[benneh]

To answer both questions, doesn't really matter as long as you've got at least enough for 2 rounds. You really need to start pushing with marginal ahnds if you have a small stack and hope to gamble it up. Not so much that you are just horribly pissing your money away, but you've gotta pick your spots.

In all of my very deep money finishes, I had very short stacks around the midway mark where you seem to be falling out. Like 27th place or 40th place. To be honest, I don't build my stack THAT much during the bubble. I maybe buy myself maybe 2 or 3 rounds and then I get the rest by picking spots to go all in. It could be that my luckbox is overflowing the past month, but I don't think i'm doing a horrible job in these MTT things. It sounds like you just aren't having luck go on your side.

You don't need to worry about having a below-average stack after the bubble. People still play pretty weak all throughout the tourney up until the final 3 or 4 tables. Maybe even final two. Just don't let yourself get to an M below 2, cause then its time to push just about any two.