How much should open ranges be widened as the table becomes more shorthanded?

9max has tighter ranges than 6max, and 6max has much tighter ranges than heads up. So what should be done for the in-between hand counts? Obviously the blinds come around much more often. So if in HU you open 70% and in 6max you open ~20%, what about everything in-between like 3 handed or 4 handed?

Anyone have some percentages for each hand count and position?

Also does the relative VPIP of each position become skewed with different player counts? ie: does the VPIP's between all the positions become closer to each other or wider apart as the player count drops?

Originally Posted by ventrolloquist

How much should open ranges be widened as the table becomes more shorthanded?

9max has tighter ranges than 6max, and 6max has much tighter ranges than heads up. So what should be done for the in-between hand counts? Obviously the blinds come around much more often. So if in HU you open 70% and in 6max you open ~20%, what about everything in-between like 3 handed or 4 handed?

Anyone have some percentages for each hand count and position?

Also does the relative VPIP of each position become skewed with different player counts? ie: does the VPIP's between all the positions become closer to each other or wider apart as the player count drops?

I don't know about VPIP because I do not use a HUD but the way I approach short handed play is to increase my range by one position as a person is eliminated from the table. So, if you are using a starting hands chart at a 9 handed table. Once one person is eliminated, your UTG range is now your UTG+1 range from your starting hands chart. The next person eliminated means that now your UTG range matches the UTG+2 range...and so forth. Of course, this is just a starting point. You have to adjust your game to the way the table is playing. I have played at tables where a massive chip leader raises and 3 bets every pot with any two cards or conversely, I have been at plenty of tables where there is a short stack shove fest. But the charts are a really excellent place to start.

Down to 3 players you dont really need to change your ranges for each position. You just pretend, that everyone on the empty seats folded, and since you are playing more hands from late position, your VPIP will automatically increase, as less and less players are on the table. Only heads up is really different, because SB has position on BB after the flop, which make it much more advantageous to get involved for SB.

Just open what you would open from each position in a 6-max game. Keep in mind that depend on who you face you adjust youre stealing and 3betting ranges. Most people won't adjust.

Thanks for the pointers guys. Does this still apply 3 handed though? If you compare 6max button open % vs heads up button open % they are hugely apart.

Also. Do calling ranges change at all? I realize 3 bet frequencies do change, what else is different in a 3 handed game and how?