The toughest position at the table in a tournament is having the short stack. There’s no use in cursing the player who gave you a bad beat or kicking yourself for making a bad play; you’re short-stacked and you need to get chips fast or your tournament chair will be empty.
Put every chip you have into the pot once you get the premium hand. At this point in the game, you have to be mentally prepared to either go all-in or fold. If you can see a flop for a bargain price, go ahead, but only if your cards are strong enough to call a raise. The rest of the table will try to take advantage of your short stack and play aggressively to bully you out of the hand.
Take advantage of players that you know to be tight when you’re the small stack. If you know that your opponent plays conservatively, then they will probably fold if you go all in. When you have small stacks, every pot you win is extremely important.
