Bubble Burster strategy

Dara O'Kearney shares how to play the Unibet format that starts fast then slows down after the bubble bursts.

My sponsors Unibet have launched a new format that plays out every Tuesday called Bubble Bursters. The concept is simple, the blinds go up quickly until the bubble bursts then slow down when you are in the money. 

These are practically great if you want a format that respects your time and can also be very profitable, because edges go up as the tournament progresses when normally they go down. 

There are a few strategic adjustments you need to consider in this format, first of all you should not pass any marginal spots before the bubble. The tournament is essentially a hyper turbo until the money and you have to take whatever small edges you can, otherwise you will blind away. 

Paradoxically, you can pass marginal spots on the final table bubble, which is the other extreme ICM spot in tournaments. This is because it will be much slower than the previous bubble. 

Slow down when the bubble bursts

I have written many times about late registration and this format seems like a perfect one to late register. You will start so much closer to the money anyway and come in at a stack depth where you can play a lot of hands profitably. 

Perhaps the most useful consideration of all is a mental game one, which is to learn to take your foot off the gas and play more cautiously after the bubble bursts. Most of the players will still be playing like a hyper turbo and acting too aggressively. Don't be one of those players, this is the time to practice the skill of changing your gears. 

Finally, we have an exclusive promotion whereby if somebody gets x100 their buy-in if they win two Bubble Bursters on the same night. If you find yourself at two final tables with a shot at doing this, then within reason ICM should go out the window. There are very few spots in poker where you can 100 times your buy-in so you should play for the win if you find yourself in this situation. 

Bubble Burster Tournaments - every Tuesday!

One of the sweetest sounds in poker is the pop of the bubble when the last person not to cash is eliminated and you're guaranteed to win money for all your efforts put in. Unibet is aware of that satisfaction every poker player is feeling in that moment, so they've decided to go Bubble Busting every single Tuesday from here on out.

Their new fast-paced Bubble Burster tournaments start every Tuesday at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00 CEST with buy-ins of €1, €5, and €10 and three editions on each buy-in level. The blinds will be fast and furious until the bubble has been popped, then play is slowing down, allowing you to settle in and fight for that big final table win.

And there's another very intriguing twist: Three Bubble Bursters are scheduled on Tuesdays at each buy-in, and if you win two at the same level in one night, you'll receive 100x the buy-in in bonus points and an exclusive avatar to use at the Unibet tables.

What's more, if you're running seething hot one night and manage to take down all three Bubbler Bursters of the same buy-in, you'll receive a massive cash prize of 1,000x the initial buy-in. That's €1,000, €5,000 or even €10,000 on the Bubble Burster stakes currently offered!