No Limit Cash Game Strategy

No Limit Cash Game Rules

Minimum buy-in: The minimum amount you MUST pay to enter a no limit cash game. It is proportional to the BB but the exact quotient may differ between poker rooms. The typical minimum buy-in is 15-30 BB.
Maximum buy-in: The maximum amount you CAN pay to enter a no limit cash game. It is proportional to the BB but the exact quotient may differ between poker rooms. The typical maximum buy-in is 100-200 BB.
Stakes: No limit cash games are defined by their stakes which are presented on the format SB/BB.
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

Only select fullring tables with a minimum of seven opponents but with no more than two short stacked opponents. The more deep stacked opponents the better.

Always buy-in for 20 BB.

Only play very strong hands and play them by betting and raising, never by checking and calling.

Add-on to 20 BB as soon as your stack goes below 15 BB.

Leave the table as soon as your stack exceeds 35 BB.

Never pay the BB when you are out of position.

Play on multiple tables at the same time to get more value for your time.

Bankroll Management

Suitable bankroll for the short stack strategy: 30 buy-ins. Suitable stakes for a beginner: $0.02/0.04
Corresponding bankroll for $0.02/0.04 stakes: $24

Move up to higher stakes: As soon as your bankroll exceeds 30 times the buy-in of the higher stakes.
Move down to lower stakes: As soon as your bankroll goes below 30 times the buy-in of the lower stakes.

Stakes	Bankroll
$0.02/0.04	$24
$0.05/0.10	$60
$0.10/0.20	$120
$0.25/0.50	$300
$0.50/1	$600
$1/2	$1200
$2/4	$2400

Pre-flop

The do-or-die rule: If your correct bet or raise costs you more than 50% of your stack you must always go all-in. You can not hope to achieve anything more in the hand with less than 50% of your stack remaining. Therefore, you must take the opportunity to apply maximum pressure. Your opponents might very well fold to that pressure and if they remain in the hand you will at least have produced a big enough pot to be worth your while. It is a win/win situation to go all-in and a lose/lose situation to do anything less in the context at hand.

Players	Early	Middle	Late	Blinds
10	3	3	2	2
9	2	3	2	2
8	1	3	2	2

Flop, Turn & River

Continuation bet: You make a continuation bet when you continue your aggressive pre-flop action on the flop. Aggressive pre-flop action means that you raised pre-flop. A continuation bet (or raise) must be relatively big to qualify as a continuation bet. It must be aggressive. As a rule, you should bet 2/3 of the current pot size or alternatively raise to three times the bet before you. This gives your opponents bad odds for calling.

Made hand: All-in.

Worthwhile drawing hand (minimum straight draw with 8 outs): All-in.

Trash hand: You should generally fold but there are two scenarios where you should bet:

Scenario 1 - The pot is at least twice as big as your remaining stack at the absolute beginning of the betting round:

All-in. With this kind of ratio between the pot and your stack there is nothing to think about. All-in is the correct way to go.

Scenario 2 - Only one opponent remaining in the hand:

You should bet or raise once but if your opponent raises you must fold. You should bet or raise to 2/3 of the current pot size. If this means spending more than 50% of your remaining stack you go all-in. If your opponent calls it means the flop ends and you get to see the turn.

If you hit a made hand or a worthwhile draw on the turn you go all-in. If you do not hit anything you check if possible, otherwise you fold. If your opponent also checks, then you get to see the river.

If you hit a made hand on the river you go all-in. Otherwise you fold.