Just played a live event. 101 players. Top 11 get paid. 16 players are left and I find myself with 4.5 BB. I'm the shortest stack in the tournament. I decided to play push/fold style since it's apparently gto. However at this point I'm not looking to win I'm just hoping to cash. I'm wondering if there's any merit to basically sitting out the rest of the tournament and hope to make the bubble. Playing maybe only the top 2.5% of hands instead of the wide range recommended by the push fold charts.

In my particular case I open shoved with KTs got called by pocket 8s and lost. The outcome of the hand doesn't mean it was the wrong play but again I'm wondering if I could better accomplish my goal of cashing by just letting myself get blinded out and hoping enough players get knocked out.

On that stack you're not very likely to make top 11 without winning a pot or two anyway, in most tournament structures and when most opponents aren't playing recklessly

I think you always need to be trying to do something other than let yourself be blinded out, KTs is gonna be a +EV open shove from any position at 4.5bb so without other details it sounds correct. You may have lost on this occasion but I think you achieve your goal of cashing far more frequently by taking a shot than by sitting out as the shortstack, which would almost never work

You also need to consider why you only had 4.5bb at that stage, had you gradually let yourself be blinded down because you were aiming for 11th, or had you just lost a big pot?

were there antes in play? If so, then sitting back and waiting wont be good for you, if there weren't then sitting back can be done a bit more.

You should be in push-fold mode long before you get to 4.5bb. Sounds like you need some work on shortstack strategy.

If I ever find myself that low I start looking for spots to get it in multiway with the right hands. If you're going to shove your chips in at least give yourself a shot a tripling or quadrupling up. For example, if I'm in middle position I won't open shove a hand like 75s but with a raise and caller in front I might toss it in. Look for hands that flop well and won't be blocked by raising/calling hands.

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+1

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