The Bubble

In tournament play, there comes a time when there are only a couple more eliminations before the remaining players are guaranteed to be in the money. This period is known as "the bubble," and can get especially intense when just one more player needs to bust at a major tournament. Just look at how much tension is created at the World Series of Poker Main Event when the bubble approaches, and the entire room know they're just moments away from cashing in the world's largest poker tournament!

During the bubble period, many players will tighten up tremendously in an effort to avoid being eliminated before the money. If you're more concerned with winning something rather than winning the entire tournament or finishing in one of the top places, this strategy is correct. However, if you're looking to maximize your winnings in the long run, the bubble is actually a great time to be aggressive. With a medium or large stack, you can steal a tremendous number of pots on the bubble, picking up uncontested chips from players who simply aren't in the mood to fight when they can make money simply by surviving for a few more hands.

The one thing that you shouldn't do in this spot -- without a huge hand, anyway -- is risk most or all of your chips against another large stack. However, this is rarely a concern; most of the other big stacks are likely to know this too, and will shy away from confrontations that could cost them a majority of their chips. This makes an aggressive strategy even more effective, as stacks of all sizes feel motivated to stay out of your way!