Bubble realities

When tournaments approach the money bubble, most players tighten up their games. That's completely normal. Why risk making no profit at all, when caution increases your chances of making at least a small profit, and potentially a really big one? Last night, I was in danger of being the bubble boy. If every remaining player had played cautiously until the bubble burst, I very likely would have been. Fortunately for me, however, poker can make it difficult to play cautiously, even when you know you should. A player at another table, with more chips than me, became the bubble boy. I don't know how it happened, but can make an educated guess. My guess is that he got dealt a hand too good to pass up, and ran into a bad beat or a cooler. That's happened to me numerous times, so I can relate. It just feels wrong to fold a good hand, even when you're on the bubble.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     109   30    29   284000

delta: $84,000
MTT NLHE balance: $15,149,668
2020 balance: $8,127,343
balance: $69,935,353