My take on Short Stack Play in mtt's

Invariably at some stage of an mtt, be-it online or in a brick and mortar casino, you will have to deal with short stack play.
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This may be due to a bad beat or a series of which or just a bad play on your behalf.
When short stacked the number one priority is not to panic. About 70% of online players will panic when short stacked and shove their chips in on the next hand or with any ace. Many authors like TJ cloutier and Doyle Brunson will talk about ten big blinds being a danger level, of course it depends on the magnitude of the tournament and of course the individuals aspirations in said tournament. If a player wants to just sneak into the money then 99 times out of 100 that is what they will do and will often be all in on their bb.
For players who like myself always set out with the objective of winning a tournament I would say that 5 BB is panic station!.
This however depends on the table you are sitting at. If it is possible to push all in and the bb pass to your raise then that is only a good thing, otherwise you are forced to find hands. My advice is try to avoid pushing with rag aces unless in late position, if a move is needed, say in the next 4 hands before the Blinds come round then I would find a hand like JT suited sufficient. This is because if you are called by a small pair you are slight favourite and with a rag ace its near enough even money.
If your preferred tactic when ss is to push all in a few times to pick up the blinds then make sure you have at least suited cards (if rags) or some sort of connectors to open up the straight possibility.
A move of mine sometimes when ss is to push all-in blind in 1st position.
This may seem like a very kamikaze move however there is a little bit of method behind it. A fist position move often indicates a strong hand and if you pick up a caller often the blinds will pass giving you extra value in the pot. This move however should only be used when you have made a conscious decision to not allow the blinds to pass through you again.
Often when ss you are going to have to gamble, but make sure you have been concentrating on the table to see who are the more passive players and who are the more aggressive, I.e. who is likely to call your raise and who is not. Another very important thing is to try and push your chips in against one opponent. It is much better to get your chips in with 7 2 vs. one opponent than JJ against 5,
So The next time you are ss in a tournament try and figure out a way to get yourself out of it. Look round the table and pick targets to steal blinds and avoid raising loose players blinds with garbage. If you pick up a big hand deliberate for a few seconds and shove in, often you will be called by a hand which you are dominating.