[beekeeper]

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It seems lately I have been playing excellent poker, and when I have a decent stack, I have been self destructing.



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Magenoita's advice is very good. Also, note what you yourself said. Your problem sounds more like a chip management/tournament strategy problem more than your play. Lately I have managed to be among the chip leaders when we get down to 6 players (I play home games, not online), and when the other players get more aggressive, I tighten up, my chips get whittled away, and if I finish in the money, it's not first place. So I am practicing my short game and how to maintain a healthy stack relative to the blinds until I get a hand.

Maybe you have acquired your chip stack through very effective aggression or great play. However you built it, your strategy will still have to adjust it as the final table pares down. One reason is that your opponents either are changing their strategy, or (as I'm often told) their previous style of play becomes more effective short handed. From experience I would say tightening up is not the answer, because if you don't get hands, you'll lose your stack through attrition.

I haven't gotten Harrington On Hold'Em Part 2 yet, but from what I've heard, it sounds like it could be helpful.

Just to reiterate, from how you phrase your question, it sounds like you are concentrating on your play and not giving enough thought to how to manage a big stack. It is a shift in strategy because you're thinking about more than just how to play each hand. The small stacks want to double through you, and a confrontation with another big stack could cripple you. Position is much more important than your cards, as is the chip stacks of the players playing into you or yet to play behind. I also think that Skalansky's book on tournament play will help a lot.

Good luck.