$5+0.50 rebuy frenzy on Pokerroom - how to play these situations

[Slaladin]

Hi, I've just started playing tournaments (well, a lot more tournaments) online after predominantly being cash game player. Played 100nl reg and occasionally 200nl when games were good, so I am not a complete retard.

I played in the $5 frenzy (don't normally play re-buys, but normally has $8k+ with flat structure, so nice) last night and was pretty stuck on how to play. Question as follows:

What do you do when your M is only 12 - 15 but you are in the top 50 in chips out of 200+d remaining (d is between 20 and 30)?

Basically I had around 15,500 and the blinds were at 400/800. Avg stack is between 11 - 12k. People are busting out frequently and the blinds are up soon to .5k/1k. The table is pretty bad (or good depends how you look at it) mainly weak loose who limp for 15% of their stack and fold flop but call down when they've hit. Basically they are unable to fold a pair unless they are facing an all in and they have middle pair or worse. There were two winning players on my table (a bit ul for me) with roi over 10% over 2.5k games. The rest had negative roi and 3 had fish status on shark scope.

How am I meant to play here? I understand the importance of stealing blinds at this stage in a tournamnet to build stack but so many people are short that i may have to call an all in for 1/3 my stack, do I just have to take that risk (and i guess i'd be getting odds to call even as a 7-3 dog)?

Or do I wait for the right spot then make a play whetehr be a position raisewith any two, a riase with genuine hand, or a squeeze? Also is it appropriate to squeeze when everyone is shortish and the structure is getting cr-ap shooty? Most people had 7<M<16 at my table.

Or do I play tight and raise premiums and occasional any two in position?

Normally I'd loosen up in position and just raise with any two to pick off the blinds, but people who were short were just shoving from the blinds and in early position so opportunities were slim, do i just have to wait it out or take a few risks?

Thanks.

edited for clarity

[levAA]

With your stack-size you are in re-stealing territory.

So you should look for players who raise light and are able to lay a hand down (which they should not be doing with stack-sizes like this).

If you raise yourself you should mostly do it with hands, where you are able to call a 3-bet.

In the blinds your stack size is good for a stop'n'go.

Look for bonds thread on stack-sizes and preflop betting, there is much more about this issue.

[Slaladin]

ok, thanks. i understand this is a basic question to mtt regs, thx for taking the time to reply.

[bookish]

A couple of quick points.

You say shorties are pushing (presumably very light) from all over the place because they are needing to double up. This is the correct strategy from them.

You can expoit their wide pushing range by calling (or re-raising to isolate) with more marginal holdings that are ahead of their range.

Secondly as you hint you need to target who you look to steal blinds off. Big stacks have got the chips to look you up (or resteal back off you) and at the $5 level can be ludicrously loose. Short stacks are looking to double up, and will call quite light, but the medium stacks (like you are) should be your targets here.