Short Stack Strategy

Fundamental Cash Game Strategy

In a cash game you can re-buy, add-on or leave with your money in between any hands you are playing. To make the most out of this open-ended structure you must consistently pursue positive expectation, no matter how small or big, wherever you can find it. In the long run this consistency will pay off. The trick is to know when the expectation is positive and this depends not only on your cards but also on your opponents and their cards. Your cards are simple but your opponents are complex. When learning something new you need to keep it simple. Therefore, you must learn a strategy that focuses on your cards; a tight strategy in other words. Such a strategy only works under special circumstances. These circumstances will be outlined in this chapter.

No Limit Cash Game Rules

The no limit Hold’em cash game is, despite its long term scope, a highly dramatic game. You can win big but you can just as well lose big. The outcome of a single hand can make or break your day. One moment your stack of chips is there, the next it is gone. The game is incredibly complex with its huge betting range spanning from the minimum bet of the BB to the maximum bet (all-in) of your chip stack, which in turn is limited by your buy-in.

You should already be familiar with the rules of the no limit betting structure but we will nevertheless take this opportunity to refresh your memory.

Minimum bet: Equal to the BB.
Minimum raise: The minimum you can raise with is equal to the bet or amount raised with before you.
Maximum bet/raise (all-in): Equal to your stack of chips.
Raise to: The amount you raise to is your complete bet; i.e. the amount you raise with + the cost of calling. In online poker rooms you only specify the amount you raise to. This is also standard practise in casinos.
Raise with: The amount you raise with is only the part of your bet that exceeds the bet before you. In casinos and other live poker rooms you CAN specify the amount you raise with but the amount you raise to is standard.

Short Stack Strategy & Deep Stack Strategy

The maximum amount of chips you can bet (the all-in bet) has a huge impact on the no limit cash game strategy. Your stack of chips can contain anything from the minimum buy-in to the maximum buy-in. Being short stacked is associated with the minimum buy-in and deep stacked with the maximum buy-in. You find the majority of players somewhere in the middle of the buy-in spectrum.

If you are short stacked and go all-in against the deep stacked players it means that any bets exceeding yours will be put into a side pot that only they will be fighting over.

One could say that short stacked and deep stacked players are playing totally different stakes at the same table. When you are short stacked, any side pot the other players will be fighting over can potentially dwarf the pot you are hoping to win. Therefore, the strength of a short stacked player’s hand is not a big deal to a deep stacked player as long as there are other deep stacked players remaning in the hand. The strategic implications of this are huge. The short stacked player must choose his bets with care for he has very limited influence over the actions of the deep stacked players. In short, he must employ a tight style of play. The deep stacked player, on the other hand, can use his bets to apply maximum pressure to other players and manipulate the pot odds to their disadvantage. Therefore, he would do well to employ a loose style of play. As a consequence, we wind up with two totally different strategies for the no limit cash game: short stack strategy and deep stack strategy.

Many players buy-in somewhere in between the minimum and maximum. This is a “good for nothing” buy-in if there are deep stacked players at the table. The deep stack strategy reigns supreme while the short stack strategy tags along like a little parasite. Between those two extremes there is nothing. If you make a medium buy-in you will be eaten alive by any deep stacked players at the table. There is of course no point in having more chips than the other players at the table but there tend to be deep stacked players seated at most tables online.

So to sum things up:

Short Stack Strategy - Table Selection & Stack Management

We have already established that beginners should use the short stack strategy. However, this strategy only works under special circumstances and to stay on track you must pay a great deal of attention:

►There must be at least 7 opponents at the table in order the for the short stack strategy to work. An extremely tight playing style does not work against fewer opponents because of all the blinds you must pay while waiting for strong hands. Furthermore, chances are you won’t win big enough pots with your strong hands when you have few opponents. Thus, if there are less than 7 opponents at the table you must leave and find a new table to play at.

►There can be max 2 short stacked opponents at the table. The short stack strategy only works if the majority of your opponents use a loose style of play. On the few occasions when you have a strong hand you want as many players as possible to bet with weak hands. This won’t happen if there are a lot of short stacked players at the table. Thus, if there are more than 2 short stacked opponents at the table you must leave and find a new table to play at.

►Your chip stack won’t remain at 20 BB for long. It will grow as you win and shrink as you lose. The short stack strategy does not work if you have too many or too few chips.
- When your stack falls below 15BB you must add-on to 20BB again.
- When your stack exceeds 35BB you must leave the table and find a new table to play at. Switching tables rather than cashing out and buying in at the same table again ensures that your opponents won’t have time to see through the short stack strategy and use it against you (by never placing any bets on the few occassions when you do).

Being familiar with the various table types will help you select appropriate tables:

A cash game starts as soon as two players have made their buy-ins regardless of number of seats. A 6-seated table is per definition always short-handed while a fullring table can have anywhere from 2 to 9 or 10 players. You will only find the conditions required for the short stack strategy on fullring tables.

When you sit down at a cash game table you won't be dealt any cards until you are in the BB position and it may take some time before it reaches you. You will, however, be given the option to pay the BB right away when you are out of position. If you pay the BB out of position your bet will go to the pot and you get to enter the game as an ordinary player from your current position. This is known as making a dead bet because it does not save you from paying the next BB. It is a waste of money which is particularly harmful when you are short stacked. Thus, you must never pay the BB out of position when you use the short stack strategy and you should never do it in general no matter what game you play or what strategy you use. You need to control your stack and bets and when paying the BB out of position you strip yourself of that control and end up wasting money. Therefore, never ever pay the BB out of position. Always wait for the BB to come to you.

On a related note: The short stack strategy is best suited for multiple tables seeing as so few of your hands are going to be playable. Make sure that all tables you play at meet the conditions outlined above.

Short Stack Strategy - Bottom Line