As we have seen in the last article, usually if you have caught any piece of the flop, whether it be a gutshot, a pair, or strong overcards + backdoor possibilities, you should fire a good-sized bet on the flop and often be willing to go to the felt with your hand. But some of the time you will have an absolute trash hand that you know can’t stand any action. Deciding whether to follow up with a continuation bet in this spot is more of an art form than most of the other relatively mathematical aspects of short stack strategy.
Like any bluffing situation, you should try to pick up a read on your opponent regarding whether or not they will actually fold. “No read = no bluff” is a common saying in poker circles. Picking up a read means deciding three things:
What kinds of hands does my opponent have, what percentage of those hands hit this flop, and how hard did each percentage hit?
What will my opponent do with hands that connected with this flop by making top pair, bo
In response to Myturn2raise’s comments, as well as the desire to ensure that this site is the best available resource for short stack strategy, I decided to walk to the library, download SNG Wizard, and take another look at the ranges for 10bb pushing in late position. Man, was I surprised!
I gave hero a 10bb stack, with everyone else having more, and changed the setting from $ mode to chip equity mode, since in cash games, chip equity equals dollar equity, while SNG Wizard was originally designed for SNG’s. From there it’s simply plug in opponent ranges and see what comes out. There is however, one flaw in these calculations that I don’t like, that being the fact that there is no rake. In reality the ranges are going to be a little tighter than this given that you lose 5% of the pot when called.
Anyway let’s start with SB vs. BB, 9.5bb left after posting the small:
BB Call Range 28% or less: Push with any two cards
30%: Top 83%
35%: Top 61%
40%: 50%
50%:
Recently there have been a great deal of posts on the twoplustwo forums about short stack play. There seem to be two schools of thought:
OMFG I hate short stackers no skill donkeys lol turning cash games into donkaments why don’t you go buy-in full at a lower game fish die in a fire ratholer scum HYACHACHACHACHA.
I love short stackers they’re huge fish and make the games good, 20bb all-in with any ace and any pair, can’t get enough of them in my games.
Looking at both sides, you can easily see why short stack play is so profitable. Part 1 is usually made up of the good, solid winning deep stack no limit hold’em players, who rely on a somewhat loose-aggressive strategy made up of raising with too many hands for too much money compared to the amount in the pot preflop. They might be tough on the later streets when the bets get big, but these players are the best to have in your game when short stacking, because they put in way too much money preflop, and then go
As profitable as the last article showed that they were, unfortunately, you can’t always flop a no-brainer all-in hand like top pair, even playing premium hands like you will usually be doing with a short stack. Often you will have a hand that is worth playing for all your chips if your opponent could have a bluff or semi-bluff, but is a fold in other cases. Knowing the bluffing tendencies of your opponents, then using that information to assign them a range of hands can help you to decide whether to make a “tough call” for the rest of your stack. Let’s look at a couple such hands here.
Hand 1: You (20bb) raise 3x from the CO with Ah Jc. The button calls and the blinds fold. Flop: Qd Js 6h (7.2bb). You bet 6bb and the button pushes all-in for 11 more.
On the flop, your hand is strong enough to be worth a bet, even though it’s fairly likely your opponent caught a piece. You don’t want to give a free card to something like a gutshot or worse pair, whic
The previous article on short stacking discussed a somewhat vulnerable hand. In Texas Hold’em, this will usually be the case. After all, the game of hold’em in general became popular in part because of all the drawing possibilities. But sometimes you will have your opponents totally crushed, and because you are playing a short stack, there are many options to consider toward achieving your goal of “getting all the money in.” Let’s look at one hand using the same thinking process discussed in part 10.
You (20bb stack) raise 3x with Ah Ks from MP. The big blind calls and it’s heads up to the flop of As 9d 5c (6.3bb). The BB checks.
Here you have the BB crushed most of the time. It’s what’s called a “way-ahead, way-behind” situation, although, you are usually just going to be way ahead here. Most hands BB could have will have one out (backdoor) or less, although a few will have two to five outs. Ideally you would like to get a
The last article discussed some of the theory behind playing made hands with a short stack. Let’s take a look at an example.
Hand 1: Folded to you (20bb) with Tc Td in the CO. You raise to 3bb. Only the small blind calls. Flop (pot 6.7bb) 9c 6h 5d. The small blind checks.
