'Teaching' Bad Play On The Bubble

[Hood]

The good discussion in to the notorious min-raise got me thinking about my play on the bubble. As in proper 2+2 style, I'm usually very aggressive when we're down to 4-5 players in level 4+, look for times to take down the blinds to build up my stack.

One method I do this is to 'punish' people who limp. I do this quite often - if I'm on the big-blind and anyone limps in, I often push on them. This seems pretty successful, as the limp nearly always conveys weakness.

However I'm wondering if this 'teaches' the bad players not to limp in to me. I have no stats to back it up, but it seems after I do this once or twice, I force them to play tighter. And when they do join in, they'll open with a raise to protect themselves. So in a way I've encouraged them to play better, making the bubble somewhat trickier.

Has anyone else noticed they accidently 'educate' bad players in this way? Should I be worried about this and not punish them so much? Or does it not really matter because the bubble only latest a few orbits?

[laceratedsky]

To be quite honest, most players don't even notice. Especially at the lower Sit n Gos. I guess it depends on what stakes you're playing.

The key thing is not be too mechanical, don't always push, sometimes go at 5 or 6x BB or some such. This type of playing could cause bad players to open raise with things like Q 10 because they really want to play a hand! And they figure if they come in at maybe a min raise they'll finally be able to play their mediocre hands. This would be a very good side effect.

Hope this didn't sound too out of sorts, it's early. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[PrayingMantis]

Sure, your opponents adjust to your game. But if you are a better player, you should be a step ahead. Rabdomize your game, don't let them feel they now "know" what your doing. I don't really believe in "moves" in SNG poker. You can do anything, limping, mini-raising, pushing like a maniac, playing "weak-tight", stop-n-going, calling instead of betting. The only question is who's your opponent(s), and what is the best way to take advantage of their weak points. And their weak points change, even during one game, so your tactics (and strategy) should change too.

[Colby818]

One word of caution on pushing against the limper. Were you to run in me, this could kill you. And I'm sure I'm far from the only one who does this. When I get down to short handed and heads up, I will try every play to see how my opponent reacts to it. I vary between limp, raise, big raise. It almost doesn't matter what cards I have. I'm just looking to see how my opponent reacts. If I get the sense that when I limp you are going to push, I will look for a big hand to limp so that you push, then I can either cripple or eliminate you.

It's not that it's a bad play. It's quite a good play, but as others have stated, don't become mechanical at the end. If I find even the slightest hint of a pattern, I can usually take an opponent out late. It is those who vary their play that cause the most trouble.