Short Stack Play

Since today I will be playing short stack, I thought I'd spend a little time discussing strategy. First of all, deciding where you stand and how short you are is important because it will dictate what range of hands and situations you are forced to play. I am starting with an M of under 6, blinds 400/200 with a 50 ante so each lap is 1050. If I wait for a more premium hand and it takes 20 hands to get there I will be starting with under 4,000 in chips so with one caller, the ante's and blinds I would only walk away with about 8,200 in chips if I win the hand. That will leave me only slightly better than I started. Who is in the blinds may also affect my decision and of course my position. If the blinds are relatively deep stack, then I am more likely to get a call. Keep in mind that although I'm short, 6k still represents 15 big blinds and will sting. Ideally I will begin the day near the button and have 5 or 6 free hands so that I will not lose too many chips in the blinds.

So, let's look at some specific situations. When I'm in the BB my first two times and there is a late position raiser the range of hands I will play will increase markedly, in fact I might push with any two cards to a cut off, button, or SB opening raise. If the raise comes earlier I will be more selective, hoping to wake up with a decent ace or any pair. In early position I will open shove with any pair, A 10 or better during the first two laps, becoming less selective the more time passes. If I get lucky and pick up a premium hand, pocket 9's, AQ or better I might do a stop and go if it happens early enough. If I win the hand uncontested, without a call, then I pick up 1,050 in chips which will help but won't change my situation much. With a caller, I could pick up 7k in chips which would help dramatically.

In an ideal world, there will be an early position raiser and some callers and then I look down at AA, and of course it holds up. However, we don't live in an ideal world, or I guess we wouldn't have had to endure 8 years of George W. Bush, an ill conceived, poorly executed war in Iraq, economic hard times, a, healthcare, mortgage and education crisis, global warming, oh and let's not forget steroids in major league baseball. Perhaps Obama can get elected and lead us in a better direction, but I digress. Three times this past year in big events I came back from being short stacked, l hopefully can do it again. Two years at the LAPC main event at the end of day 3, I lost a big hand and went from 550k in chips to 45k, with the average being 500k. About 45 players began the day and I went out 23^rd, while some with a million in chips busted before me. So when today begins I will not give up, or donk my chips off without a fight.

The Oracle

http://www.cardplayer.com/players/results/Roy-Winston/36778