moving through the money

i am relativly new to mtts and ive been doing semi-decent. i dont have a hard time making it to the money which im definatley pleased with but it seems that as soon as i hit the money i cant maintain a stack large enough to propel me to the much later levels. i dont know if this is the time to start taking coin flips or if i should wait for nuts. i know this is very general but any adivice would be much appreciated

-chief

[benneh]

i generally play pretty crazy once i'm in the money, moreso than just before the money (and lots of the guys here will recommend maniac play on the bubble, something i need some clarification on). I won't raise with any two cards, but I will be opening a lot more pots and trying to pick up blinds more often. I figure I can build my stack that way and get paid off once i do get a real hand. Or, If I end up busting out, its no big deal since the money is so shallow and i'm playing to win.

[MrBrightside]

one thing I've learned (I'm not an expert like some on this board, but am learning MTTs), is that LOTS of people follow this strategy. Play is very tight on the bubble, then it will be crazy as folks try to do like this guy. Especially with blinds usually hi by then, people will be moving in a lot preflop.

[XXXNoahXXX]

One of the reasons that a lot of people advocate aggressive bubble play is for the simple reason that most people play supertight around the bubble. If you enter an MTT and are pleased to finish just in the money, then MTTs aren't for you. The goal is to get to the final table where the real money is. You can accumulate a lot of the chips by showing less fear just before the money, because you will easily be able to tell which players are trying to coast into the money. Stealing blinds and pots becomes significantly easier on the bubble as long as you stay away for the chip leaders who don't tighten up. If you're playing for the final table it makes more sense to play aggressive now then just into the money when people will not allow you to make as many moves.

[pokerstudAA]

As the blinds get really big compared to stacks you want to turn on the gas. If you have 15k in chips and blinds are 1.5/3k you can add 4.5k to your stack every time you steal the blinds. This is more important than having good cards. When you have good position and are opening the pot go allin and add %20 to your stack. Look for coin flips with stacks that cannot bust you. Your opponents are playing really tight at this point and your job is to take advantage of them. Playing super aggresssive during this period will keep you playing to the final table.

BUBBLE THOUGHTS

thanks for the feedback. ill try opening up on the bubble and see what happens