What is your preferred short stack strategy?

When you’ve got like 10BB or less and you’re hanging on for dear life, what do you tend to do?

Two main strategies are waiting around for a great hand/opportunity, or just go all in when you’re getting the odds for a triple or quadruple up (or more).

As a huge nit, I tend to prefer the former, but I was short stacked yesterday and decided on a strategy I’d use to try to save myself. I folded and folded until I met two criteria:

1. I was in good position.
2. No one called or raised before me.

Yeah, I’m not giving myself much of an opportunity for a big gain, but this way I’d survive for a while as opposed to getting it in and losing with my first decent hand.

I ended up going 1 for 2. First time I shoved without checking my cards (had 10-8) from around the hijack and got up from 1.8k to 7.8k. Second time I shoved without looking again and everyone folded except the big blind. He turns over AQ, I turn over KQ.

I like this strategy though and think it’s a good way to avoid getting it in against monster hands.

What do you tend to do?

As a fairly new player, I have been quite a lot in this position lately, and managed to get back up to the average stack most of time by waiting for a good hand, and when I do get one I go all in (pre-flop or post-flop, it depends), and pray for the best. If it's late in a tournament, a few big blinds can already be a lot for most people, so they tend to fold a lot.

Also, if you're in a tournament and in the money, and close to a significant gap in the reward, you might want to fold every hand and wait for other people to bust out.

I'm not sure where this 10bb rule of thumb came from but I'm not a fan. I think you really need to be looking for hands when you get between 15-20bb. This actually gives you some flexibility with how you play your hands. With 20bb, you can be thinking about shoving and a double up but have enough chips to see a flop or two rather than just start shoving. Many times you will win more seeing a flop. Nothing worse than having 10bb, get AA, and have everyone fold to you. Expanding out what you consider "short" will help you be more successful.

When you start hitting 20bb, be looking for a hand that you are going to "go with" but if you get a jacked flop with your AK you still have a chance to fold and get a second bite at the apple with a different hand.

Yeah no I agree, idk why I picked that number. Also most of the live tourneys I've played in have a shitty structure that doesn't give you much wiggle room

The best strategy as Karl alluded to is to not get short stacked n the first place. I tent to get very aggressive in the 13-20 big blind range when in position so I can avoid getting in the < 10BB territory. When you get below 10BB I tend to just use the push fold charts when folded to me.

If I'm short stack (less than 10 BBs) I'll usually go into push or fold mode. You're getting the best fold equity this way. If you bet just 3X the BB, it doesn't leave you much for a continuation bet and a fold on the flop leaves you very weak.

depends how advanced the tournament is, because if you are in the final stages and you have been short-stack there is not much, because the blinds are high, but if the tournament is not so advanced you can wait for a good hand

I like to refer to this chart by Jonathan Little. It assumes the push is when action is folded to you and has charts for 3 different ante situations. Also it considers blind stacks of 1-15BB and every position on a 9 player table.

https://floattheturn.com/wp/pushfold/

When I have a small stack, I turn on the push button function with the pair, with the suited suited and the non-suited, or simply with the highest card ace.

guccipix said:

When you’ve got like 10BB or less and you’re hanging on for dear life, what do you tend to do?

Two main strategies are waiting around for a great hand/opportunity, or just go all in when you’re getting the odds for a triple or quadruple up (or more).

As a huge nit, I tend to prefer the former, but I was short stacked yesterday and decided on a strategy I’d use to try to save myself. I folded and folded until I met two criteria:

1. I was in good position.
2. No one called or raised before me.

Yeah, I’m not giving myself much of an opportunity for a big gain, but this way I’d survive for a while as opposed to getting it in and losing with my first decent hand.

I ended up going 1 for 2. First time I shoved without checking my cards (had 10-8) from around the hijack and got up from 1.8k to 7.8k. Second time I shoved without looking again and everyone folded except the big blind. He turns over AQ, I turn over KQ.

I like this strategy though and think it’s a good way to avoid getting it in against monster hands.

What do you tend to do?

