[StoneAge]

I just cracked the $1500 mark in the GC OIC and played all of my 10-20 short-handed. Most of the time was 2 or 3 handed with the largest table played at 5 handed.

I just wanted to post to encourage anyone else who makes it to 10-20 to not be afraid to start a new table even if you do not have a lot of short-handed experience. These were the easiest short handed tables I have played.

None of the players I faced were very agressive. They raised very little throughout the hand. Little preflop raising and at the very least top pair if they raised after the flop. Many times not even raising with top pair. Most of the time calling or checking. A lot of pots I would bet with a bare A or K high on the flop then check it down and take the pot in a showdown.

In these games I think the best way to play is agressively, but not agressive enough that the other player catches on. Raise preflop only with hands that can win unimproved. Don't go crazy with bets and raises but do a lot of value betting. Bet the flop for free cards a lot, if they call on the flop, they will usually go to the river, so I tended not to bet the turn unless I had a hand that could also be value bet, like A high flush draws or gutshots.

My impression was that these players rarely bluffed or bet anything less than middle pair. They rarely raised preflop, so I folded to most bets and preflop raises because they never seemed to adjust.

I'll let folks know how the 15-30 games are.
Steve