33$ deepstacked Stars MTT, bubble hand

[Vinetou]

Here is the bubble hand I played at Stars. 195 players entered, and I had about the average stack. My image is that of a smallball maniac. Villain is a typical big stack bully who raises at least 70% and I decided to take a stand here. The structure is such that 18 players make the money and 18th place gets 70$. One of the shortstacks on the other table is sitting out so everyone is waiting for him to bust out as the bubble boy (except me, as you see).

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t1200 (7 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

UTG (t30208)
MP1 (t90525)
MP2 (t12942)
CO (t70060)
Button (t13043)
Hero (t43883)
BB (t11150)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP1 raises to t3600</font>, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t9600</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP1 calls t6000.

Flop: (t19575) J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t10800</font>, MP1 calls t10800.

Turn: (t41175) 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t23408 (All-In)</font>,

The bubble effect does not have such a big affect on my game as for other players so I raised a lot of hands and villain and me got into some battles. He probably tried to float me here and I am wondering now if I should check and let him bluff. However, when I do that, a lot of scare cards can come on the river that can make me laydown the best hand. If I get called on turn, I am probably beat, but I decided that if I let him bluff, he will probably put me to a decision for all my stack on the river and I decided that I will do it first.

Would you play it that way or do you hate it because it is the bubble time and a lot of shortstacks at the tables?

Do you agree with my play or should I play it more passively?

GL at the tables

[Neku]

I have no idea what you're trying to prove by going all in on the bubble with
* AJo
* against an early raiser
* who has you covered, especially
* with a designated bubble boy waiting to be finished off
* and three players at your own table with about 1/4th your stack.

You're a bit suicidal, yes?

[Vinetou]

I wanna win, isn't this the way to go in these tournaments? For a win, not for a money?

[Neku]

Yes, of course. But I think it's advisable to wait until you get past the bubble, especially as you're in a very comfortable position.

I will illustrate.


Yesterday we were left with three players: one small stack (2k), two big stacks of about 12k (me and another player). I'm BB, the small stack folds, the SB (the other big stack calls). I check. Flop comes. I get TPMK. I check (naturally). The other guy BETS (omg!). I call. Turn: I have two pair. I go all in, hoping he'll get the message that he has to FOLD until we get rid of the small stack. Nope. He calls. We're both hanging by a very thin thread. River comes, gives him a higher two pair. I bust out in third place! While I actually couldn't lose second place. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] The small stack was probably ROFLMAO'ing. I said: 'weren't we supposed to bust out the small stack first'. The other player said: 'yeah, I think so. Sorry'.

Long story short: you have nothing to gain but everything to lose from playing AJo in the bubble with this stack.

[Vinetou]

But can I let him push me around and steal my blinds?

If I just cold call here preflop, am I comfortable getting all my money in with just a top pair?

[Neku]

I don't think (but others will correct me if wrong) that it's not about the blinds in the bubble. He can try to steal your blinds because he has you covered. You cannot afford to call because he has you covered.

Your raise also opens up the possibility of a move by the BB, who is in dangerous territory. If he can triple up, he is also owning you in terms of stack size. You can't give him that opportunity. Let the big stacks take care of the bubble: with his raise, he is effectively baiting the small stacks, I guess (come out and play, I'll eat you).

Don't get squashed in the middle. Your job is to get into the money now. Everything else is secondary to that goal. I think.

[Neku]

By the way: you raised him back and he called: he must have something. Even maniacs get hands sometimes. You might have called him at a bad time...

[registrar]

If he's really raising 70% of his hands pf, you played this fine. Doubling your buyin is not the aim of the MTT game. The pot's more than big enough to shut the hand down on the turn so I probably wouldn't risk giving him a free card in the hope that he bluffs into us.

[Vinetou]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think (but others will correct me if wrong) that it's not about the blinds in the bubble. He can try to steal your blinds because he has you covered. You cannot afford to call because he has you covered.

Your raise also opens up the possibility of a move by the BB, who is in dangerous territory. If he can triple up, he is also owning you in terms of stack size. You can't give him that opportunity. Let the big stacks take care of the bubble: with his raise, he is effectively baiting the small stacks, I guess (come out and play, I'll eat you).

Don't get squashed in the middle. Your job is to get into the money now. Everything else is secondary to that goal. I think.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am not afraid of a guy on my left because he is a nit and one of the reason I have an average stack because he lets me push him around.

So - different opinions - keep them coming.

[Neku]

I don't think it's anyone's goal to double their buy in. But it's better to double it than to bubble it, no? With the stack sizes the way they are, you can afford to wait for a premium hand to call an early raise by a big stack.