This is happened to be a couple times, the phenomenon is interesting enough for posting.

The situation I'm talking about is during an SNG, when you're on bubble (4 players are left, and the top 3 get paid, so the next one out bubbles). Hilarity ensues when of your three opponents is sitting out, which basically magnifies poor bubble play- being way to tight- tenfold. This makes for an easy first place for the chip leader, if he plays strategically.

I've even considered some of these scenarios in depth, it can be near impossible for a large enough stack to lose given a certain strategy.

Okay, here's the story about the first time I encountered such a situation:
I was playing a low-buyin 6-handed SNG on Tilt in which the top 2 got paid. Three of us were left, with one sitout to my left. I had a big stack, the other two had roughly even chips. Blinds were high.

Somebody was watching me play near my computer, and it was decided that it would be funny as well as advantageous to keep the sitout player around. This is how I played:
I'm on button, sitout on SB, "the mark" on the BB. I raise all-in, take the sitout's SB and the timid mark's BB (who doesn't want to bubble, when a cash is (near) assured with a sitout player). I'm on BB, Sitout on button, Mark is on SB. It gets folded around to me every time. If he ever completed, I shove over for same result.

(at this point I had decent chip lead, and while stealing the blinds, the lead becomes more and more monstrous).

Here's the key. When Mark is on button, I'm on Sb, Sitout on bb, I fold after Mark and surrender my Sb to the sitout player. Thus, in this way, every round results thusly:

Me: take the blinds once, steal the Sb once, surrender sb to sitout (1.5 +.5 -.5= 1.5 BB's per round).
Sitout: get's his sb stolen when i shove from the button, gets it back when i surrender it to him (-.5 + 5 = 0, even chip count throughout).
The Mark: get's his sb taken, get's his big blind taken. (-.5 -1= -1.5 BB's per round.

Result: Mark steadily loses chips, I steadily gain, and the Sitout remains, so the the Stat Quo is maintained. Rofl. He didn't change is strategy til he had *no* chips, and ended up bubbling, given me an easy HU v. the sitout and an easy first.

I was thinking up possible counterstrategies to my own and there does, of course, exist one. *for one, my bullying strategy only works if I have preflop position on the Mark for two rounds, rather than the other way around (think about it)*
Okay the counterstrategy: If the Mark doesn't want to shove and pray, but rather assure a cash against the shortstacked sit-out, he should do thus:
1) fold his BB against my button shove, as he did
2) fold his SB against my BB, as he did.
3) CALL NOT FOLD while on the button, thus preventing me from surrendering my Sb to the sitout. If I ever attempt to bluff/ bully the Mark out, I will automatically have forced the sitout to fold. If not, there is a random action on the showdown.

Now, this strategy does assure victory, but may help it (if you don't want to go the shove route, which, ultimately, is probably the best counterstrategy, to play optimally). The problem is this: by calling on the button, the Mark is paying more per round the sitout; so it's not assured victory.

End result: a really, really hard spot to play from. I've actually played in one such spot and it was really frustating.

Oh yeah and HU v the sitout is 99.9999% victory. He folds til 1 BB, then random, if he survives folds to 1 BB, etc... Only way to lose is if the BB becomes the size of both of your stacks. You'd have to lose hours of showdowns of random hands for that to happen lol.


So that happened a long time ago, and a similar story occurs on Bodog, abeit with 4 people on the bubble (top 3 /10 cash). I was massive stack (12k outta 15k chips in play) with 2 others and 1 sitout. I sat across from the sitout. I easily bullied my two live opponents by putting much of their stacks in repeatedly, with and without hands. The blinds increased so that each of my three opponents and 2 blinds, and the sitout less than one. The sitout was put allin on the bb, i call from the button, the sb player calls with the assurance that i'd check it down (what do i care who bubbles, i'll help the guy out).

We check it down three-handed (me, one live, the allin sitout). Sitout wins. Hilarous. Next hand the Sitout is put allin AGAIN on the Sb, the live big blind player checks behind (I call from the CO / UTG). We check it down. Sitout wins three-handed AGAIN lmao. Then the Live player is put allin with the SB, folded around again to me. Automatic showdown. I have AJ he has A2. woops. Same happens to other live player.

Lol with 4 players left, 1 live player bubbles, another gets 3rd, the SITOUT gets 2nd (without much help from me, really). I first it easy. Lol. Sitouts are funny. I wonder what optimal strategy would be to play as "the mark" in such a situation during a satellite tournament, in which "cashing" is everything.