How to deal with Bubble.

Macke

So a very unpleasant trend is happening lately.. I'm finding myself bubbling.. more and more over the past few weeks.

It happened twice on the weekend one in the regular weekly game the club has and on Sunday with one of the bigger longer games (10 hourish tourney) and again a few weeks ago in a longer game.

Nothing huge sums but still walking away with nothing to show for it....frustrating.

piggypie123

I find one of my problems in mtt's is that I play wayyyy to tight at the bubble. This is one area of my game that I need to fix. I guess that's why I should play within my limits so it's not a big deal if I bubble. It' just sucks playing for 3 hours and having nothing to show for it, but on the other hand I will never win many mtt's if I don't chip up instead of blinding down.
I say keep playing the way you are, your luck will change eventualy.

JohnnieH

Never worry about bubbling. You are playing to win!

That being said, you need to be aware of how the rest of the table is playing on the bubble. Obliviously if its tight, then raise up your aggression and build up your stack. If others are playing wild, then let them knock each other out and/or pick a spot to jam it with good hole cards preflop.

BlondeFish

Since I finish in the top 30% for more than half of my tournaments, I have been the bubble boy probably more than 1,000 times now, :arghh: but I continue to try to make the +$EV decision near the bubble. It is incorrect to "play to win" if it is a -$EV play.

Another way I increased my ROI was with Bubble Protection. Just like with PartyPoker, I made an initial deposit and just kept making withdrawals since I figured out how to beat the insurance rake. :cool2:

jontm

Macke...are you bubbling because you are short or because you applying pressure and getting bounced?

This could be a somewhat good thing.

Are you considering ICM at all when playing?

(Not that it's be all end all, just looking for situation)

Macke

jontm;348136 wroteMacke...are you bubbling because you are short or because you applying pressure and getting bounced?

This could be a somewhat good thing.

Are you considering ICM at all when playing?

(Not that it's be all end all, just looking for situation)

Usually it is because of applying pressure for instance this is what happened Sunday.

At the local club..special Sunday Game.. 10k starting stacks with one free auto rebuy.

I have about 90k and blinds are 20k/40k.. i'm UTG +1 and decide to shove there with a9 suited not waiting to get to blinds... i get called by AK and its pretty much over there.

Obviously a bit of an extreme example I guess with the blinds so high and everyone I guess being kind of short but still.

Night before was a bit more bad play by me.. got my BB raised and I shoved with a very small ace.. could have easily stuck around for a while longer just picked bad time to stand up to stupid villain.

Macke

That said I do feel it can be a problem letting myself getting blinded out at times.

compuease

Macke;348151 wrote I have about 90k and blinds are 20k/40k..

Macke;348152 wroteThat said I do feel it can be a problem letting myself getting blinded out at times.

ummm......... yep. ^-^

BlondeFish

Macke;348151 wroteI have about 90k and blinds are 20k/40k.. i'm UTG +1 and decide to shove there with a9 suited not waiting to get to blinds...

I would have shoved much earlier as soon as I got in the Red Zone with hands much weaker than A9s. But IF this is the exact bubble, I would fold if I think it's +$EV given the prize structure, whose stack(s) would bubble first if I fold and what they are likely to do, etc.

Night before was a bit more bad play by me.. got my BB raised and I shoved with a very small ace.. could have easily stuck around for a while longer just picked bad time to stand up to stupid villain.

IF this was the exact bubble but villain's range is weak enough and you have enough fold equity, then 3-betting all-in with an Ace could be the most profitable play.

Macke

compuease;348167 wroteummm......... yep. ^-^

I know it sounds silly but at the end the table is just so short even with my 2 BBs and change I was probably still 5th or 6th in chips.

It's just odd when you get to that point and chip leader has like... 8 or 9 BBs..<_> it is kind of something that throws me off in that game.

JohnnieH

Macke;348203 wroteI know it sounds silly but at the end the table is just so short even with my 2 BBs and change I was probably still 5th or 6th in chips.

It's just odd when you get to that point and chip leader has like... 8 or 9 BBs..<_> it is kind of something that throws me off in that game.

This changes the play of the whole table. I assume everyone is very tight while trying to cash right? You need to turn up the heat before getting to <5 BBs.

Start jamming any Ace, high King, pocket pair and suited connectors. Yes you may bust sooner, but when it can steal blinds you'll have a better chance of deep cashing. Also when you get called and win, you will have heaps to ride FTW.

Macke

Well, I did it.. I didn't bubble on Saturday.. 9th place! shoved with ducks with 23k..blinds 4/8... got called by a9 suited...9 on flop.

Anyways now.. I'm in an ante up tourney on stars.. 81 players total.... 24 remain i'm 3rd in chips with around 10k...

15 get paid.. must keep up aggression.

Beats in this are just so stupid though.. I can easily see why the nick name jokerstars..

I've seen three set over sets in the past hour.

18th... lol

Richard~

Macke;348517 wroteWell, I did it.. I didn't bubble on Saturday.. 9th place! shoved with hand x with 23k..blinds 4/8...

Not even close to acceptable, but I think you know that already

Macke

Yeah, I know.

It is just hard adjusting there..

Richard~

Macke;348519 wroteYeah, I know.

It is just hard adjusting there..

I know it can be tough, good job cashing, keep it up =)

Macke

Ok.. guess I have to ask for thoughts on this hand.

So Tuesday night..playing a game that is pretty similar to the Friday and Saturday night ones.

Blinds are 1500/3000.. I have around 43ishk.. 7 of us on a table and around 20 left in tourney

Guy in UTG+1 limps and it is folded to me... I look down AK spades..easy shove right? No I decide to once again try to get greedy and just raise I made it...12k everyone folds except UTG+1

Flop is 10 9 3 two hearts... UTG+1 bets 13k... I think for a minute and shove...he calls and has 8 7 and hits his straight

I know, I know if I shoved I'd gotten him to fold (But really shouldn't my raise do that anyway? he had 8 high).. but sometimes I just get the whole Austin Powers I like to live dangerously thing going on.

compuease

You realize that after that flop you were only a slight favorite right? Perhaps 52/48... Once he bet on the flop he was committed and nothing was going to change that. Especially after he was getting better than 2-1 to call your push... No brainer on his part.. Now admittedly he made a mistake limping UTG only 15BB deep...

Macke

Oh I'm not criticizing his call...

Just should that have just been a shove pre on my part? Obviously in hindsight it is great yeah I would have won the hand and picked up 7500 (I'm assuming he ain't calling with 8 high.. he had me covered but it's not like his stack was massive.)

Just want to get the most out of my big hands as I can..

Macke

Ok this hand then.

So playing and being aggressive.. I've shoved 3 times getting action once.. and having my KJ>10s to double up to 30kish.. (Other shoves were in pots with 4 or 5 limpers and I had a9hh and 4s)

Blinds are 800/1600

I have...24kish and am in BB with 95DD.

Cut off raies to 4600 and I call.. some other guy calls too.

Flop

9S KD 5S...

I shove right there not wanting to get cute or anything... the other guy calls and preflop raiser folds.

other guy has King 6

Turn 3D

Flop... King of Hearts.

Fuck.

He said I was shoving with anything.. I said he only saw one of my shoves.. he said he called cause he had top pair and said he called preflop cause he had odds..

=/

Richard~

You flopped as well as you could with your garbage hand and still couldn't hold, makes a pretty good case for folding pre, if you do flop two pair there's no point in jamming it

Other than that it's a really standard spot, you got it in vs top pair and he improved, there's not that much special about this hand except for your massive call pre