[Phil Van Sexton]

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Bubble play is hard and I could probably make a whole strategy guide on this subject alone.

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I totally agree, but it would be worth the effort. Getting to the final 4 or 5 is simple. We can argue about how to play 66 at the 10/15 level, but seriously....if you have brain you are going to make the final 5 most of the time.

Once you are in the top 3, the blinds are so high that it really comes down to getting good cards. Other than saying to play aggressively, there's not much to add.

The real question is what to do when there are 4 or 5 left.

If you want know how I play the bubble, here is my plan....
Stealing the Blinds - Once I get to the final 4-5, I will immediately start raising 3xBB when I'm on the button or sb and it was folded to me. I want to figure out ASAP how easy people will give up their blinds. If they keep folding immediately, I'll drop down to 2xBB.

If they reraise, I'll probably call if its small. If I have a premium hand, of course I would move all-in.

I'll bet the flop if it hits me at all or if there's an Ace on the flop (since I raised, they'll think I have an ace). I'll usually bet the same amount as pre-flop (ie 2-3xBB). Most people would always bet the pot, but that's probably a lot of $. Just like pre-flop, you want to bet the minimum that will get them to fold. Most players will call any bet if they hit the flop, and fold to any if they didnt.

I will usually check it down on the turn and river, unless I have a monster. Since they called my bet on the flop, they have something and may well be trapping me.

Protecting the Blinds - I must admit I'm not the best here. I rarely try to protect my SB. I only have 1/2 a bet committed, and the BB is yet to act. It really depends on the raiser. If they keep trying to steal, you should try to reraise and steal their bet and the BB. I might do this with AA-88, AK-A9, KQ-KT, and possibly others if I had enough chips. If successful, this will discourage them from stealing...which will allow you to steal the BB yourself.

If you are in the BB, you cannot allow people to min raise you. If they min-raise, you must re-raise if at all possible. Once they get the message, they will have to bet at least 3xBB.

If I had to summarize....
- Try to steal as cheaply as possible. Try 3xbb right away, then drop to 2xbb if the blinds keep folding.
- Steal with any pair, any A, any 2 cards T or higher, and any suited connector. Add hands like K9, T9o, and occasional garbage if it's working well.
- If you raised pre-flop, bet the same amount on the flop if it hits you at all or an A flops. Then check the turn/river to avoid traps.
- Don't defend too much from SB, but be ready to reraise if people are stealing a lot with small raises and the BB isn't doing anything about it.
- Don't allow people to min-raise your BB. Reraise with any A, K, QJ, QT, JT, pair, or suited connector.
- Try to reraise rather than call. Calling doesnt really discourage blind stealers.
- If you are short stack, just try to get ahead of the other short stacks and stay there. You don't need to double or triple up.