First lets find out what kind of player you are…
Do you play just to learn and get better?
Do you play not to lose?
Do you play to try to make the money?
Do you play because it’s fun and social?
OR
Do you play to win?
Regardless if you answered yes to several of these questions, The only one that matters is the last one “Do you play to win” If you always play to win, you will have a much better success rate, with bigger pay outs. You will learn more, and you will see and understand situations and probabilities much faster and at a much higher percentage. so PLAY TO BE #1…
There are a lot of things that can happen here at the bubble, So here are things you should pay attention to…
- Stack size (Yours and the tables)
- How many players are left at YOUR table
- Big blinds & Small blinds (how much are they & how many can you play)
- Antes
1 ) Big, Med, & Short stacked WILL determine the type of play you should lean towards, but also your enemy’s probability’s, If you are short & enemy is big, you should conclude that he will also play a wider range, so a premium hand will do very well.
If Small VS. Medium stack, she/he will most likely have a premium hand also, and it would be best to push all in against small & medium stacks pre-flop is ideal.
If Medium Stacked, you should be a BIT tighter than normal, But your betting shouldn’t change. If you normally bet 2 to 3 x the blinds then you should be playing what has got you here.
If you are Big stacked then you should play a larger range & be more aggressive than normal knowing that most player are worried about being knocked before payout…
2 ) 3) & 4) Knowing your table gives you a lot of information about your situation, and suggest how tight or loose you should be playing. This is all determined by BB, SB, & Antes, So knowing how many people at your table, the amount of Big & Small blinds and the antes, And how long until they increase, will tell you how many TURNS you have left before you could be knocked from the game… Keep in mind, that if you have less than 5X times the big blind, you should go all-in as soon as possible with suited, or connected, or premium hands. The sooner you can go all in the better chance you have of making bigger money… If you are at a table that doesn’t have antes, you will have more time before you get blinded out. These things MATTER.
Once the bubble has finally arrived, try to establish who among those at your table continue to be “players” getting involved at roughly the same frequency (or a little less) than before, and who has more obviously become much tighter … You should be more willing to pressure these “non-players” with pre-flop opens, raises or three-bets from position when they do come in, and post flop continuation bets if hands get that far. Meanwhile exercise caution with the “players” who appear less affected by the approaching bubble, recognizing they aren’t going to be as willing to give up on pots even when they don’t have the strongest of holdings