11th out of 135– a chance to play a WPT

[ThePokerCamp]

I played in a satellite at Bay 101 for a chance to play in the WPT
that was part of the shooting stars tournament earlier this year.
1st and 2nd were paid $5,500 including a seat in the WPT that
was taped the next day.

Here's my question:
I played a bit conservative untill we got down to two tables. At
this point I started pushing pots, stealing blinds but by the time
we were down to 15 players I was short chip on the table. A
friend and dealer at the casino told me later I should have
taken more chances when we were down to 30-20 players. He
indicated that I needed more chips by the time we were down
to 2 tables and that was my mistake. Now, I trust his opinion
because I've seen him get to the final table a few times. I think I
did pretty good getting 11th out of 135 players. Although I can't
but wonder what would have happened if I had a bigger chip
lead when we were down to two tables.

Opinions appreciated.

[scottyses]

It sounds to me like you played correctly. As soon as it got down to 2 tables you were pushing and stealing where you could. The fact that you could buy pots means you werent so short stacked that you got no respect. When it gets down near the end you usually need a sizeable stack or some big luck in order to win one of these things. Keep playing like you are and the wins will come.

[a500lbgorilla]

I agree with your friend. Now that you've made it within striking distance of the seats, you need to really start trying to get a stack. You need to start making moves and taking chances. You can now make slightly losing or -EV calls becuase chip stack is more important than winning or losing chips in the long run.

-'rilla