Here you have what you hope for with two tens, three undercards and a flop that’s not that scary. Option one is to check. Hopefully you realize that this shouldn’t be an option on this board. Any seven, eight, or overcard is going to put you in a tough, or at least tougher, spot on the turn. So the decision is to bet. But how much? On the first level, the correct bet size comes from balancing two factors: how much your opponent stands to win with a drawing hand in this spot vs. how many worse hands they will fold if you bet too much. The first can be figured out to some extent mathematically, while the second is more of an “opponent feel” question.
Let’s say your opponent has A8 for
As discussed in the last article, introduction to postflop play, flopping a good hand while playing short stack poker is a great spot to be in. Until you get to the very highest games, where people will recognize you for the nit that you probably are (you are short stacking after all!), most players will give way too much action in this spot. As a result, you should probably play pretty straightforwardly with your good hands by simply betting all the way with them. “‘When I flop a good hand I should bet,’ he says. Revolutionary poker strategy content indeed!” Well, yes, it’s pretty obvious. But there are big differences between the reasons why you should bet your good hands with a short stack and a big one.
With a big stack, you bet your good hands for many reasons. The first is to get more money in the pot. Obviously this one applies to any stack size. But with a short stack, it’s a little different. Having only 20bb means you can afford to “t
The last article concluded the discussion of preflop play with 20bb stacks. Of course, there will definitely be more discussion about short stack preflop play on this blog. But for now let’s start talking about postflop play, which is tougher and more abstract than the relatively mathematical preflop ideas presented here.
“Postflop play” with short stacks usually just means “flop and sometimes turn play”. If you raise 3bb and put in a decent bet on the flop, you’ll usually have just enough to fire the last of your chips for 2/3 pot or so on the turn. Now, this is obviously very different from deep stack no limit hold’em, and as any short stack hating no limit player will tell you, there is much less skill involved. In deep stack NL hold’em, at best only a small percentage of your profits come from the first betting round, and in fact, many of the top players actually will intentionally take a loss preflop by playing too many hands, just s
In part 5, Short Stack Strategy - Facing a Raise I discussed correct preflop move-in strategy against a single open raiser. But often there will be a raise and one or more other calls or raises preflop. Making the correct decision in these spots is one of the biggest keys to a successful short stack poker strategy. The same thought process explained in part 5 is used, but now there tends to be more of an incentive to move in due to the increased likelihood of being able to contest for “dead money” in the pot. Here I will go through a hand that illustrates how to decide when to commit your short stack in this sort of situation.
Hand 1: Tight-aggressive middle position raises 4x and average button calls. You are in the big blind.
A tight-aggressive middle position raiser is probably about top 10% here. The button’s range is a little looser than that, but more importantly, we can rule out the top hands from the button since most people will reraise with them. The button
In part 5, Short Stack Strategy - Facing a Raise I discussed correct preflop move-in strategy against a single open raiser. But often there will be a raise and one or more other calls or raises preflop. Making the correct decision in these spots is one of the biggest keys to a successful short stack poker strategy. The same thought process explained in part 5 is used, but now there tends to be more of an incentive to move in due to the increased likelihood of being able to contest for “dead money” in the pot. Here I will go through a hand that illustrates how to decide when to commit your short stack in this sort of situation.
Hand 1: Tight-aggressive middle position raises 4x and average button calls. You are in the big blind.
A tight-aggressive middle position raiser is probably about top 10% here. The button’s range is a little looser than that, but more importantly, we can rule out the top hands from the button since most people will reraise with them. The button
In Part 4 - Short Stack Poker Strategy - Starting Hands I discussed what hands you should open raise with. This article covers what you should do against a raise, one of the keys to short stack no limit hold’em profits.
Oftentimes you will be facing a raise preflop. This is your chance to leverage the advantage that short stack poker provides. With 20bb, the correct strategy is to move in or fold preflop against a raise. You have enough chips that you could call with a hand like AK - but pushing is more profitable than calling with that hand for all the times you fold out a small pair or get called by AQ. And you don’t have the odds to play a pair for a set. So it is raise or fold vs 3, 4, or 5 big bets preflop.
