NLHE: Starting at a Short-Handed Table

[Hedge Henderson]

The standard tourney advice is tight early, aggressive later on and it's done pretty well for me so far. In our home game, we've played a few tourneys but all of the previous ones were at a single table. Thanks to television and networking, we're seeing more people interested in playing with us.

I don't want to give up too much EV short-handed by playing tight early, but part of my game depends on being able to steal blinds later on when poker gets expensive. Payout is pretty flat. Blinds are structured for a slow start and a quick finish. Players are (mostly) loose-passive and I've played with a good number of them week after week. What adjustments should I make for a tourney that starts with two tables of six or two tables of seven vs. a single ten-player table?

Any advice would be appreciated. I do have a reputation to uphold among a select group.

[CrisBrown]

Hi Hedge,

The obvious point is that hands like middle pairs, AQ-AT, and KQ-KT go up in value at a short-handed table, because with fewer hands dealt it's less likely that there's a big pair or a monster out there.

There's doubtless a precise, mathematical process you could use, but my general sense is that for each two people short of a full table, you can "bump" a pair or a kicker up one rank. E.g.: at an 8-handed table, you're probably safe in playing JJ as if it were QQ, or AQ as if it were AK. At a 6-handed table, you're probably safe in playing TT as if it were QQ, or AJ as if it were AK.

But again, that's a very general sense that I have at the table, and of course it can't replace specific reads on a specific player's action.

Cris

[Hedge Henderson]

Thanks, amigo.

Drawing on my short-handed NL ring game experience, I was able to adjust a little faster than the other players. All my good hands came early, though. I saw AA, KK, QQ, TT, in just the first ten hands. Folded the cowboys to a big bet on a turn ace, won the blinds plus a little more with the others. Ended up second out of 14 players.

[Che]

Cris-

Does the "bump up" hold for post-flop play? Or does it only impact your preflop decision to play or fold a given hand?

For example, do you play AJ like TPTK on an A-rag-rag flop at a 6-handed table?

Thanks,
Che