Retooling the short stack strategy

Beavis68 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 01:13 PM

I am still playing around with SS poker.

The orignal strategy was a tight, hyper agressive game with big pre-flop raises and flop all ins.

This strategy worked very well at first, and my big bets were getting calls by very week hands.

However, in the last 4 months or so I have noticed a change at my tables. Players are making very small raises preflop and on the flop, and didnt like calling large raises "light" Similar things have been happening in the MTTs i play also.

To combat these changes I have adppted a new strategy that is much looser and less agressive.

I build small pots early in the hand, and get all in much less frequently. Trap with more checks, and bluff the min raisers more when I think I have a good read on them (like they are trying for cheap flush or straight cards - or have a TPWK hand).

Since I only buy in for 24bbs, I still need to rebuy often and make sure I keep topped-off so I can limp and call small raises with the proper odds.

Playing short still is a great way to clear bonus, even the UB bonus seems to be clearing fairly well for once.

The biggest change I have made is limping with suited connectors and semi connectors like J9s, and QTs.

making value bets instead of big all-ins - trying to keep opponents in the pot for the right price.

so far for playing short stacked I have 10k hands logged between UB and PArty and am running at 4.4bb/100

for the last 2k hands since I have changed styles I am at 20bb/100 (unsustainable I know).

My VPIP increased from around 14% to 22%.

the alex · #2 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 07:34 PM

Beav got me thinking with this post moreso as to how I react to shorter stacks.

My biggest criticism to other short stack poker strategy threads is that you're playing too few hands and overprotecting those starting hands committing yourself to the pot making what are, in theory, mathematically correct plays. But the high flucuation in stack size from hand to hand, table to table, and such increase your variance which is what you don't want while you're bonus whoring or such.

I think limping more is great with big hands to increase your implied odds because everyone's biggest sell point is that you'll get paid off on your big hands.

I guess what I couldn't quite articulate in past arguments is how the super-aggression neglects reverse implied odds. Whereas your opponents over-aggression when you have big hands that they'll have problems putting you on will commit them to the pot postflop when you've already made your hand.

Good post.

Beavis68 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 08:14 PM

yeah, the old strategy definitely required a certain type of game condition to work well

xxdemexx · #4 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006, 02:13 PM

Hi Be,
I've been an advocate of SS. What is clear is that you have to play differenty. On Party I find SS very effective for bonuses (not that I've had one for years). and would use it at work with no PT..

Recently I've been playing B2B (Swedes).. I found the same SS play didn't work and now start at 50bb - even though I've only usually got 2 out of six ppl on pokertrackeer to any precision.

The North American game 'tends' to happen more on the flop (i.e easy to convince ppl you have top pair - ppl give up draws more easily).
With Swedes my game gets very passive on the flop (keeps the pot small) but ruthless on the turn. If I hit they do pay off postflop so my stack is bigger - and just enough to pot commit a failed draw with mid pair on the river..

I feel (not proven) that blinds are easier with SS. i.e a blind attack/defence is more likely to work. If you have 20bb in your stack and you lanuch 4bb from late - in many ppls eyes you are pot committed already and they tend to back off. If this is true then as a technique SS is good for a player wanting to develop break even play - because it will focus them on blinds.

My other thought is that with flop percentages of >50% (e.g pennies) we all know you sit and wait for AA,KK and trips WITH a deep stack. Again I believe there is a relationship between your stack size and flop entry/average pot.

I think its harder to bluff a SS. I say this because I'm often in a round and find a SS is so low that I don't feel I have any chance of a push off - so I check.

Many thoughts... Like all these things play SS, Deep and even tournaments - I know I play best when I am mixing the games not least becuase if you see a tourney type player or a SS at your table you have more insight into how he is likely to behave....