Bursting the SNG Bubble

Peter ‘Nordberg’ Feldman

One of the keys to becoming a successful Sit & Go player is learning to master bubble play. The last thing anybody wants is to be the Bubble Boy, which means you need to get the most out of every hand you play during this critical stage. If you make solid moves from good positions and manage your chip stack wisely, you’ll find yourself in the money before you know it.

Let’s say that you’re short-stacked with just five or six big blinds. How you play your hand in this situation depends less on your cards and more on your position and the size of the other short stacks at the table. For example, you’re in the small blind and the hand is folded around to you. If the big blind doesn’t have you covered by very much, it’s time to jam. This play makes it really hard for him to call because he’s risking his tournament in a very tenuous spot. You put him in a position where he’s the one who has to call you, and that’s a big advantage.

Now let’s change things up a little. Say you’re sitting on about eight big bets on the button and the chip leader is in the big blind. If the action is folded to you in this situation, you can be much more selective about the hands you play. You still have plenty of chips to work with before the blinds come back around, which means you can afford to try and pick your spots. Personally, I’d fold hands worse than Q-10 here, but I’d probably play KJ, KQ, any Ace, and all pocket pairs.

If you’re sitting on just four or five big blinds in this same situation, you’ll have to open up your game a little and play more hands. You’ve got to take some chances here and get your chips in, even if you may be no better than 50-50. Waiting isn’t an option because the blinds will eat you alive if you let them.

If you’re playing a medium-size stack, you have more room to play, but still have to be careful about when – and from where – you put your chips in the middle. Making a standard 3x or 4x raise with 15 or 16 blinds can still be risky because there’s a good chance a bigger stack will re-raise and try to force you all-in before the flop. You really can’t afford to make that call without a premium hand like Aces or Kings.

You definitely don’t want to call with something like AK or AQ because you’re just a coin-flip against any pair and are dominated by pocket Aces or Kings. Folding here is a smarter move, especially if there’s a short stack left to play behind you who is likely to call with a much wider range of hands and give you a better shot of making the money.

Of course, nothing is more comforting than having the big stack when you’re sitting on the bubble. As the chip leader, you can practice selective aggression and apply pressure to the smaller stacks. You especially want to focus on the players in second and third place, as they aren’t going to want to put their chips at unnecessary risk.

Because the shorter stacks are going to try to double up through you, you need to be careful about making loose calls just because you think you can afford them. For example, let’s say the small stack raises 5x the big blind from the button and the small blind folds. You’re in the big blind and it’s only four more bets for you to call, which means your odds are slightly less than 2-1. While calling here may in fact be the right decision, it’s not automatic as far as I’m concerned.

I recommend taking a few seconds to really think through the situation, even if you’re holding a pretty strong hand like A-8 or up, KQ, KJ, or any pocket pair. Think about your opponent and how he’s been playing. If he raises every time he’s in that spot, widen your calling range. But if he’s a particularly good Sit & Go player or playing tight, he may not play many hands and you shouldn’t call as frequently.

More often than not when I’m the big stack in this situation, I’m not just flat calling here. Instead, I’m moving all-in. This is particularly effective because it puts all of the other players at the table to a tough decision. Again, the players in second and third aren’t likely to get involved without huge hands, which lets me isolate the smaller stack.

In the end, winning a SNG is about using whatever edge you’ve got. When you’re down to the final four, take advantage of position and play your stack aggressively. Know when to back off and when to go for it. You’ll still be at the table – and in the money – when the bubble bursts.

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As a young man, he excelled at chess and won the state championships in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Thereafter, he was a backgammon pro, quitting only after winning a $27,000 championship that the organizer failed to pay. Early poker experiences came at the Mayfair Club in the mid-’80s, where he played with Howard Lederer and Erik Seidel.

Harrington won the 1995 World Series of Poker championship event. That same year he won his second bracelet in the $2,500 no-limit hold’em event. Harrington, amazingly, made back-to-back final tables in the 2003 and 2004 WSOP main event. In 2005 he finished second at the Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship. In 2007, Harrington showed the world that he is still one the most dangerous tournament players in the world when he won the World Poker Tour Legends of Poker main event. He added more than $1.6 million to his lifetime earnings which now exceed $6 million.

Harrington has also excelled in the writing world, penning a successful three-part series entitled “Harrington on Hold’em.”

