This is driving me up the @)$(* wall and I need some help fixing it.

I've gone very deep in several big tournament fields recently due to what I consider a very good job collecting in the middle stages and then staying pretty agg on the bubble. The problem is, I end up going out between about 40 - 10 people left.

I know why, I just don't know what tangible adjustments to make. Example: last night in the 17k on FTP, I had a pretty significant chiplead when the bubble popped (25k more than 2nd with a round only costing about 1,500 chips and 80 left). I ended up taking 17th and feel absolutely furious that I wasted 5 hours. Every raise I make from the bubble popping on seems to get overshoved either by a shorty who I feel priced in to calling or someone shoving 5x the pot because they're terrified of flops.

If you know they're afraid of flops, then wait until you have solid cards. Make the same small raise, let them push in, and then come over the top.

If you back down to aggressive bets when you have good cards then you'll always have a hard time making the final table.

^^^
Sounds like you need to tighten up. Maybe you should try not raising with hands you don't feel comfortable calling an all-in with for a while after the bubble bursts next time you go deep. Or you are just getting unlucky/cold decked and that is a bad beat post?

1. this is my first inclination but it's way harder to do that say imo if you have spent 4 hours successfully playing semi-LAG poker By the time I tightened up last night it was too late and i was sitting around average.

2. My normal raising range includes all manner of hands that I feel very comfortable playing post flop. I realize I need to cut out a large chunk of these since I'm losing most of my chips to 60/40 type situations. I'm leaning toward even cutting out the AJ type of hands and just playing premiums until the shovey M<8 crowd gets it out of their system by busting / doubling each other up.

3. This is a consistent pattern I've noticed over several tournaments I've gone deep in recently and a leak i'm trying to fix. It happenned in the $10 rebuy last week, it happenned last night in the 17k, and it has happenned several times in the 24k. Yeah, i probably purely on math should be winning a few more 40/60s than I am but that's a symptom of a problem (that I keep getting into them and giving away my chip lead). Suggesting that this is a bad beat post is pretty insulting.
There are a half dozen people at least on these forums who know I take learning and teaching very seriously. Since my protege disappointment I generally stayed away from MTTs as best I could but I got the itch again so I'm back.

WHY DIDN'T YOU COME TO VEGAS?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way (and I'll freely admit that I'm a donk in MTTs anyway, so whatever ) - I just sensed a big degree of frustration in the OP. If you raise KQ or so from LP, a short stack from the blind pushes with Ax, you call being priced in and lose - that just happens in tournaments.
Even the weak/tightest player is going to push back against an aggressor at some point, and especially after the bubble bursts the play often gets considerably looser. Maybe it is a leak in the game, not changing gears well, but it might not be too.

because i had to buy new carpet, add a wall in my house and have the whole freaking thing repainted, then had to go to a wedding the most likely weekend I could get away.

because I suck

I have no experience with MTTs, but it sounds like once the bubble bursts the shorties are putting it into pushing gear in the hopes of doubling through and moving up in the chip standings. If that's the case, I'd echo what roger said above: avoid raising with hands you don't want to go all-in with. Maybe wait a bit for this period of shorty-pushing to settle down and then play your regular style.

Oh. Then you probably shouldn't even try...see if anyone around here has a magic potion instead.

I don't see why this is so hard to do. Here are a few tips that have worked for me around the bubble when I have the chip lead (or considerable stack) compared to others at the table:

1) Before the bubble bursts play super aggressive. In particular, against medium stacks. Although the inclination is to push on the short stacks they are actually more likely to take the risk close to the bubble then someone with a medium/average stack. When your close to the bubble, its the medium stacks that are the most cautious.

2) As soon as that bubble bursts you should turn into those pre-bubble medium stacks. I don't see why making this switch is so hard. I find play is pretty loose until about 1/2 the bubble field is gone. Then you can start trying your early-game style again.

So recap: If the bubble happens at 40 people left, then lean and lean hard on medium stacks until you get there. Once you're there switch into super-tight mode until there are about 20 people left. Then you can start playing your normal game again.

It's what has worked for me.

It would be tough to give advice without seeing your hands but maybe just be more aware of your image and how it relates to the mindset of other players at the table. So assuming you are being aggro at the bubble and have a nice stack these players are obviously seeing this but waiting to get into the money. As soon as that bubble bursts people start dropping like flies and view you as a maniac and are'nt folding anymore and forcing you into confrontations and difficult decisions.

The most valuable asset you have is your big stack so you should do everything you can to protect that IMO, too many players including myself feel it is thier duty to play super lag when they have a big stack. This can be profitable at times but many instances players will start fighting back in the stages right after the bubble. So I would suggest stay aggressive raising un-opened pots in late position with playable hands and and close your gap up a little in opened pots and use your LAG image to reap the benefits fromt the players that have seen you rape the bubble and are ready to take a shot at you when they are in the money. So pass up some spots where you might raise during the bubble and try to pick up a few small pots here and there to sustain your big stack but don't put yourself in spots where you are always being priced into pots when a shorty pushes, stay away from these players and try raising the players with bigger M's that cant just push on you and will have to take a flop and if they miss as long as you are raising in position you will pick up a big percentage of the time with a c-bet.

You have to play very tight right after the bubble because the short and medium stacks that were holding on will go into shove mode with a wide range. This is PARTICULARLY true if you are "semi LAG" as you say. I play a very LAG style, and I play 50+% of the hands around the bubble to chip up, so I have to REALLY rock it up after the bubble for a while. Generally, I only raise hands where I'm happy to get all-in and show it down against the small or medium stacks. I play extremely TAG poker for a couple of rounds while all of those short stacks and medium stacks get consolidated, and then I can go back to attacking a lot. If you can't make this adjustment, you will find (as I have learned through experience) that what happens is you die a death by a thousand papercuts. You double up a couple of shorties because you were pot committed, and then all of a sudden you realize half your stack is gone, and then you get a little desperate and push even more at exactly the point when your stack is most vulnerable and your image is the worst.

ty to everyone who contributed in this thread

Do we get a cut of the profits?

Congrats :-D

What strategy did you end up going with?

I usually find it easier to play a medium to short stack after the bubble bursts, I tend to be overly aggressive with a huge stack and end up raising, and getting priced in when a shorty shoved and bleeding chips, if you've got a huge lead, it's usually allright to tighten up and wait for people to have a reason to think twice about re-raising you. Or you could just be the person re-raising. The steal is a good move, but the re-steal is even better, especially in big tourney's where big increases in payouts are happening. Good job on the 3rd place finish, I think you're doing better then a lot of pretty good tournament players if your making it deep consistently.

basically removed a large chunk of my range from about the bubble to final 5 tables and played very agg with position on medium stacks only during that time. Now if i can just smooth out my final table play.

For all his moaning (sw), he's made 6 final tables this month.

if i played bkice's volume, i'd be a superstar

... sw