Short Stack Strategy – Part 2: Flat Calling Preflop

Good stuff. I look forward to your thoughts on playing the blinds (and possibly stealing). Hands from the blinds comprise more of your played hands because you have to play so much tighter when shortstacked.

I recommended that simple, automatic reraise because many players would otherwise be tempted to call and bail if they miss the flop.

So if I have AQ in late position, I call a raise and the flop comes Kxx (where x doesn’t matter). The opponent goes all in. Should I call, following the ‘either in or out’ rule? Ditto if they just c-bet? Does it change if there is more than one opponent?

How do you avoid getting blinded out while playing so tight? Reload when you drop below a certain amount and hope to be able to double up before your reloads get so much that a double up would still be a loss?

I’ve been trying out short stack play with a reasonable amount of success but do struggle with these issues sometimes.

Ed could you discuss bankroll requierments for the sort stack play in the future

FYI, a standard shortstack strategy standard deviation (which is incorrectly calculated by PT) is 20 PTBB/100.

OK I’m the idiot. What does PTBB mean? I assume BB is for Big Blind in no limit (it would be Big Bet in limit) but what is the PT?

The following isn’t intended to be an unexploitable strategy.

Have you been reading The Mathematics of Poker?

For bankroll stuff, you may (or may not) find these useful:

http://www.castrovalva.com/~la/bankroll.htm

http://www.castrovalva.com/~la/bankroll.htm

What’s a c-bet?
Ed, can you explain why you lose money if you evaluate your hand on the flop and then fold sometimes if you think you’re behind? My common sense tells me that folding in spots where the board is heavy connected (maybe 89T of diamonds) and someone is putting you all-in (if he doesn’t bluff a lot) helps you. It just seems to wrong to me to not use the flop-information you have payed for. I don’t understand the game as well as you obviously, so maybe you could help me on this.

Thank for the explanation. It’s great that you take time for question that are way below your knowledge. Thanks a lot. In which other hobby or sport can you get direct answers from “celebrities”? I think that’s fantastic. Your explanation makes sense to me.
[quote]If you thought you had the best hand preflop, then even if you airball the flop – even if the flop is a scary-looking one – you’re still in decent shape… decent enough shape to call getting 2-to-1 or so.[/quote]
In the situation where it’s heads-up on the flop and either you or your opponents made a 4x BB raise preflop, you will have less than 2-to-1 on your money if you drop the hammer on the flop (if I’m not mistaken). But I think that’s what you wanted to tell me with “2-to-1 [b]or so[/b]” – right? If there is maybe a 2nd preflop caller then this situation may compensate for the times you only have one preflop caller (still takling about a standard 4x BB PF raise). Other reason may be that your answer was actually refering to a very scary flop, which is more an exception than the normal situation. Feel free to critise my thoughts.
P.S. I ordered T&P. I know the basics of Odds & Outs etc. Played Limit and need adjustment to NL. I hope I can skip your GSIH safely.

The Anonymous was me.

Hi Ed,

I am playing around and slightly modified your short stack strategy towards a more aggressive approach especially with a pocket pair. Results so far have been encouraging (at $0.5/$1) tables but I would like to hear your opinion.

So, say I have 77 in LP with 25BB. One limper and a raiser in front of me. In this case I am usually all-in. If I have a medium-low pair in EP, I may limp. If no-one raises I see a flop, if someone raises me, I move all in irrspective if the raiser is called. In this case, I am usually more concerned with the raiser as the cold callers probably would not have high pairs.

The reasoning behind is that I am usually called by the high pairs only and big offsiut cards. Medium pairs that may have me dominated will tend to fold against my all-in move so I am getting what I want (fold equity + calls from high cards over which I have a slight advantage and necessay pot odds).

Yesterday I was involved in such a game. UTG raises 5x BB. Everyone folds to me on the button and I am move in with pocket sevens. Big Blind calls and UTG, after some thought, folds. BB shows AK and my sevens hold up. UTG later moaned about my move with 77… he holded pocket tens.

I would very much like to hear what your thoughts are about this before I hurt myself

I may have to try your idea of playing the medium PPs more aggressively. ISTM that this would be particularly interesting if you occasionally limp your AA, KK or AK then reraise all-in when someone attacks your limp (something I am known to do on occasion).

This sounds great, will try it out tonite.