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In the space of just ten years, Daniel has achieved possibly the greatest live tournament results record ever seen. In 1998 at just 23, he became the youngest ever player at the time to win a World Series bracelet, after taking down the $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em event. This was to be the start of an incredible run of success at the WSOP*, one that still shows no sign of stopping today. After a 2nd place finish in the $5,000 Omaha Hi/Lo event in 2002, he returned the following year to claim his 2nd bracelet in the $2,000 S.H.O.E. event. He won a third bracelet in 2004’s $2,000 Limit Hold’em event for $169,000, and had another good World Series run in 2008, cashing several times and winning a fourth bracelet in the $2,000 Limit Hold’em event for $204,863. A few months later, Daniel travelled to London for the World Series of Poker* Europe and made the final table of the £10,000 Main Event, picking up $395,024 for a 5th place finish.

But while the money he’d earned in World Series events up to this point had been impressive, it was nothing compared to the huge payouts he would soon start winning. By late 2004, WPT events were generating massive prize pools and Daniel wasted no time taking his share. In September, he won the Borgata Poker Open for an incredible $1,117,400 and followed it up just three months later with victory at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, a win that earned Daniel another $1,770,218. There have also been several other WPT final table appearances, helping him to add another $1,443,013 to his bankroll. Daniel also won $755,525 after finishing 1st in a WSOP* Circuit event in 2005. In all, his total live earnings currently stand at over $10,000,000.

Daniel has also become a popular poker author, with millions of poker fans regularly reading his books, articles and blogs. He regularly appears on major televised poker shows, as both player and commentator. When he has spare time, he enjoys relaxing at home; shooting pool and playing video games with friends. He’s also an avid golfer and can often be found playing for high stakes with other top poker players.

Extremely popular amongst fans, Daniel is a true powerhouse in the poker world. He is a member of Team PokerStars Pro and plays online using the screen name ‘KidPoker’.

Buy a copy of Daniel’s books Hold’em Wisdom for All Players, More Hold’em Wisdom for All Players and Power Hold’em Strategy from our Book Store.

Career Highlights
Event                                                                  Date            Position     Prize
1998 WSOP $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em    April 1998    1st      $169,460
2002 WSOP $5,000 Omaha Hi/Lo Split   May 2002    2nd    $85,400
2003 WSOP $2,000 S.H.O.E.                        May 2003    1st      $100,440
2003 WSOP $3,000 No Limit Hold’em.   May 2003    2nd    $210,980
WPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure     Jan 2004      3rd     $192,270
2004 WSOP $2,000 Limit Hold’em           May 2004     1st      $169,100
WPT Borgata Poker Open                                Sept 2004    1st      $1,117,400
WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic   Dec 2004     1st      $1,770,218
WPT Jack Binion World Poker Open           Jan 2005     3rd     $384,322
Jack Binion WSOP Circuit Event                  Jan 2006     1st      $755,525
WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic  Dec 2006    3rd     $592,000
WPT Gold Strike World Poker Open           Jan 2007    2nd     $502,691
2008 WSOP $2,000 Limit Hold’em          June 2008  1st       $204,863
2008 WSOP $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha     June 2008   7th     $123,437
2008 WSOPE $10,000 Main Event           Oct 2008      5th     $395,024
British Columbia Poker Championship    Nov 2008    1st      $371,000
2009 WSOP $2,500 Limit Hold’em          June 2009    2nd    $138,280
2009 WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo         June 2009   4th      $130,401

* WORLD SERIES OF POKER and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah’s License Company, LLC (”Harrah’s”).

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In any group, there can be only one First.

In the world of poker, the game that took over America and become the third most watched sport on television, the first has always been and continues to be, the legendary Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson.

Brunson, now 75, is the Babe Ruth, the Michael Jordan, and the Arnold Palmer of poker. He virtually invented the phenomenon that is Texas Hold’em. He paved the way for a sport once viewed to be played by only roughnecks and criminals, but is now played by today’s world leaders and top executives.

He was the star of the infamous band of traveling poker sharks, the Texas Rounders. He was the first of the high stakes hotel poker players in Las Vegas introducing his “power poker” to the world. He has won an unprecedented and record ten World Series of Poker events, including the two back-to-back world championships. In addition, he is a best-selling author and in the world of professional poker, he is king.

“Doyle learned early on in life, no matter what you’re dealt, anything can be turned into a winning hand. Raised dirt poor in rural Texas, he was a natural athlete who went to college on both a basketball and track scholarships. His NBA career with the then-Minneapolis Lakers ended before it began when he shattered his leg in an accident at the gypsum factory where he was working pre-season. The leg never did heal properly, and to this day, his place at a poker table is easily spotted by the crutch standing nearby.

