There is a lot of general poker strategy on the Internet that translates well to many situations. However, large, multi-table poker tournaments often have their own set of rules that can’t be solved by simply following run-of-the-mill strategy. This is especially true when you’re approaching the bubble of a big tournament since play gets tighter, the blinds grow larger than you’d like them to, and your stack size may be in jeopardy.
This host of factors means you’re going to have to know how to handle different situations that may arise on the tournament bubble. To put this into illustration, let’s set up a scenario where you have 60,000 chips, and are trying to survive past the bubble where 70 players will cash. There are currently 80 players left which means 10 more have to bust out for you to finish in the money. The rest of the stacks at your 10 player table look like this:
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
124,000
98,500
91,400
75,300
68,700
54,200
52,800
44,900
34,100
Let’s assume you’re holding JJ pre-flop and raise the previous bet to 18,000 chips. Everyone else folds except for the big blind (91,400) who three-bets you with a re-raise of 60,000. This would put you all-in and has you wondering if it’s worth the call since the big blind could have AA or KK. Of course this player could also have AK, TT or smaller, or simply be trying to bluff you with this big re-raise.
Table images aside, there are a lot of factors you need to go through before deciding to make this call. First off, you’ll no doubt be one of the short stacks if you fold which is a big consideration. Another thing is that it’s unlikely a bigger stack would bluff you in this situation without at least having AK. Faced with such a tough situation, you’ve really got to decide what your goal is for the tournament.
If you hang on and cash then you’re not going to be making a whole lot more money than the buy-in; this would seem like a blown chance considering you’re probably a middle stack in the whole field as well as the table. Plus a successful call here could leave you as the big stack at the table, and one of the biggest stacks in the tournament.
On the other hand, if your bankroll is tight then you’ll no doubt need this cash, and busting out certainly won’t accomplish this goal. In the end, you’ve really just got to decide what cashing means to you, and if you can afford to go for the big prize or not since there’s no clear right or wrong decision in regards to the call.
This is a good time to adjust your game to making smaller raises, too. Theory-wise, this will keep your swings smaller during this bubble period and help to keep you out of the kind of trouble discussed above. I might even make a min-raise with those pocket jacks and try to play well after the flop. I find it a lot easier to get away from medium strength hands when the majority of my stack is on the line.