Short Stack Strategy
Learning a good short stack strategy in poker is key if you want to have success in many variants of the game, especially when playing in tournaments when the blinds increase all of the time which effectively makes the stacks shorter and shorter.
Under 25bb
The short stack strategy I'm going to teach you is where the effective stacks are 25 big blinds or less for heads up sit and goes. I'm going to show you some basic adjustments you can make even when stacks are this short to adjust to different opponent types.
What kind of opponent are you playing?
It's very important to really be aware of what kind of player type you're up against as your stack is so short that the edges become very thin which means there is not as much room for error. To get a better understanding of how to classify your opponent then check out our heads up poker strategy page where we go into much more detail on the subject.
How to play against Tight Passive players
20-25 BB's From your button:
Min-raise 90% of your range
13-19 BB's From your button:
Mix min-raising with limping, depending on how stable he still is (many tight passive players will get frustrated by your constant aggression towards the end of the game and start to fight back with aggression of their own). Shove low pocket pairs, Shove Ax at 16bb or less.
12 BB's and less from your button
Fold absolute junk
Limp and stab post flop with weak hands if he lets you do between 8-12 bbs
From 10bb and below min raise hands you're happy to call a shove on
Shove hands that play poorly post flop according to the chubukov chart
20-25 BB's From your BB:
Attack limps about 20-25% of the time. This is based on frequency more than hand quality. Fold to 4-bet shoves
Over a min raise:
Calling range from BB: KQ KJ KT QJ QT JT J9 T9s, A2-A8, suited connectors
3-bet range from BB: 99 TT JJ QQ KK AA AK AQ AJ
3-bet shoving range from BB: 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 A9 AT
13-19 From your BB:
Close to 19bb's
call the same range as 20-25 except the lower suited connectors which you now fold
Close to 13bb's
Call KJ KT QJ QT JT J9 T9s
shove A2-A6 (depending on villain's PFR%)
3-bet KQ 99 TT JJ QQ KK AA AK AQ AJ AT A9
3-bet shove 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 KQ A2-A8
Post-flop in position:
If you have raised pre flop, c-bet 50% of the pot unless:
You flop a strong hand on a dry board
The board is wet and you missed it
As blinds get higher lower your c-bet
Firing a second barrel:
Top pair or better
Middle pair and a decent kicker if you are not raised
A scare card comes which you can represent
Post-flop out of position:
Call on middle pair, fold to a second barrel if they bet it and you haven't improved
Raise top pair or trap if it is high enough
If the board is low/dry and your opponent checked behind on the flop, lead the turn
How to play against Loose Passive players
20-25 BB's From your button:
Limp playable hands such as suited connectors 45s+, J8+ or connected cards such as 67+.
Raise your higher pairs and broadway combinations.
Raise your decent A8+ while limping A2-A7
From your BB:
Only raise hands which both play well and are strong: QJ KJ KQ KT A8 A9 AT AJ AQ AK 88 99 TT JJ QQ KK
AA Try a 3x raise or if he is a huge station a 4x+
Over a min raise:
Loose passive players have narrow raising ranges like tight passive players. Therefore for calling raises and
making 3-bets we use the same ranges.
Less than 12 BB's
Shove according to Cubukov
Min-raise hands that play well post flop and that are strong enough to call a shove
Shove strong hands that don't play well post flop
Post-flop in position:
If you have raised pre flop, c-bet 0-100% of the pot depending on board texture
Firing a second barrel: depends on board texture
Do NOT try and represent scare cards
On the turn If you fire a second barrel as a bluff it should be on the river
Play draws semi-aggressively or passively
Post-flop out of position:
Call on middle pair, fold to a second barrel if they bet it and you haven't improved Raise top pair, do not slowplay,
get the chips in the middle Do not try and steal the turn unless you are prepared to fire the river Do not
check-raise them as a bluff
How to play against TAG players
20-25 bb's From your button:
Min-raise 80% of your range. Try limping and stabbing with the other 20%
From your BB:
TAG players shouldn't limp often. If they do occasionally limp try attacking the limp If their PFR % is high 3-bet
them fairly aggressively, including 3-bet bluffs.
Over a min raise:
Calling range from BB: KQ KJ KT QJ QT JT J9 T9s, A2-A7 depending on pfr%, suited connectors
3-bet range from BB: 99 TT JJ QQ KK AA AK AQ AJ + Bluffs
3-bet shoving range from BB: 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 A9 AT (A2-A8 if PFR% is high)
13-19 bb's
No more 3-bet bluffing as you can't afford to 3-bet and fold
Continue to raise aggressively from your button depending on their 3 bet%
Continue to limp depending on their 3-bet %
Less than 12 BB's
Chubukov!
Post-flop:
Treat them the same as TP players but c/r their cbets on dry flops more.
How to play against LAG players
13-25 bb's From your button:
Min-raise less of your range if they have a high 3 bet%)
You can try limping, but if they attack it only limp strong preparing to 4-bet them
Shove low pairs and Ax from 16 bb
12 bb's and less
Cubukov! Limp-trap strong hands
From your BB:
If their raising % is very high then be prepared to shove widely
Post-flop in position:
Can you represent or have you hit?
Post-flop out of position:
Call on middle pair Raise top pair or trap if it is high enough
Don't try and steal on the turn if they checked the flop
Don't try and c/r dry boards
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