In order to survive in Texas after the accident, Brunson took up the game that would prove to be his lifeblood, poker. His upbringing and early life as an outsider made him a lifelong observer of people, and his skill at reading faces was his ace in the hole; he got very good, very fast.

But then life took a turn for the worse in 1962 when he was diagnosed with cancer and given a mere three months left in this world. But he called that bluff and the other guy folded, and 40 years later, Brunson is still at the table, and still winning.

Considered the patriarch of modern poker and the person most responsible for its rise from smoky backrooms to the pop-culture spotlight, Brunson was the leader of the Texas Rounders, a group of men who, in the words of The History Channel, “cleaned Texas dry” playing high-stakes poker in the 1950s and ’60s. Outrunning both the law and the hijackers who preyed on winners of illegal big-money card games, he eventually landed in Las Vegas where he became one of the city’s earliest tourist attractions: audiences would gather in awe to watch him play.

In 1978, Brunson changed the game of poker forever with his book Super/System, a complete guide to Texas Hold’em and other games of poker. Essential reading for everyone from weekend dabblers to high-stakes gamblers, the book remains the bible of poker, the top-selling poker book of all time, still selling 14,000 copies a month. Following the books success, Brunson recently published a sequel, Super/System 2, which includes new games, new strategies and insight from not only Brunson himself but also some of the other biggest names in poker today. As well, Brunson has an autobiography, a recently released book specifically on online poker, and the tales of the greatest hands he’s ever seen all scheduled to be published in the coming months.|

Doyle, at the ripe young age of 75, continues to play at the elite level. Where most poker players’ skills usually deteriorate with age and time, Brunson is sharper than ever still eliminating the competition day in and day out. In 2005, he won both his record 10th WSOP bracelet, and hundreds of thousands more in tournament play.

He is a spokesperson for the online poker website DoylesRoom.com, an avid blogger, and writes a syndicated poker column in the London Telegraph. He plays poker every day and often hosts high-stakes Texas Hold’em games that cost $100,000 just to sit down. He’ll win, and sometimes lose, $50,000 or more on a single hand. But as he recently told the History Channel, “to be a successful gambler you have to have a complete disregard for money.” That and a keen eye for what’s happening in the eyes of the other guy.

Most recently, in January 2006, ahead of ESPN, the World Poker Tour, and the rest of the world, BLUFF magazine voted Brunson the #1 most influential force in the world of poker. Despite all these accomplishments, Doyle shows no signs of slowing down. He still has the eye, the nerve and the skill and just in the fall of 2004, won another million-dollar World Poker Tour event at the Bicycle Club in Los Angeles, CA.

Doyle continues to defy the odds and play with the best, but he’ll be the first to tell you, it’s not always what you’re dealt, but how you play the cards.

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One of the most controversial players in the world of poker, Phil Hellmuth, Jr. is often known by the not-so-affectionate moniker of “The Poker Brat.” But while his antics at the table have been known to ruffle a few feathers, Hellmuth has also been one of the most dominating players over the course of his career. In fact, many fans of the game view him as the face of professional poker, especially Texas Hold ‘em.

Born July 16th, 1964 in Madison, Wisconsin, Phillip J. Hellmuth, Jr. was the oldest of five children. Being the son of a successful university assistant dean, Phil excelled in school and looked poised to follow in his father’s academic footsteps. Fate, however, had other plans.

Phil enrolled in the University of Wisconsin, and it was here that his poker career got off the ground. He was initially invited to play in cash poker games at the student union, but soon found that the low-dollar games didn’t present enough of a challenge. Months later, he was competing against professors and other members of the campus community in $100 buy-in games. Hellmuth did so well that he was able to pay off his student loans and still have a $20,000 bankroll left over. At this point, he dropped out of college in his junior year and became a professional poker player.

In 1989, the 24-year-old Hellmuth defeated Johnny Chan to become the youngest champion of the World Series of Poker main event. As of 2006, he has won an impressive nine World Series of Poker bracelets (bracelets are awarded to tournament winners), all in the Texas Hold ‘em events. He was the season three champion of Late Night Poker, and he defeated Chris Ferguson in 2005 to win the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship. As of 2006, his total live tournament winnings exceed $7,200,000.

His World Series of Poker accomplishments include: first place finishes in The Championship Event in 1989, Limit Hold ‘em in 1992, 1993, and 2003, two No Limit Hold ‘em events in 1993, one in 2001, and one in 2003, and Pot Limit Hold ‘em in 1997.

