Bringing You The Best Poker Rake Races and Chases
| Short Stack No-Limit |
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While it is true that players can win the most at no-limit holdem by playing with deep stacks and coaxing their opponents to put chips into the pot, beginning no limit players should start out playing with a short stack. This simplifies decision makling, prevents them from making huge mistakes and allows them to induce mistakes from their opponents. There is no perfect definition of a "short stack". For our purposes it means that your stack is significantly less than what most of the other players have at the table. When I buy in to play short stacked I normally buy in at 25-40% of the table limit. If the maximum buy in is $100, I would buy in for $25 - $40. Your pre-flop hand selection at no-limit short stack poker is similar to limit holdem - somewhat tight. You do not play speculative hands with a short stack. With tight pre-flop play you will normally have a better starting hand than your deep-stacked opponents - who are correctly going to play more speculative hands against each other, but incorrectly play them against you. (It is incorrect for them to play speculatively against you because you don't have enough chips to pay them off when they hit.) If you have a strong hand you should try to get all of your money in pre-flop or on the flop. Your opponents cannot play their draws profitably against you in this situation, although they can still play them against each other, which benefits you. If all of your chips are in the pot on the flop, subsequent bettting by the remaining players may induce a fold in one or more of your opponents on the turn or river - which is also a benefit to you as a folded hand can't river you. You should not call bets to try to draw straights or flushes, as you rarely have enough chips in your stack to make your opponents pay when you hit. The out of position semi-bluff all-in is a good weapon, however. If you flop a good draw from the BB, getting them all in first on the flop is a great way to put the other players to a decision for their chips. Playing short stacked is a great way to begin at no-limit poker. While you rarely have to make decisions on the turn and river, be sure to pay attention to the play on those streets. Learn about your opponents and their tendencies. Imagine you have more chips - what would you do if you had to make a decision on the turn or river? Your goal is not to become a great short stack player, but to gain skill and confidence to become a great deep stack player. |