Bubble Play
In FullTiltPoker.net tournaments, an interesting opportunity occurs when the bubble has not yet burst. In poker terms, the bubble is when the remaining players are on the verge of finishing in the money. The bubble bursts when the last non-scoring players bust out of the tournament. This means that all remaining players will win a portion of the prize money. This can be a couple hundred players, as with the World Series of Poker, or just two or three, as with a sit and go tournament.
This is a great opportunity for bigger stacked players to increase their chip lead. Short stacks will want to preserve their chips so they may finish in the money. Because of this fact, they will play much more conservatively unless they have a premium hand, like pocket aces. This creates a chance for the chip leaders to steal pots away from the now timid short stacks. Because they will be playing fewer hands, you can now play more hands and play them more aggressively, allowing you to get even more chips for use in the final stages of the tournament. If you do find yourself in a situation like this, you will want to place as high as possible in the tournament rather than just survive the bursting bubble. Additionally, the pots that you steal will be bigger than they would be if you used this strategy earlier in the game because of the increasing blind structure.