However, for all his accomplishments, Phil has yet to win at the final table of a World Poker Tour event. He finished fourth at the Lucky Chances event (season one) and third at Foxwoods (season two). No doubt, this brings a smile to the face of his detractors.

Hellmuth is also involved in many ventures away from the card table. He frequently contributes to Card Player Magazine, as well as having penned Play Poker like the Pros, Bad Beats and Lucky Draws, Poker Brat (which was on the best-seller list for a month), and The Greatest Poker Hands Ever Played. He has also made several instructional videos, including Phil Hellmuth’s Million Dollar Poker Secrets. He is a spokesperson for the Ultimate Bet online poker room, and has been collaborating with Oakley on a signature line of sunglasses (no doubt, to compliment his signature line of clothing). Phil also writes a syndicated column which is printed in over 40 U.S. newspapers.

When he’s not traveling around the world playing poker, Hellmuth makes his home in Palo Alto, California with his wife Katherine (a psychiatrist at Stanford University) and two sons, Phillip III and Nicholas. His favorite food is salmon, while his favorite music and movies range from Pearl Jam and The American President to The Rolling Stones and The Matrix.

He estimates that his skill at poker and fondness for self-promotion may earn him as much as $400,000,000 in his lifetime. Then again, would you expect anything less from the face of modern professional poker?

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Chris “Jesus” Ferguson was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. As the son of two mathematicians, Chris was destined to join the academic world. He spent a total of 18 years at UCLA, with five years as an undergrad and 13 as a graduate student. In 1999 he graduated with a Ph.D. in computer science and left the comfort of university life.

Chris started playing poker on an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel – one of the first forms of online poker – during his student years, and quickly became the highest ranked tournament player. He applied this knowledge of game theory to live poker in the LA area in 1994 and played his first World Series of Poker event just a year later. After leaving academia, Chris decided to concentrate on his game.

Within five years, Chris made seven WSOP final tables and cashed in 12 events. He won his first bracelet in the $2.5K Seven-Card Stud event, before going on to win the 2000 WSOP Main Event bracelet and $1.5 million the same year. Known for his versatility, Chris won his next WSOP bracelet in 2001 in the $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo Split event, followed by two further WSOP bracelets in 2003. The first of these was the $2K Omaha Hi/Lo Split event, followed by the $2K Limit Hold ‘em & Seven-Card Stud event.

More recently, Chris won the 2008 NBC Heads-Up Championship after battling through a tough 64-person field. He then made two more impressive finishes at the 2008 WSOP, with a 3rd place finish in the $1.5K No-Limit Hold ‘em event and 2nd place finish in the $5K World Championship 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo event. Chris got off to a good start in 2009 with a 2nd place finish at the Aussie Millions in the AUD 10K HORSE event in Melbourne.

Chris is recognized as one of the most skilled poker players in the world. He’s made 25 WSOP final tables, won five WSOP bracelets, cashed 42 times in a range of WSOP events and won three WSOP Circuit championship rings. His WSOP earnings alone total over $6.7 million.

Chris has also played an active role in the evolution of online poker, working with players and programmers to design Full Tilt Poker. He’s also dedicated himself to helping players improve their game by contributing to publications including “The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition” and the “Little Blue Book: More

Lessons and Hand Analysis in No Limit Texas Hold ‘em”. He later proved the value of bankroll management with the Chris Ferguson $10K Challenge, demonstrating how to turn $0 into $10K.

When he’s not playing poker, Chris can be found dancing West Coast Swing in his local club or showing off his incredible card tricks.

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Mike “The Mouth” Matusow has three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets. He also won the 2005 Tournament of Champions and has banked over $6.5 million in career tournament earnings. His book Mike Matusow: Check-Raising the Devil will be released in May 2009.

Mike started out as a dealer, but after studying from the other side of the table he began playing poker at Sam’s Town Casino in Las Vegas.  In the mid 1990´s, he decided to play full time. In 1999, he won his first WSOP bracelet in the $3.5K No-Limit Hold ´em event, for more than $266K. In 2002, he won his second WSOP bracelet and almost $150K in the $5K Omaha Hi/Lo Split event.

In 2005, Mike became the first player to win two $1 million prizes in the same year. He finished 9th at the WSOP Main Event, winning his first $1 million. Four months later, he won the WSOP Tournament of Champions for his second $1 million payday.

