short stack mentality

[CSLysander]

I continue to make bad moves when I am short stacked. But I love to watch other good players who are short stacked and have the patience of a saint. They can literally have crumbs but will patiently wait for the right cards in the right position and actually make something of those crumbs. It is fun if you make it to the final table and there is that short stack . . . I aspire to play like them.

Something I have noticed with many people's games is that they lack patience and are always trying to make a move. Yesterday I was at a table where 6 people were sitting out and 3 of us were active. One guy decided he was going to steal all the antes and blinds. He was out in 4 hands after me and the other active person got fed up with his bull. Patience should be practiced with every hand. I have folded 20 or 30 hands in a row and still won a tournament. Unless you are kissing the Blarney Stone daily, you need to acquire the skill.

 

[SharkFinn]

Have you folks ever been short stack for so long that when you finally got a good stack you still bet like you were short?

I ask this because I made the mistake of going all in with AJ, like a moron, and got called by 2 people. I had one of them beat, even after the river, but the other fellow had a pair of Ks. I was kicking myself. I had been short stacked for about 45 minutes. I made the money and made a few moves that got me deeper. I was 80 something out of 1,369. Man, I felt like a moron when I did that too.

Yes, the same thing happened to me last week. After playing push/fold for quite a while, I tripled up in one hand. Next hand I got dealt a decent but not great hand on the button (can't remember exactly what the cards were) and before I realised what I was doing I had hit all in, when with my new stack it should have been my normal 3x open. I did not mean to risk my newly acquired 30BB on these cards! Anyways, the blinds folded so it worked out for me this time

 

[Alekxandrovi3]

I had the shortest stack out of 12. At the final table was 9 out of 9 for several hands it became 1.

 

[sara maria]

you got too excited, it is also known as stress, and seen many fall that way, some begin to play aggressive but do not have a good hand, and they love to play most of the hands have been good or bad, that It happens when you have too many chips and you think you are better than everyone but in the end you are the first to go.

 

[abpoker]

Haha. I feel your pain! That's so funny that you posted this, because I have done that before and have felt the same way. I've done it such that as soon as I bet, and someone is still thinking about calling and/or I get called, even before the flop, I'm thinking, oh crap. Why did I just do that? I actually have a decent stack now. What the heck am I doing? Haha

 

[Riccoboni]

Have you folks ever been short stack for so long that when you finally got a good stack you still bet like you were short?

I ask this because I made the mistake of going all in with AJ, like a moron, and got called by 2 people. I had one of them beat, even after the river, but the other fellow had a pair of Ks. I was kicking myself. I had been short stacked for about 45 minutes. I made the money and made a few moves that got me deeper. I was 80 something out of 1,369. Man, I felt like a moron when I did that too.

Above 75 bigs the strategy is different. After all, you already have the arsenal for doble flat, bet and fold. Above that it is not advisable to push the chips with cards below group 2. Think about the tournament, think about the meta game.

 

[619Leafs]

Happen a few times. Double up once then try again only to lose out.

 

[63burner]

mental changes as the stack grows..

Once you have a larger stack, by being TAG, you have to play more aggressive. Otherwise, what is the point? To survive, by folding, just so you can be blinded out, because you were risk-averse?
Risk-averse is no fun, unless you win. Loosening up, might not be as profitable, but the losses aren't as devastating, it's just a part of the loose player's game.

 

[myquickwit]

Study push fold charts and when you are not short stacked enough to push or fold then just play your regular game. If you study the charts enough it will become habit and you won't shove like you did with AJ when you didn't have to. Good luck.