You’ll be able to find a monstrous amount of poker strategy on the web. Unfortunately, using typical strategy won’t be much help in the large multi-table poker tournaments because they usually feature play that defies standard strategy. It is even truer when you’re getting close to the bubble of a big tournament.
So you’re going to have to hone in on your skills and deal with whatever situation is thrown at you on the tournament bubble. Here is a situation for you to consider:
You are trying to make it through the bubble with 60,000 chips and the top 70 cash. 80 players remain so 10 players will have to bust out so you can get in the money. The remaining stacks at your 9-player table are like this:
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
124,000
98,500
91,400
75,300
60,700
54,200
52,800
44,900
34,100
You’re holding JJ pre-flop and raise an earlier bet to 18,000 chips. The only one not folding is the big blind who re-raises with 60,000. Now you’re wondering if it’s worth going all-in. The big blind might have AA, KK, QQ…or AK, TT or smaller. They could even just be bluffing.
You should think long before making the decision to call. Keep in mind that you’ll be one of the short stacks if you fold; it’s a big deal! And it’s not likely that a bigger stack would bluff without having AK. Since this is a big decision you need to weigh every option carefully.
Staying in and cashing won’t give you much more than the buy-in so it is like a wasted chance since you’re a middle stack. A profitable call in a moment like this might make you one of the biggest stacks in the tournament. You might have a tight bankroll so busting out won’t be good either since you need the cash. There’s no right or wrong when making a call in this situation so figure out what the cash means to you and decide accordingly.
