The Short Stack buy in for Cash games

L

lwillson

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Total posts
20
Chips
0
Recently on "The Circuit" podcast available on itunes and through Cardplyer this strat. for Cash games was put out there is a cohost and guest dodging the question. Here is what I feel is the short stack strategy. What do you think.

I typically buy in for smaller that the average stacks immediately, the other players perceive you as a novice or someone who is just "taking a shot." This is what you want. The rope-a-dope strategy works well against these players.

The key concept is that when you come into a pot, you better have the joint. Because when you do, the big stacks will play weak against you because you don't pose a big threat to their stack. They will try to push you off of the best hand with big raises in an effort to "bust" you. Also, since we established that many of these players are "recreational," they don't know how to protect their stacks in cash games, and routinely commit blunders against smaller stacks.

Playing a short stack in this manner also carries certain responsabilities. Since you are coming in short, you must play a disciplined game. You want to gain as much return on your investment when the right hand comes, so fold those prospecting hands until after you double through someone.

If you're coming out to Vegas during the wsop, I highly recommend you consider the side games instead of the tournaments. These games are filled with steaming donks who are too bent from a bad beat that knocked them out of the tournament to focus on the fact that you've been folding every hand for the last hour.

What do you think about this type of play..
 
ChuckTs

ChuckTs

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Total posts
13,642
Chips
0
For me, i've always bought in for the maximum.
Basically first off, i hate playing shortstacked, and buying in for less than the maximum makes it feel that way sometimes when you've got $200 and the rest of the table is at 600
The second reason i buy in for the maximum is because when i have a big hand, say AA, I want to win the maximum possible from it. I don't want a measly double up when i could have had like 6X that profit just by buying in for more.
Another thing is that if i have say JJ with a really loose calling station behind me, and a player in front of me raises, i want to have enough to isolate the raiser, and not draw in the player behind me (I'm raising here assuming i've got a read and think i'm ahead). Having a small stack, it's sometimes hard to do this
Personally, i don't like buying in for less than the max. Just my opinion.
 
Osmann

Osmann

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Total posts
229
Chips
0
I prefer to be the big stack at the table so I always buy in for the maximum, but what you are describing lwillson is perfect shortstack strategy for cashgames. All the big stacks are willing to give you action, and will constantly try to bluff you, so you are bound to get some action when you have a big hand. So if you have mastered this strategy I'm pretty sure it works very well. If you can get a timid table image you will probably do even better. On a sidenote, if you use this strategy I hope I'll never play against you, because you are very likely to be doubling up through me:( . I make a lot of my profits by pounding at the short stacks, so this strategy would work wonders against me. Luckily not many players use it, and I often play against the same opponents, so I would probably quickly catch on to what they were doing.
 
Coryan

Coryan

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 8, 2006
Total posts
207
Chips
0
Mad Max For Me!

I always buy in for the max for the same reasons that ChuckT stated. There are a handfull of good players that I see regularly on partypoker that buy in for the minimum and then work like crazy to grow that stack. They will often double or triple their stack in a couple hours....that's good poker. The only problem is that when they triple their stack they still have not earned the same profit I can make off of one good hand with a set of sixes!

I want to get maximum value off my hands when they hit. Yeah, I occasionally lose a huge stack also, but I'm gonna make more in the long run.

Well, that's just my opinion,
 
Real Money Poker - Real Money Casinos Top 10 Games
Top