Heads Up - Should I ever fold to the extreme short stack?

Cleveland Guy · #1 08-26-2004, 10:55 AM

This has happened to me a couple times, and I seem to lose the pots, but I' wondering if it's ever right to fold in a situation like this.

Playing $1/$2 cash game. 6 at the table. I raise from CO with a strong hand, and am called by only the SB. SO it's heads up between me and the SB. After calling SB only had $1.25 left, or some other ungodly short stack

Since it's me vs. him heads up - is there really any times I should be folding post flop to a bet from here? or just automatically put him all in on the flop/turn (depending on actual cash remaining?

I tend to figure he is going to bet all in no matter what the cards are in this situation, so I usually will bet to him no matter the flop.

Is this a bad move long term?

Blarg · #2 08-26-2004, 10:59 AM

I've seen people in the SB's position fold their hands before.

Not often though.

They might fold more on later streets if their hand doesn't develop. If you want that money, you might want to get them calling and going all in before they have a chance to see their hand looks like it's going nowhere.

sfer · #3 08-26-2004, 11:53 AM

Generally, I would put them all-in with any reasonable hand in that spot, and I think a decent Ace high hand is reasonable enough.

Cerril · #4 08-26-2004, 05:58 PM

Pretty much any hand that's decent preflop is going to be worth finishing the best postflop. It's important that you make the decision, though, before you put any chips in the pot.

Of course if you're in there with something like T9s and the flop comes AK2 monotone but not your suit, you might figure you're beat and get out, save that small bet.

But if you think that you're ahead or have a reasonable chance to improve to it, then it's worth putting the money in most times since you get free cards. Just remember when figuring the value of your hand that you have no implied odds.

VeraN · #5 08-26-2004, 06:07 PM

If you make a pair, or have reasonable outs on a draw then you should call due to pot odds. You gotta also figure that the guy only has so little left that he has nothing to lose going all in hoping that his bluff will make you fold. At the same time lets say you make top pair, or the nut on the flop and you put him all in, in a lot of these situations the short stack wont even fold.

Psychologically the guy is fed up, he already put in money and he has so little that he's mentally thinking "well if you got me beat, then you deserve this money, i might as well lose the rest since it wont help me if i fold"

-http://www.pokernoob.com

Blarg · #6 08-26-2004, 09:28 PM

I agree very much on the business about people with short stacks just being fed up often, and acting accordingly.

Many times I've made money by just calling almost everything a short stack has, just guessing that he's gotten to the stage that he's thinking, "To hell with all this, I'll just lose the rest of this and go home." People sometimes actively WANT to lose just so they feel free to get up and walk away.