing the bubble, most of the time they are not fishs they are just taking advantage of the situation ...
horscht22
Rock Star
Bronze Level
U have to play very very tight, but it also depends on your stacksize. Of course you are able to make pressure on the bubble when u have a huge stack...When u are Chipleader f.Ex. u can attack all of these smallstacks to reach the moneyranks even faster
nuttea
Visionary
Bronze Level
In order to play profitably at this stage, you need a very competent adjustment to your opponents.Its meaning is that we play aggressively, attacking the blinds, while giving up, meeting resistance and aggression. But this recommendation is too general, we must take into account the peculiarities of our opponents' play, as well as the size of their stacks.In conclusion, I will add that often you will play not against one player, but against two (attacking the blinds from the button), and sometimes against three (attacking all three players from the first word at once). Therefore, you will have different combinations of the above styles, as well as different stacks. All of this will affect the players' fold equity and the frequency of their 3betting. The ability to make profitable bets in such conditions does not come immediately, you need training and hard work on your game. First, you must understand (you had the time since the beginning of the tournament for this) who is a good player (regular) and who is a bad player (fish). Second, you need to understand how (aggressive / passive, loose / tight) the bad players at your table are playing. Good players play pretty much the same, with a little personality, of course.
filippfilm
Rock Star
Bronze Level
Try to play them and not go straight to Olin . Often, opponents on the flop fold on your conbet if the flop does not suit them... So at least you will have more information in the process of who is going on what and at the right time you can throw off AA...Another factor is how many players are up against your AA one on one this is the most advantageous position for AA
WickedFRoST
Rock Star
Bronze Level
At the bubble of any tournament open/call ranges are pretty much irrelevant in my opinion. This is due to the fact that at this particular stage your main priority should be 'not busting', thus ICM factor greatly prevails chip EV.
Naturally, the first thing that comes to your mind is to tighten up your range, but guess what - everyone will do that. No one wants to be a bubble boy.
So, you should be focusing more on stack sizes at the table, position, and actions before you in the hand.
If you have a commanding chip lead, for example, then you actually should play super aggressively, since you can apply a lot of pressure to your opponents. Because, once again, no one wants to bust at the bubble.
If you have a middle stack at the table, you should still apply pressure on smaller stacks, but at the same time be as tight as possible against players who cover you.
When you have the smallest stack, and cannot put pressure on any of your opponents, your only option is actually to fold everything except premium hands. If you bust with aces or kings, well, so be it, but it doesn't happen too often anyways.
Naturally, the first thing that comes to your mind is to tighten up your range, but guess what - everyone will do that. No one wants to be a bubble boy.
So, you should be focusing more on stack sizes at the table, position, and actions before you in the hand.
If you have a commanding chip lead, for example, then you actually should play super aggressively, since you can apply a lot of pressure to your opponents. Because, once again, no one wants to bust at the bubble.
If you have a middle stack at the table, you should still apply pressure on smaller stacks, but at the same time be as tight as possible against players who cover you.
When you have the smallest stack, and cannot put pressure on any of your opponents, your only option is actually to fold everything except premium hands. If you bust with aces or kings, well, so be it, but it doesn't happen too often anyways.
S
Shay
Rock Star
Silver Level
Were there were more than 2 players?