Mike´s success continued into 2006 with a 2nd place finish in the $120K No-Limit Hold ‘em tournament at the FullTiltPoker.Net Pro Showdown at Red Rock Casino for $200K. He finished 3rd in the No-Limit Hold ‘em event at the Tournament of Champions just three days later, banking an additional $250K. At the 2006 WSOP, Mike made it to the final table in the $2.5K No-Limit Hold ‘em event, finishing 7th for $90K.

At the 2007 WSOP, Mike had three top-20 finishes, totaling over $120K in prize money. He then took 2nd in the Bellagio Cup III WPT No-Limit Hold ‘em Main Event, winning more than $670K. In 2008, he placed 9th at the National Heads-Up Championship for $26K.

At the 2008 WSOP he won his third bracelet and more than $530K in the $5K No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball event. He capped the year by winning the 1st week of Poker After Dark Series V.

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Congratulations to Phil Ivey for winning his seventh WSOP bracelet in the 2009 $2.5K Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo event.

Raised in New Jersey, Phil’s poker career began in Atlantic City. He made his name as a high-stakes player before moving on to the live tournament circuit in 2000. It was then, at the age of 23, Phil won his first World Series of Poker title, beating Phil Hellmuth and Amarillo Slim in the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. 

2002 saw Ivey claim three more WSOP bracelets, winning the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud, $2,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo and $2,000 SHOE events. Over the next couple of years, his success continued with wins in a World Poker Open event, two Bellagio and two Commerce events. In addition to these performances, he also made several WPT final tables – impressive results for a player only 25 years of age.

In 2005, Phil earned his 5th WSOP bracelet in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event, and made two WPT final tables. He finished in 2nd place in the WSOP Circuit Event at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, before winning the Monte Carlo Millions tournament for $1 million in prize money. Phil then went on to win a further $600,000 just 24 hours later, with a first-place finish at “The FullTiltPoker.Net Invitational Live from Monte Carlo.”

In January 2006, Phil was named Player of the Year by the UK Gaming awards, “Bluff Magazine” and “All In Magazine”. His incredible run continued at the 2006 WSOP, with a 2nd place finish in the $5,000 Omaha Hi/Lo event and a 3rd place finish in the $50K HORSE event, winning over $800K in total. He also increased his reputation through the heads-up Phil Ivey vs. Andy Beal challenge, where he won over $16 million in just three days by playing against the poker billionaire.

The following year, Phil won the “Earphones Please” episode of “Poker After Dark” for $120K before making the final table in the 2007 WSOP $5K HORSE event. In 2008, Phil made his 8th appearance at the WPT Championships, where he won his first ever WPT title and landed in the top ten on the all-time tournament money list.

In 2009, Phil won another two WSOP bracelets. His 6th gold bracelet came in the $2.5K No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball event when he bested a field of 147 entrants, including some of the world’s top poker players, for more than $96K.

Phil won his 7th bracelet in the $2.5K Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo event for over $220K in prize money. This victory ties Phil in fourth place with Billy Baxter for All-Time Bracelet wins. To date, he has cashed in 36 WSOP events and accrued over $10.8 million in career tournament earnings.

Phil currently lives in Las Vegas with his wife. When he’s not playing poker, he can often be found playing golf near his home.

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Jennifer Harman is the only woman to have won two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets in open events. She has cashed in 12 World Poker Tour (WPT) events and 22 WSOP events, including 6 final tables and 2 bracelets. She is one of the most respected female players in the industry, and has amassed over $2.2 million in career tournament earnings.

Jennifer won her first bracelet at the 2000 WSOP in the $5K Deuce to Seven No-Limit event, banking over $145K in prize money. In 2002, she won her second bracelet in the $5K Limit Hold ‘em event, for more than $200K. Other notable cashes include a 4th place finish in the 2004 $15K WPT Main Event for just under $300K.

Jennifer placed 4th at the 2005 World Poker Tour Five-Diamond World Poker Classic for almost $300K, and finished 2nd in the 2005 WSOP Circuit Championship Event at the Rio, banking over $380K. In 2006, she finished 5th in the first ever Professional Poker Tour event. In 2007 she won the Week 8 airing of Poker After Dark.

Outside of the tournament circuit, Jennifer is known as a fearless ring game player, and regularly attends the “Big Game” at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. She is also the author of the Limit Hold ‘em chapter for Super System II.

When she’s not playing poker, Jennifer Harman is heavily involved in charity work. She founded Creating Organ Donation Awareness (CODA) in 2006 after receiving a second kidney through organ donation.

Jennifer is married to Full Tilt Poker’s Marco Traniello. They are the proud parents of twin boys and live in Reno, Nevada.

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