Playing the bubble when the blinds are still low

[momo24]

I mainly play $5 and $10 SNGs and the play can be so wild that you sometimes reach the bubble before the blinds have gotten above 20/40 or 30/60. For example, at a $5 SNG on UB, we were down to 5 players, I had around T6500, another player had about T3000, and the other three were T1500-T2000, and the blinds were just 30/60.

If the blinds were 100/200 or so, I'd be in perfect position to start moving in with almost any hand. The play had tightened up and it was clear that the three small stacks were trying to wait out the other two to finish in the money so this looks like a good time to start stealing blinds. But can it really be the right move to start moving in and putting a significant portion of your chips at risk when you are only going to pick up T90 in blinds?

It doesn't seem to me that it's time to start pushing here and if that's the case, what's the optimal strategy? Play tight until the blinds increase and then start bullying? If so, how do I determine when the time is right? How large should the blinds be relative to the stacks left?

Or should I loosen up, build the pot preflop, and then move in when the flop is favorable or I think it was unlikely to help my opponent?

[Scuba Chuck]

I asked this question a long time ago (maybe 6 weeks ago - long time for me /images/graemlins/grin.gif).

The answer is that you have a dual strategy here.

1. Protect your chips
2. Play post flop poker.

When you're in this situation, narrowing down your game to just preflop strategies is risky. You're going to have to play some poker here...

My primary advice is to play/raise when you are the button or CO - with any sort of playable hand. From the CO, try and buy the button with a raise. That way you're last to act, and you can wield more chip muscle from this position.

From the rest of the positions, only play solid hands.

[momo24]

Thanks, that makes sense. One more question: How do you decide that it's time to switch gears and start moving in preflop?

[J-Lo]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks, that makes sense. One more question: How do you decide that it's time to switch gears and start moving in preflop?

[/ QUOTE ]

Either @ the 10x BB range, or u find that you are outclassed