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Everyone loves bubbles – or do they?

If you’re talking about bubble gum or those little soap bubbles that little kids love to play with, then yes most people would fall into the “like” category. If you’re talking Multi Table Tournaments (MTT’s) at a site such as Full Tilt Poker or Bodog, the answer would be “it depends”. If you’re the poor soul that goes out on the bubble, the answer is obvious.

So first things first – What does the word “Bubble” mean in this context?

In any tournament poker situation you will have a certain number of participants a certain number of finishing spots that will pay out accordingly. Let’s take a look at this example:

1,098 players are playing in a NLHE MTT at Cake Poker with a $1.00 buy in.

The prize pool is $1,098.00 and the top 80 spots pay out.

With 81 players left, the smallest stack in the tournament (last place) is “on the bubble”. That doesn’t mean that they’re going to automatically lose and make no money but the odds are against them. When the bubble is close, most players towards the bottom of the rankings are going to play very tight poker in the hopes that the short stack does indeed, bust out of the event. At that point everyone remaining is “in the money” and play typically opens up from that point forward (until the final table bubble approaches). Most of the players at risk of busting out are going to play basic No Limit Strategy at this point and maybe even fold decent starting hands in their (misguided) effort to remain in the event and at least cash out for some amount of money.

Recommended strategies when the bubble is near

If you find yourself on the bubble and don’t have enough chips to force a fold in most situations, you have to ask yourself one question: “Am I playing to just make a little cash or am I playing to win”? If the answer is the latter – you need to continue to be aggressive here and put all of your chips in the pot when you feel you’re holding the best hand. If your mid-stacked this can be one of the best times to to get back in the running as most players are playing very tight and the blinds are large, it's very easy to start stealing the blinds. If it’s the former you simply tighten up and pray that another player gets involved in a big hand and loses all of his chips before you do. The danger in this strategy is that if the blinds are very high you can simply be blinded off without playing a hand. It’s important here to consider the math:

$4,000 in tournament chips with 200/400 blinds = 10 Big Blinds

In this scenario you’re dangerously close to being blinded off unless you make a move. You should reconsider the whole “tight is right” approach and try to get your chips in with a good hand. There’s actually an advantage to being the short stack when the bubble is present – many players will call your all in to try to knock you out. This is a prime time to double up and get back on the pace to make the final table.

If you’ve noticed that my approach is to play aggressively and try to get back into the middle of the pack at this point, you’re correct. I’m in the event to win and make a decent ROI on my tournament entry. If you’d like to read up a little more on the subject of playing during the bubble, check out this article on Short Stack Poker Strategy. It will give you a good idea of the best way to play not only the small stack but other situations as well.

Summary

Your style of play will ultimately determine how you fare in this situation. Continue to refine your game and the strategy that works best for you. Perhaps I’ll see you at a final table sometime soon!