The correct strategy to determine what to move in with involves putting your opponent on a range, then thinking about what hands will do well enough against that probable range to allow for a profitable push. Of course, this is the crux of all poker strategy in any
In Part 4 - Short Stack Poker Strategy - Starting Hands I discussed what hands you should open raise with. This article covers what you should do against a raise, one of the keys to short stack no limit hold’em profits.
Oftentimes you will be facing a raise preflop. This is your chance to leverage the advantage that short stack poker provides. With 20bb, the correct strategy is to move in or fold preflop against a raise. You have enough chips that you could call with a hand like AK - but pushing is more profitable than calling with that hand for all the times you fold out a small pair or get called by AQ. And you don’t have the odds to play a pair for a set. So it is raise or fold vs 3, 4, or 5 big bets preflop.
The correct strategy to determine what to move in with involves putting your opponent on a range, then thinking about what hands will do well enough against that probable range to allow for a profitable push. Of course, this is the crux of all poker strategy in any
In Part 3 I described preflop raise sizing with a short stack. The general principle was that the larger the raise you put in preflop, the tighter you have to play.
In big stack no limit Hold’em, one can be successful with a large variety of preflop strategies. Many have beaten the games online playing very tight, perhaps 15% of their hands at a 10 handed table, while others play as many as double that. When playing a big stack, the actual hand you are holding is not as important as what hands you could be holding in the eyes of your opponents. The reason for this is simple - unless you are playing incredibly loose opponents, most hands do not go to a showdown. Such is the nature of no limit hold’em - you simply don’t make enough big hands to warrant calling big bets. The result is that in no limit, the players doing a lot of betting in the small pots, without losing too many of the big ones, tend to show the biggest profits over time. Hence the loose strategy can be
In Part 3 I described preflop raise sizing with a short stack. The general principle was that the larger the raise you put in preflop, the tighter you have to play.
In big stack no limit Hold’em, one can be successful with a large variety of preflop strategies. Many have beaten the games online playing very tight, perhaps 15% of their hands at a 10 handed table, while others play as many as double that. When playing a big stack, the actual hand you are holding is not as important as what hands you could be holding in the eyes of your opponents. The reason for this is simple - unless you are playing incredibly loose opponents, most hands do not go to a showdown. Such is the nature of no limit hold’em - you simply don’t make enough big hands to warrant calling big bets. The result is that in no limit, the players doing a lot of betting in the small pots, without losing too many of the big ones, tend to show the biggest profits over time. Hence the loose strategy can be
In Part 2 I discussed the some of the advantages of playing a short stack. Here we will talk about preflop raise sizing, a very important concept in short stack poker.
The most common situation preflop in texas hold’em is to have the action folded to you. And the most common action for you to take in this situation is to fold. Deciding which hands to play and how to play them in this situation is key to short stack no limit hold’em strategy, or for that matter, preflop strategy in any game.
The first thing that needs to be considered is how much to raise preflop. With full stacks it doesn’t matter that much. Any amount between two and a half to 5 times the big blind is reasonable. A smaller raise gives you more action, which you may or may not want, and lets you play more hands since you are risking less. A larger raise gets more money in the pot with good hands and increases your equity from blind steals, but means you have to play tighter to make up for the time
In Part 2 I discussed the some of the advantages of playing a short stack. Here we will talk about preflop raise sizing, a very important concept in short stack poker.
The most common situation preflop in texas hold’em is to have the action folded to you. And the most common action for you to take in this situation is to fold. Deciding which hands to play and how to play them in this situation is key to short stack no limit hold’em strategy, or for that matter, preflop strategy in any game.
The first thing that needs to be considered is how much to raise preflop. With full stacks it doesn’t matter that much. Any amount between two and a half to 5 times the big blind is reasonable. A smaller raise gives you more action, which you may or may not want, and lets you play more hands since you are risking less. A larger raise gets more money in the pot with good hands and increases your equity from blind steals, but means you have to play tighter to make up for the time
In part 1 of this series we covered the some of the simplest poker strategy of all, playing no limit hold’em with only ten times the big blind before the flop. This is highly profitable, but unfortunately many online poker sites do not allow such a small buyin. At most sites you must buy in for a minimum of twenty times the big blind. The change in strategy as a result of this concept is enormous. Instead of simply pushing all in or folding, because 20bb is too many chips to risk 1.5bb in most situations, a different strategy must be used. And after the flop there are usually enough chips left for flop and occasionally turn betting.
