Playing Online Poker On The Bubble

The bubble is the stage in an online poker tournament where the last player that must leave the table will go home with nothing while the rest of the players is in the money. If you're playing a Sit'n'Go with 10 players the first three usually are getting paid while the fourth place gets nothing. In Double or Nothing Sit'n Gos half of the players is getting paid. The bubble at a 10 player Sit'n Go table takes place with four players.

Online Poker Strategy - The passive approach
On the bubble you want to avoid an elimination so badly because if you go broke you will go home with nothing. That's why it's reasonable not to play any hands, avoid any confrontations and wait until the next player has to leave the tournament. If other players do you this favor you can win money with folding.
But this sounds easier than it is. What if everybody else is also playing passively and you don't have a big chip stack? Then you're in trouble and the likelihood of getting eliminated due to increasing blinds is high.
Playing passively only makes sense when you either have a big stack so you can afford to wait, or your opponents are playing aggressively and wildly. Then it's just a matter of seconds when the next one quits the tournament.

Online Poker Strategy - The aggressive approach
Most of the time the aggressive approach is way better. Not only can you put pressure on your passive opponents and surviving the bubble but you can also increase your chip stack thus increasing your chance to win the tournament.
But be cautious! You must not play wildly just to be aggressive. You have to select your aggression properly and put the pressure on passive opponents. Pay attention to your risk. Don't risk your whole stack and make small attempts to steal pots. No matter how many chips you have: if you can't select your aggression properly you can always be the „bubble boy“ who goes home with nothing.

The bubble is one of the most interesting stages in a tournament. You need a lot of skills to survive the bubble more often than your opponents. It's important to select the right approach. If you do that properly only bad luck can beat you!