Another bubble situation

[Gramps]

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I was trying to extract every last chip I could from the BB given my stack size, so I was not as interested in protecting my hand as I would be if I had a bigger stack.

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Actually, I think it's the other way around most of the time. When you're the short stack like this, you're hanging your tourney life out on the line by getting cute and trying to extract a couple hundred extra chips or so (where if you just win the pot that's there, you'll be very healthy). When you're the big stack, you can afford to get a little more cute, as you can take a hit and still have chips to survive.

The BB is getting 9:1 on the Turn mini-raise. You gotta make the Ac or Kc (which from your perspective on the Turn might be out there) pay to see that last card. I'd either push or raise it up like 600 or so more (being committed to go all-in on the River regardless of what falls). There's a lot of hands BB could have that will call you drawing dead on the River - and if he does have a draw to beat you, at least you made him overpay (chip EV-wise) to see the last card. Heck, even if BB isn't getting proper pot odds to call your raise with his higher flush draw (by not too large a margin), I'd probably still want a fold as the chips you're putting at risk have more tangible value per chip than the ones you'd gain by him calling (IMO).

If he folds....oh well, you picked up a nice pot and have a nice stack.

[texasrattlers]

Wow. This is really interesting! I have always associated being the short stack w/ having to take more risks to stay alive. But perhaps these risks should be taken pre-flop or on the flop, when it is less likely anybody has much of anything. Trying to build a pot is probably best for the big stacks, since every additional card makes it more likely your opponent catches a hand, and one mistake like this as a short stack and your tourney is done (whereas with a big stack he is still in good shape). I guess survival is far more important in this situation than extracting a few extra chips. I will need to keep this in mind, as I quite frequently try to "slow play" small advantages as the small stack when I should be taking the pot down. Of course with a monster I can slow play w/o risk, as in this example if I had the A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].

Thanks for your insights! It would be interesting to hear other takes on this as well, even if they are just supporting Gramps' view.