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Playing Against Short Stacks in No Limit Texas Holdem
Poker
When you play against someone who is short stacked your own stack
becomes the same effective size (assuming no one else is in the hand). This
is why it is known as “effective stack”. In other words, if you are playing $10
no limit and your stack is $10 and your opponent’s stack is $2, and you two
are the only ones in the hand, your stack may as well be $2 also.
This changes our play somewhat because a 3 big blind-sized raise makes
puts about 0.60 in the pot, and with $1.70 remaining in the effective stack the
“stack to pot” ratio is much bigger than if the effective stack were $10 or more.
Why is this important? For one thing it eliminates our calling odds to draw to
a flush, a straight, or a set – which pretty much leaves us playing our big pairs
and top pair top kicker type hands. So it doesn’t make sense to call raises
with small pocket pairs against them or to limp with suited connectors. Small
stacks seldom have to make choices beyond pre flop and flop – which
makes playing a bit simpler. Always be aware however that with another
deep stack in the hand that you will be playing the turn and maybe the river as
well.
There are many types of short stackers, and it is good to know what you are
up against. As players, some are very good and some are very bad. Some of
them are extremely tight and some are very aggressive. Some short stackers
may push all in after the flop even if they miss, while others may go all in
against your flop raise. This gives them tremendous folding equity, because
folding against them is often, but not always, a mistake. Many short stack
players use charts to figure exactly what the best percentage move is against
your range or the average range of the table. They are in effect playing “dice”
with cards (not poker) and with those charts they make sure that they get the
house edge. The easiest type of short stackers to exploit are the ones that
are short stacked because they choose the default buy-in and don’t know any
better, or choose to short stack because they are not confident to play past
the flop.
I would prefer my students learn to play poker and not dice. Starting with a
deep stack adds many moneymaking hands and plays that you simply cannot
make with a short one. If you are not comfortable playing the turn and the river
yet than just be very careful and tight with decisions on these big-betting
streets. Though when we are up against a short stack in effect, we become
one, so we need to make sure we don’t fall victim the their pre-figured matrix
and fold equity.
I’ll spare you the math and give you a few good rules of thumb:
Always raise a short stackers limp (when you can isolate him/her especially.
Unless you have a read that he/she limps with monsters, when a short stacker
limps he/she is very often not getting odds to call a raise with his/her hand.
Now you gain fold equity.
Calling a short stackers pre flop 3-bet (re-raise) when you raised with a
strong hand is most often right – and even when it is not it is seldom far from
wrong. Generally, against a 20BB stack when you raised the pot, you should
continue with 99+ AQ+. If the short stacker is loose you can go as low as 55+
and AJ+. If you run into an extremely tight short stacker, call his push with JJ+
AK+. In many of these cases you will only be a 40% favorite or so – but
remember that there is already money in the pot. 40% is all you need to call
an all in bet to be + EV. A simple way to explain this is to say that you raised
$1.90 and he pushed all in with his $2.00. I wouldn’t fold the last $0.10 with
83o! It would be a huge mistake. Folding after lead-raising when you are a
45% favorite is a small mistake – and that means the short stacker slowly
gets your money.
In general you can get a read on how often a short stacker raises or re-raises.
Adjust your raising/calling range depending on how loose or tight he/she is.
Know that going all in is never far from wrong and folding to them (with these
good hands) is almost always wrong. More calling = more winnings but more
variance. Also get a read on whether he/she will shove on the flop when they
whiff with AK or AQ.
In summary you must play as a short stacker when playing against a short
stacker – otherwise you end up giving away equity. Figure out through notes
and stats how each one plays both pre and post flop and adjust accordingly.
Mostly you will be jamming your chips back in their faces – which is exactly
what they don’t want. Any fold they make is a huge mistake on their part and
you are beating them at their own game. Lastly, always be aware of any deep
stack left to act. The effective stack is deep in this situation.
McStackn
Poker
When you play against someone who is short stacked your own stack
becomes the same effective size (assuming no one else is in the hand). This
is why it is known as “effective stack”. In other words, if you are playing $10
no limit and your stack is $10 and your opponent’s stack is $2, and you two
are the only ones in the hand, your stack may as well be $2 also.
This changes our play somewhat because a 3 big blind-sized raise makes
puts about 0.60 in the pot, and with $1.70 remaining in the effective stack the
“stack to pot” ratio is much bigger than if the effective stack were $10 or more.
Why is this important? For one thing it eliminates our calling odds to draw to
a flush, a straight, or a set – which pretty much leaves us playing our big pairs
and top pair top kicker type hands. So it doesn’t make sense to call raises
with small pocket pairs against them or to limp with suited connectors. Small
stacks seldom have to make choices beyond pre flop and flop – which
makes playing a bit simpler. Always be aware however that with another
deep stack in the hand that you will be playing the turn and maybe the river as
well.
There are many types of short stackers, and it is good to know what you are
up against. As players, some are very good and some are very bad. Some of
them are extremely tight and some are very aggressive. Some short stackers
may push all in after the flop even if they miss, while others may go all in
against your flop raise. This gives them tremendous folding equity, because
folding against them is often, but not always, a mistake. Many short stack
players use charts to figure exactly what the best percentage move is against
your range or the average range of the table. They are in effect playing “dice”
with cards (not poker) and with those charts they make sure that they get the
house edge. The easiest type of short stackers to exploit are the ones that
are short stacked because they choose the default buy-in and don’t know any
better, or choose to short stack because they are not confident to play past
the flop.
I would prefer my students learn to play poker and not dice. Starting with a
deep stack adds many moneymaking hands and plays that you simply cannot
make with a short one. If you are not comfortable playing the turn and the river
yet than just be very careful and tight with decisions on these big-betting
streets. Though when we are up against a short stack in effect, we become
one, so we need to make sure we don’t fall victim the their pre-figured matrix
and fold equity.
I’ll spare you the math and give you a few good rules of thumb:
Always raise a short stackers limp (when you can isolate him/her especially.
Unless you have a read that he/she limps with monsters, when a short stacker
limps he/she is very often not getting odds to call a raise with his/her hand.
Now you gain fold equity.
Calling a short stackers pre flop 3-bet (re-raise) when you raised with a
strong hand is most often right – and even when it is not it is seldom far from
wrong. Generally, against a 20BB stack when you raised the pot, you should
continue with 99+ AQ+. If the short stacker is loose you can go as low as 55+
and AJ+. If you run into an extremely tight short stacker, call his push with JJ+
AK+. In many of these cases you will only be a 40% favorite or so – but
remember that there is already money in the pot. 40% is all you need to call
an all in bet to be + EV. A simple way to explain this is to say that you raised
$1.90 and he pushed all in with his $2.00. I wouldn’t fold the last $0.10 with
83o! It would be a huge mistake. Folding after lead-raising when you are a
45% favorite is a small mistake – and that means the short stacker slowly
gets your money.
In general you can get a read on how often a short stacker raises or re-raises.
Adjust your raising/calling range depending on how loose or tight he/she is.
Know that going all in is never far from wrong and folding to them (with these
good hands) is almost always wrong. More calling = more winnings but more
variance. Also get a read on whether he/she will shove on the flop when they
whiff with AK or AQ.
In summary you must play as a short stacker when playing against a short
stacker – otherwise you end up giving away equity. Figure out through notes
and stats how each one plays both pre and post flop and adjust accordingly.
Mostly you will be jamming your chips back in their faces – which is exactly
what they don’t want. Any fold they make is a huge mistake on their part and
you are beating them at their own game. Lastly, always be aware of any deep
stack left to act. The effective stack is deep in this situation.
McStackn
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