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View Full Version : Strategy againt shortstacks


GoCubsGo
08-27-2005, 09:24 PM
There's an epidemic going around at Stars $50NL. Nobody buys in for a logical amount. There will be 1 or 2 others with stacks around $50, maybe a couple around $35, then a couple $20 stacks and one donkey sitting with $7. The super low stacks hurt my strategy of betting almost any flop where I raise the pot. Once they've put in $2, there's $4.50 in the pot and they only have $5 behind, so they call with midpair and junk like that a lot, with no fear of having to call bets in later rounds. The strategy to use against them seems pretty obvious, but I'd like to make sure I'm playing them correctly. If there's only small stacks left to act behind me preflop, my raising standards go up a little bit. This is because I'm not going to be able to push them off their hand as easily if I miss. Also, if I miss I check the flop more often because a PSB commits me and if they call they likely have a better hand.

What do I do against the $20 stacks? I'm guessing position is less important, and hands like KQ and AJ become more valuable, where SC's become much less valuable.

Is my thinking correct? Any more tips you can give me on how to adjust when my opponents have much smaller stacks than me?

jacknine
08-27-2005, 10:03 PM
[ QUOTE ]
The super low stacks hurt my strategy of betting almost any flop where I raise the pot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Let me get this right before I reply, because I'm not sure what you mean ...

If you raised preflop, you bet the pot on almost any flop?

GoCubsGo
08-27-2005, 10:39 PM
Right. About 90%.

08-27-2005, 11:01 PM
Hey Cubs,

I think i've played with u a few times, name sounds familiar...but i'll throw my two pennies in here with an opinion. If ur asking about the short stacks, i think it's fairly straight forward. Obviously if they've only got 7 dollars behind them, there's not much their going to fold after the flop anyway for 5 dollars more. So i would think the idea is to have them make a decision before the flop and just bet the 7 dollars preflop. Make them decide before anything whether they want to commit or not.

jacknine
08-27-2005, 11:12 PM
I don't really change my raising standards against those small stacks. If I don't hit the flop, I'm quick to give up. I'll get the couple of bucks they make on those hands back with interest when I do hit.

Also - my experience with these players is that they do not really see the size of bets in relation to the size of the pot. If you pot the flop and it's no biggie - they will, like you said, call with junk like middlepair. However if then on the turn you pot it again - all of a sudden the bet size looks scary.

Edit- I was referring to people buying in for half the max. or even less, not people with only $7 left... I like what TheLegend820 says about this.