Do you feel like everyone has teamed up against you....

Do you feel at times - that other players have teamed up against you - especially when you are down on your chips and you are trying to survive and you are in the bubble...U feel like all the other players start targeting you...

I was in a situation where only one player needed to bust for us to get into the money. The short stack went all-in, so instead of raising or playing aggressively, everyone just called and checked it down to the river, hoping he’d be eliminated and we’d all make the money.

Sometimes a bad run can definitely make it feel like the whole table is against you. 😅
I try to step back and focus on my own decisions rather than assuming everyone is targeting me.
If the tilt starts kicking in, taking a break is usually the best move.

I think that's actually pretty normal, especially near the bubble. Players tend to target the short stacks because they know those players are trying to survive. At the same time, some players may also avoid getting involved with the big stack because they assume he will be more cautious with his chips and will only get involved with very strong hands. So sometimes it can feel like everyone is targeting you, when in reality they may simply be adjusting their strategy based on the stack sizes and the bubble situation.

Yep one should feel that way because the bigger stacks should be targeting the short stack especially if it's bounty/KO MTT.

Cheers!!!

I’ve definitely had that feeling, especially on the bubble when my stack gets short and every decision suddenly feels like it’s being made under a microscope. But most of the time I think it’s a combination of pressure and selective attention rather than players actually teaming up against me. If I’m short, everyone has a reason to apply pressure because they know I can’t afford to call too widely. It can feel like every raise is aimed at me, but that’s often just good tournament strategy. The important thing is not to let that feeling change my decisions. I try to focus on stack sizes, positions and ranges instead of assuming everyone is targeting me personally. Once I start thinking “they’re all against me,” that’s usually when I’m most likely to make a bad call or fold.

Yeah, I often feel that way when I become a bubble boy. Of course, I understand that all the players want to make it into the money, and the best-case scenario for each of them is that the short stack gets eliminated. That’s normal, and I don’t think it’s a conspiracy.

That feeling is very real, but the truth is that they aren't targeting you for personal reasons. Eliminating a player means profit. If you get eliminated, everyone else secures the prize money. The goal is to burst the bubble as quickly as possible.

didi58xx said:

Do you feel at times - that other players have teamed up against you - especially when you are down on your chips and you are trying to survive and you are in the bubble...U feel like all the other players start targeting you...

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No. I don't feel this way at all. 'Teaming up' vs. me insinuates collusion & I very rarely ever experience this on the tables.

fernandofcp said:

That feeling is very real, but the truth is that they aren't targeting you for personal reasons. Eliminating a player means profit. If you get eliminated, everyone else secures the prize money. The goal is to burst the bubble as quickly as possible.

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I disagree with this ^
The goal is to make the best play possible for each & every hand, given the situation. Quite often on the bubble, as a big stack we will want to prolong the bubble.
Unless you're playing a satellite (or a Cardschat freeroll where the players have blinded out so badly that it's rare to even see a stack above 10bb's), I don't get the sense that all the players want to see the shortstack go out. Other short stacks do. Some middling stacks might as well (maybe).
As a bigger stack, we don't benefit by knocking out the shorty for the rest of the table (I'm not suggesting that you are saying this but I think some others might be). Why do the work for everyone else? I'd rather try to amass a bigger stack & put other players in bad spots where they'll be handcuffed re: icm

Mostly this is just the result of other people playing well. With bubble dynamics its often good strategy for a short stack to walk a bigger stack in the big blind, but its hardly ever good strategy for a bigger stack to walk a short stack. So as a short stack, you are not going to get walked. And people can 3-bet you without risking their entire stack, so if you make a small open, you will also get 3-bet a lot.

So as a short stack (<15BB) on the bubble you mostly need to wait for spots, where you can jam with fold equity, or where your hand is strong enough to get it in without fold equity. The good news is, you can level bigger stacks against each other. If you open jam for 9BB, people will be hesitant to call, if this expose a much larger stack like 23BB to players behind them.

So its not a question of everyone ganging up on you and trying to bust you. Its just a result of bubble dynamics, where the short stacks cant except to win any easy pots without showdown, unless they are willing to jam in all their chips. Making small bets and raises and picking up small pots without showdown (AKA "small-ball") is a play, which is reserved for people with deeper stacks.

When I don`t have enough chips is normal all players to be against me. Less players, more chances.

didi58xx said:

Do you feel at times - that other players have teamed up against you - especially when you are down on your chips and you are trying to survive and you are in the bubble...U feel like all the other players start targeting you...

Click to expand...

Nope.

Due to high stress and a lack of resources, any standard action by your opponents seems to be directed against you personally.

didi58xx said:

Do you feel at times - that other players have teamed up against you - especially when you are down on your chips and you are trying to survive and you are in the bubble...U feel like all the other players start targeting you...

Click to expand...

Sometimes it feels like the whole table had a meeting before the hand: “Guys, he’s short — let’s get him!” On the bubble, suddenly everyone becomes a bounty hunter

Absolutely. I’ve had that feeling many times, especially when I’m short-stacked and close to the bubble. Sometimes it feels like everyone is targeting you and waiting for you to make a mistake. But I think a lot of it comes from the pressure of the situation and being more aware of every action at the table. The key is to stay focused on the decisions and not let the pressure affect your strategy.

I think it may be that way sometimes when your stack is short on the bubble. 😂 It seems like everyone knows that your stack is short and that you're an easy target
Otherwise, I think it's more the situation rather than people teaming up against you. People target short stacks because they know they have limited options. I don't think about people teaming up against me; I just think about ranges and what's best to do in a given spot. Otherwise, the bubble would get into my head more than it does.