Click to expand...

Hey. Most of all, I get frightened by situations when, in front of me, someone constantly raises and I can not help it. When you wait for a positive situation, the card may not come at all. Just from a late position, push any pretty good hand (50-70%). Even when AA comes to you, it does not give a 100% guarantee that you''ll win. They can just fold or destroy your hand.

Usually I play push or fold strategy in position.

I try to play opportunistically first then unexploitable. If you can min raise and get the villan to fold there is no reason to shove. If the villan likes to put you in difficult situations just shove.

when my back is against the wall i come out swinging. not just on a decient hand . but on a hand that i feel is fairly strong.

Stay calm

Fools rush in. Don't be a dummy. Wait for a good hand.

If we look at how to play professional players in this situation, only the push-fold strategy can come into play. They are already using 14 BB.
10BB has too little room for maneuvering on the next turn. If we have a good hand, it is advisable to go all-in immediately, slow play is not recommended.

push/fold all day!

I like to take advantage of the position I'm in, with a decent range, go allin with the intention of making the opponent fold. If I lose the tournament I have to be patient and respect the variance. Good luck.

Short stack... I will usually be going all in to double up...

well first you have to evaluate what the effective stack amount in for the table. If everyone is around 10BB its safe to think everyone is on a push fold strategy. On the other hand, if you're in a deep stack tournament, where you only have 20BB left, but the Avg. for the table is 50BB, with everyone pretty much even give or take 10BBs besides you. Then your still gonna get bullied off hands even if you do play a standard game....

I've always been a huge believer in a standard push fold strategy, granted I do have my looser strategy, and my tighter strategy. There are a lot of good push fold charts out there to learn from. find the one that fits your typical playing range, and keep it near you at all time until you memorize it. With that said, you also have to train yourself to accept it when you lose. If you get it in right, and you still lose you still played right and shouldn't be upset about it.

With that said, once you get your mind right. The only real trick is figuring out when it's the time to actually start using it. Personally I start using the loosest form when I'm at about 10-12 BB, without the chip lead, and everyone is about the same Avg. stack give or take 2-5 BB. On the opposite side, I use the tightest form when I haven't hit the money yet, Avg. stack is 60% larger then mine (at the table) with a max of 25BB. Anything more then that I can still play pretty standard. As long as I keep an eye on the overly aggressive player at the table that wants the rest of my stack.

Wait for A high or any pocket pair and go all in pre flop. Usually somebody will call to try to knock me out and I'll be in the lead pre flop. So I'll either lose or double up or if everybody folds I'll win the blinds and then I get to see a bunch more hands and after that anything is possible.

When i have less then 10 BB i always go for push or fold strategy and if i pick up some blinds i still try to be agressive so i can get back to normal stack,if you have low stake and you still push so tight you will get blinded out

For me 10 bb or less tend to be push or fold with premium hands and suited connected in mid range (i.e, 9-8 9-10 8-7 )

Is 10BB too late to start using a push/fold strategy? You are hanging on by your fingernails at that point. Is there an optimal point where push /fold strategy becomes the most profitable play ? 14 BB, 18 BB?
And which charts do you guys think are best?

RobAnaes said:

Is 10BB too late to start using a push/fold strategy? You are hanging on by your fingernails at that point. Is there an optimal point where push /fold strategy becomes the most profitable play ? 14 BB, 18 BB?
And which charts do you guys think are best?

Click to expand...

Something I have also been thinking on a lot lately. I'd say depends on many factors like speed of the tournament (Hyper vs Turbo vs Normal), average stack sizes, table Dynamics and others.

So for example in shallow stack turbos like the $2.50 180 or $3R 180 on Stars, I'd go into push/fold when on or under 16 BB. Not sure how optimum that is.

I am currently using the Float The Turn App, seems pretty useful so far for this specific purpose. They got quizzes too which helps solidyfy what you learn.

It depends on the mood of a person. When im relaxed i esually wait for a god hand then go all in, i dont like to play marginal hands when im short stack and lose with them, thats just even more depressing for me