I started playing PLO8 MTTs after having success in 6/9 sngs. I have a tendency to freeze up and bubble a fair amount of tournys. I probably cash, lose on a flip sometime early or get it in poorly around, and bubble about 1/3 of the time each. Just bubbled the nightly 5k on Bovada (after being in the top 5 with about 50 players left and just dwindling down) and I'm a little upset at myself... I'm seeking advice from more seasoned MTT players on how they deal with the bubble. I just can't get away from slowing down my play, becoming hesitant to make large calls, etc when approaching the bubble.

I should add that I play pretty casually and know that my skill level definitely factors into early/bubble finishes. However, I feel like my lack of experience in this particular situation factors into a large amount of lost potential...

Well if you have a big stack you shouldn't be slowing down your play as you say.
You should be picking on the smaller stacks and trying to put pressure on them and raising more. Just try not to get involved with other big stacks and play a bit more passive in pots with them if cashing means that much to you.
Also i guess you could stall and slow down your play but i'd never do this unless im like 14/18 with 16 paid or something.

On bovada when you get toward the bubble, people wanna turn it into a gambling crapshoot because blinds get high or they don't give a ****, whatever. Hard to tell without knowing how you play/table as there's sometimes just nothing you can do. I bubbled tonight too similar as you. Tourns are just frustrating when you don't win or bust right away.

+1

It's Bovada. Check the hand histories - you can see what they had. Make some notes about the typical ranges that people are getting it in with on the bubble. What are they raising pf with? How light are they calling? What are they check-raising?

A lot of players are playing for 1st instead of just trying to mincash. So they're not waiting for the nuts to raise/bet/call with and avoid the bubble. They're trying to increase their stack however they can, and running over the bubble is a decent way to do that.

I was in a weird position yesterday where I was at about 25+ BBs and in 5th place and the player to my left was pretty short, around 13BBs. I opened up my range a bit, preflop raise a little more often. This player would often 3 bet or pot, and would almost always C bet the pot if I checked the flop to him. I couldn't get a read on his range and was too hesitent to get it in vs this guy when losing 13BBs would put me down near the bubble. Maybe this is more of a sign that I'm playing poorly out of position? Eventually this raise -> fold strategy got me down to below the bubble and I had to shove with a pretty poor hand.

Don't check to him. If there is a low SPR OTF then you can/should bet pot into him whenever you don't whiff or make the nuts (in which cases you can c/f or c/r accordingly). Being "out of position" is the best place for this. If his 3 bet would make him first to act (ie he is in the blinds) then its often better to just 4b all in and not have to face that flop shove. Putting pressure on your opponent is the crucial thing as you want him to fold out his equity in the pot and this can only be achieved by betting!

Gl Bob

Please post some hand histories.

I know the feeling, one minute you are top 5 approaching the bubble, the next you are worrying about cashing. This tournament in particular has a nasty bubble sometimes. It's tough to keep your aggression going because of the slow pace of bubble play. And they treat 50 left 27 pay like the bubble. Full timebanks being used every single hand by numerous people. It makes me angry thinking just thinking about them.

When you're on the bubble, you'll need to already know from whom you can steal.

Accordingly, in the early stages of the tournament, you look for opponents from whom you might steal when it gets to be bubble time.

These are often opponents who tend to not defend their blinds. If you can't find anyone who fits into this category, look for the least reckless opponents who are not bulldogs. (Bulldogs defend their blinds no matter what).

You don't really want to knock these non-defending opponents out in the early going - and you don't want to tip your hand early. Instead you'll need these opponents to keep refueled at bubble time.

So you bide your time while making a mental note of fuel sources for bubble time.

Finally when it's bubble time, avoid confrontation with bulldogs and crazy opponents (maniacs).

It's a matter of being selective, in choosing from whom you can steal. Sometimes it's a matter of getting your dibs in first, since other players will also be looking for the opponents from whom they can steal. If someone beats you to the punch, back off. Remember Omaha-8 hands run close together.

A lot depends on where you are seated... the luck of the draw. If you're in a bad seat you might want to bide your time until your table breaks. In other words, if you're in a bad seat, wait for better pickings at a different table.

Good luck.

Buzz

This...

Being oop is fine just pot any flop dont give him the chance to bluff you.

My thought process was along the lines that if I checked flop he was only betting with a low SPR if he really connected. Bluffing your stack, even if checked to you, is a pretty big risk if it means you're covered by the guy you're shoving into and could spell the end of the tourney? I guess this is where I was confused

What you're confusing is the difference between "Bluffing your stack" and betting with a low SPR when you connected lightly. It's not bluffing unless you completely whiffed and the short stack needs this pot to survive. Your check is giving him the green light to take it away.

I remember watching a Pred vid about 8 years ago and I remember it being called a stop and go. It's a beautiful sng play and as Bob has noted its effectiveness comes from being OOP. People often over fold when led into.

But that is a low SPR play. I wouldn't catergorise 25bbs in that category unless it goes pot re pot pre and even then...

It sounds as though you have a number of issues. For aggro 3 bettors tightening your range OOP, being prepared to 4 bet your opening range or limp calling are all viable strategies. Raise folding too often is exploitable and will be noticed by good players.

As to 25bbs. You need a plan for chip accumulation. Attacking the medium stacks who you have most FE against, attacking those who give up their blinds, flipping against the smaller stacks who represent a low proportion of your stack - equities run close in 08.

Please can you post some hands. Our advice is pretty abstract without examples.