Surviving and Thriving as a Money Bubble Midstack

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Playing a midstack as the money bubble approaches is one of the most treacherous spots in poker. The standard advice is to play tight, and for good reason. The big stacks can afford to lose a big pot at this point in the game. The short stacks are already desperate as it is. As a midstack, you have the most to lose. Being in such a spot can cause you to freeze up, but by carefully reading the table dynamics, you can be cautious and find profitable spots at the same time.

1. Don’t Be a Hero               

The worst thing you can do at this stage is to try and be a hero. The competent big stacks will be running over the table and going out of their way to come after you. If you don’t have a real hand, don’t fight back. Just let it happen. In most cases, your stack wont be short enough to shove all in over their steals or big enough to have a ton of fold equity against a big stack that may spite call you for being a nuisance. Anything that doesn’t have you putting in the last bet, such as a light 3-bet, just sets you up for exploitation by a good aggressive big stack. Just wait out the short stacks and make your move after the bubble bursts.

If you have a solid read that the big stack is so far out of line that you can play back at them lighter for value, then have at it. Just be sure you understand how ICM considerations affect your stacking off ranges.

2. Know When to Pwn Em, Know When To Fold

Sometimes, your midstack can be a de facto big stack. This means that the big stack has abdicated the table captain’s chair and there are short stacks left to act after you, giving you license to act as the big stack for the remainer of the hand.

When this happens you get to pwn the bubble by raising or shoving light on the stacks who cant afford to play back at you without a hand. But be careful. This applies to those who understand the first point I mentioned. If instead, you have some vigilante on your left who doesn’t give a damn about ICM and is on a suicide mission to screw the both of you, just fold. Let him blow himself up against someone else. That way, you get some of his EV risk free.

3. Pick Off Short Stacks After The Bubble Burst

If you survived the bubble and still have a midstack or better, congratulations. You are in one of the most profitable positions in all of tournament poker. The short stacks that made the money will be desperate to steal some chips. After being tight for so long, all that pent up aggression will have them throwing themselves at you like groupie to a rapper. You can call with some pretty marginal holdings knowing that you will be ahead of their shoving range and that you will have to lose 2 or 3 of these confrontations in a row to bust the tournament. This alone is a good enough reason to preserve your midstack on the bubble.

It’s important to have a good understanding of ICM implications in bubble situations. It’s even more important to understand whether or not you opponents understand these implications. This knowledge can only be gained by intently watching them play. Once you understand how they will react, you will not only be able to survive, but thrive as a midstack on the bubble and beyond.