Fear the Reaper, Not the Bubble
Here's the situation:
You are playing in a 10 person sit-n-go
Texas Holdem tornament. There are 4 players left, including you. Only the
top 3 players will cash. How do you maximize your chances of cashing?
The situation I described above is
called being on the bubble. DON'T FEAR IT. This is your chance to shine.
As a general rule, this is the time when players are much more likely to
fold to pre-flop raises and check raises than any other. Why? because they
have made it this far in the tournament and want to make sure they are
"in the money". TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS. Forget what you learned in Sunday
school (i.e. Thou Shall Not Steal". In poker, stealing is a good thing.
A good rule of thumb is to try to steal at least once every time around
the table to pay for your blinds. Also, don’t let other players bet you
out pre-flop if you have a decent hand in decent position. Perhaps most
importantly, DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOSE. In general you will find that the
most successful tournament players are fearless!
Here are several other really good
tips for playing on the bubble.
If you have made it this far by playing
tight and you have a short stack LOOSEN up your game. Here’s why:
1) Players that have watched you
only play premium hands respect you, but more to the point, they respect
your raises.
2) At this point in the game it is
safe to assume the blinds are taking their toll on your stack. If you keep
folding the blinds and not reloading it won’t matter if your next hand
is monster because you will at best get to where you were 3 trips around
the table ago. DON'T GET BLINDED OUT.
Once again, BE FEARLESS!!! You will
cash in many more tournaments if you are.
On the other hand, if you have gotten
this far in the tournament by catching some nice draws and you are the
large stack, and are folding your small blinds every trip around the table,
you are giving away your money. THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO BE CHARITABLE. Don’t
play loose, but don’t just give your chips away by folding. You are the
king of the table and in the best position to make other players lose.
If you were picked on in school by a bully, now is the chance to turn the
tables, BULLY other players around with middle pairs or a flush draw and
watch what happens. Sure, you may double up a shorter stack, but more often
than not, they are going to fold.
Repeat to yourself "FEAR IS MY ALLY
AND I WILL USE IT TO MY ADVANTAGE." Don’t fear the bubble, and you will
win more tournaments.
www.crushsitngos.com.
Article Source:
Amazines.Com