Still, there is a big edge to be had buying in for 20 big blinds when your opponents are playing with full stacks, and most of this edge comes preflop. Especially in aggressive games, many players are opening for a raise with hands that would not be correct to play if they knew someone with a short stack could come in behind them. The classic example
In part 1 of this series we covered the some of the simplest poker strategy of all, playing no limit hold’em with only ten times the big blind before the flop. This is highly profitable, but unfortunately many online poker sites do not allow such a small buyin. At most sites you must buy in for a minimum of twenty times the big blind. The change in strategy as a result of this concept is enormous. Instead of simply pushing all in or folding, because 20bb is too many chips to risk 1.5bb in most situations, a different strategy must be used. And after the flop there are usually enough chips left for flop and occasionally turn betting.
Still, there is a big edge to be had buying in for 20 big blinds when your opponents are playing with full stacks, and most of this edge comes preflop. Especially in aggressive games, many players are opening for a raise with hands that would not be correct to play if they knew someone with a short stack could come in behind them. The classic example
In part 1 of this series we covered the some of the simplest poker strategy of all, playing no limit hold’em with only ten times the big blind before the flop. This is highly profitable, but unfortunately many online poker sites do not allow such a small buyin. At most sites you must buy in for a minimum of twenty times the big blind. The change in strategy as a result of this concept is enormous. Instead of simply pushing all in or folding, because 20bb is too many chips to risk 1.5bb in most situations, a different strategy must be used. And after the flop there are usually enough chips left for flop and occasionally turn betting.
Still, there is a big edge to be had buying in for 20 big blinds when your opponents are playing with full stacks, and most of this edge comes preflop. Especially in aggressive games, many players are opening for a raise with hands that would not be correct to play if they knew someone with a short stack could come in behind them. The classic example
No limit hold’em has become the true game of choice over the past couple of years thanks to the television coverage and the proliferation of online capped buyin games. But getting started in the game can be tough due to its complexity, as skilled players have a big advantage over even the well-read beginner. Experience and discipline are key to winning at no limit hold’em, and these only come in time.
Fortunately the new player, or even the experienced player looking for an easy edge can turn the tables on the opposition by making one simple adjustment - buying in for less than the maximum amount of chips allowed. There are many advantages to this as will be discussed later in this series, but for now we will start with the simplest strategy of all, playing with stacks of only ten times the big blind.
Only a few sites allow the 10% or 10bb buyin, with the most prominent being probably the Prima Poker network. Many live games allow 10bb buyins as well, especially at the smal
No limit hold’em has become the true game of choice over the past couple of years thanks to the television coverage and the proliferation of online capped buyin games. But getting started in the game can be tough due to its complexity, as skilled players have a big advantage over even the well-read beginner. Experience and discipline are key to winning at no limit hold’em, and these only come in time.
Fortunately the new player, or even the experienced player looking for an easy edge can turn the tables on the opposition by making one simple adjustment - buying in for less than the maximum amount of chips allowed. There are many advantages to this as will be discussed later in this series, but for now we will start with the simplest strategy of all, playing with stacks of only ten times the big blind.
Only a few sites allow the 10% or 10bb buyin, with the most prominent being probably the Prima Poker network. Many live games allow 10bb buyins as well, especially at the smal
No limit hold’em has become the true game of choice over the past couple of years thanks to the television coverage and the proliferation of online capped buyin games. But getting started in the game can be tough due to its complexity, as skilled players have a big advantage over even the well-read beginner. Experience and discipline are key to winning at no limit hold’em, and these only come in time.
Fortunately the new player, or even the experienced player looking for an easy edge can turn the tables on the opposition by making one simple adjustment - buying in for less than the maximum amount of chips allowed. There are many advantages to this as will be discussed later in this series, but for now we will start with the simplest strategy of all, playing with stacks of only ten times the big blind.
Only a few sites allow the 10% or 10bb buyin, with the most prominent being probably the Prima Poker network. Many live games allow 10bb buyins as well, especially at the smal
Great chance for some free food at Ihop. National Pancake Day at I-Hop! Join I-Hop on Feb. 20, 2007 for a free short stack (3 pancakes.)
This is a charity event and they ask, but don't require, that you make a donation to Children's Miracle Network, or other local charities.From 7 am - 10 pm!
Resources:
How To make sure you get new free stuff every day
What to do if you don't like giving out
