Short tables @ BCP and ACR

Reptar7

Reptar7

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I seem to constantly sit at the 2nl short tables on BCP, just because those are the tables that run all the time. Why are there so many short tables running versus regular stack tables? Do you guys play them? Is there any special strategy for the short tables?
 
Reptar7

Reptar7

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I've now 100% given up playing shorttables. I basically was playing super nitty and either raising AK or AQ, limping low to mid pockets, shoving hi ones. That works okay. Usually I just sit there not playing, and then I'll check the table and see I lost 50 cents on a $1 BI table. I guess your just supposed to gamble it up at those tables.
 
Aleksei

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Play smallball. Minraise a standard range from every position, then fire small bets when you hit. And play for merged thin value, unless you find some scared nit to run over (they're actually somewhat common at ACR 2NL). If you play well, you will usually end up running it up to 75-80BB so that you can play normally.

I actually like short tables for the simple expedient that cash regs like you have no clue how to play them (and tournament regs, who actually know how to play short, won't play cash), so since I'm brave enough to venture into shallow waters I usually get entire schools of fish all to myself. :D
 
Reptar7

Reptar7

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Play smallball. Minraise a standard range from every position, then fire small bets when you hit. And play for merged thin value, unless you find some scared nit to run over (they're actually somewhat common at ACR 2NL). If you play well, you will usually end up running it up to 75-80BB so that you can play normally.

I actually like short tables for the simple expedient that cash regs like you have no clue how to play them (and tournament regs, who actually know how to play short, won't play cash), so since I'm brave enough to venture into shallow waters I usually get entire schools of fish all to myself. :D

Thanks for the advice.
 
Aleksei

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Basically, you're not really gonna widen (or tighten) your range, or spaz out and play super-fast preflop, just because you're short. It's still a cash game, so the blinds are not gonna go up and you're not gonna get blinded out.

What happens instead is that you can no longer imply your odds in most cases, so have to either eliminate your speculative range or turn it into bluffs. That means, for example, you'll probably have to fold 22-77 UTG instead of opening them to setmine. Instead, your range needs to be weighted towards high-card value; so for instance, while a 6max UTG open range at a regular table will look something like {22+,AQo+,A2s+,KTs+,QTs+,JTs+,T9s,98s,87s,76s,65s} an UTG open range at a short table might instead look like {TT+,A3s+,K9s+,QTs+,JTs+,ATo+,KTo+}. Same range percentage-wise, but more heavily weighted to high-card value.

If you want you could also eliminate KTo and maybe KJo as well from your UTG (to avoid domination/RIOs), but you then have to widen your range somewhat in later positions (you could open a tighter range from UTG and HJ --say, 12.5% and 18% instead of 15 and 22%, and then add a few hands to your CO and especially your button to compensate). In fact that might actually be advisable because you have to worry much less about RIOs in late position, since ranges are wider and the majority of the time you'll be in position.

(as for why I eliminated A2s, it's because wheels flop horribly to A2. You have the sucker end of the straight and no blockers. Likewise, PPs lower than TT will flop an overcard far too often to have any significant high-card value.)
 
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