SHORT STACKS BIG MISTAKES

Other than when Your in bad position,AND if your a winning player,What advantage would you have by not rebuying?On the other hand who believes its to thier,or any winners advantage to re-buy?

In general, it's strategically advantageous to be short on chips. This gives you infinite odds to go to the river. An easy way to see this is if you were playing stud and only had enough (each hand) for the ante. Now you would get to see all seven cards for nothing, and you would probably win more than the best players in the world no matter what the limit.

I play better with plenty of chips in front of me, so I almost always buy more when I don't think I have enough. I don't necessarily re-buy if I'm going to leave (although I have re-bought when I was planning on leaving after just a few hands), and I have not yet bought in for more than $2500 for a $30/60 game, although I usually bring about $4000. $2500 seems like more than enough to lose in one evening. My usual game is high-low split, which has frequent jamming on the later streets. I like to put people through the wringer, and you can't do that unless you have plenty of chips. I buy in for $1500 and rarely have less than $1000 in front of me. When I play hold'em, I might let my stack dwindle to ten or twelve bets, but not much less. If I hit something, I want to be able to bet it. I also think that it's psychologically advantageous to have a bunch of chips in front of you, although it's not so advantageous to have people see you buy your fourth rack.


There is a mathematical advantage to being all-in. I still think that the benefits of having money in front of you outweigh the benefits of being short-stacked if you are a good player. And I just hate the thought of having a big hand and not being able to bet it.


A couple of hands where I wish I had had more money. These were both quite a while ago:


$3/6 stud. I limp in with (JJ)J. The field sees fourth street. I catch the case Jack on fourth street and bet my last $6. The side pot was bigger than the pot I won. The only time in my life that I've ever made quads on fourth street and I had no money left.


$4/8 stud. I am the forced bet with (KK)5 and bring it in for my last $3.50. Seventeen people call. My next card off was a King, and I filled on fifth. Two people had straight flush draws on fourth street that didn't get there. I had bought into that game for $150, and I would have gotten it all back on that hand if I only had another $30 or so. I felt kind of silly for having bought about $100 worth of baseball cards before hitting the card room.


My unwillingness to play short-stacked in cash games does hurt me in tournaments. I don't play short stacks very well, and you get short-stacked in pretty much every tournament you play.

Your point about wanting money in high-low split, especially if it is stud eight-or-better as opposed to Omaha is a good one. My statement should only apply to standard stud and hold 'em.

Short stacks help bad players.

Short stacks hurt good players.

Can you point me to a good reference for playing a shortstack in hold'em. How short a stack?


I have a general idea i.e. no implied odds with a shortstack and drawing hands play better because you don't have to pay for your draw. But I would like to get a handle on the specifics.