Let the Bubble Burst
Texas Hold ‘Em online poker tournaments generally pay out a few prizes once there is a final table. The players at the table are all acutely aware of making it to the money and want to survive the “bubble” – the last elimination spot that does not pay.
There are two ways to get past the bubble during the jeux de casino: either accumulate a huge chip stack or just do nothing and let other players take each other out. This last tactic can be a sore point. Sometimes players unwittingly butt into a pot when they should stay away and let someone else eliminate a player to burst the bubble.
Suppose the short-stacked online poker player goes all-in with a small pocket pair. Two players call, one with AK and another with J10. The flop comes Q 10 9. The all-in short stack is beat, but AK, who still does not have a made hand, puts out a huge bet that would put the J10 player all-in too. The player has made a pair to beat the small pockets and has an open-ended straight draw. But everyone fears going out on the bubble and AK’s bet forces J10 to fold. The turn and river do nothing to improve AK, so the short stack with small pocket pair triples up and is once again a contender. The bubble is still waiting to burst because AK’s bet drove away the winning hand. Both AK and J10 now have smaller stacks, and are still sitting on the bubble. Think carefully before betting in these situations. Remember, you can let other players do the eliminating while you will preserve your chip stack.
