Is the \"second bubble\" a spot to make a play with a short stack
 

B&M Multi, 170 players down to eleven players. Two tables, I'm at the 6 handed tables. Second table gets $148 (buyin + $18). $16,500 to the first table, $340 to tenth place. So the next person out is on the "second bubble".

I have been the short stack for some time. I'm actually up to $15k, blinds 1.5k/3k. The loose big stack to my left just crippled another big stack by calling an all-in with 77 (the all-in had 44). The cripple is in the small blind with 4.5k, so he should only have 5 hands left.

Folded to me, one off the button (the loose big stack), I've got 66. The button has around $85k, the big blind around $25k. Should I try to back into tenth as the small stack? Or should i take this as an opportunity to build my stack before the tables combine, so I can make a run at at multi-thousand dollar payday?

Re: Is the \"second bubble\" a spot to make a play with a short stack
 

I shove, and don't mind a call. At this point I'll take the happy side of a coin-flip.

Re: Is the \"second bubble\" a spot to make a play with a short stack
 

I think this is a pretty easy push. Stealing here increases your stack by 30% and if you are called I would imagine you are flipping or even well ahead of A2-A5 a lot. The small blind might call with a lot of hands here too, and you should be a decent favorite over his range. I wouldn't really call this a "play," and given your position relative to the big stack, I don't think you're in a great spot to make "plays." If you had an inkling that button wasn't interested in this hand, then I would probably be pushing a lot more hands.

Re: Is the \"second bubble\" a spot to make a play with a short stack
 

My goal was to get deep in the money, so I pushed. The loose big stack on the button called with KJo, and struck a Jack on the flop.

Afterwards I had mixed emotions. I was happy to be called by a hand I was ahead of, winning would have put me at 35k and middle of the pack at the final table. But I had some "results oriented" remorse on passing up the free $200, and wondered if the correct tournament play was to always wait for the cripple to bust.

Re: Is the \"second bubble\" a spot to make a play with a short stack
 

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I shove, and don't mind a call. At this point I'll take the happy side of a coin-flip.

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