Copyright 2005 Full
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October 31, 2005
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Poker Lesson: Taking on a Short-Handed
No-Limit Game
Author: John D'Agostino
Let's face it; nobody takes up poker
because they love the idea of sitting idly at a table while folding
for hours on end. But, in a full ring game with eight or nine
other players holding cards, it's proper to spend most of your
time folding because there's too great a chance that one of your
opponents holds a powerful hand.
But, in short-handed play when only three or four
people have cards, you're forced to open up. With the blinds coming
around so frequently, you need to be playing and winning a number
of pots just to stay even. And, with only a couple of opponents,
you can be less concerned about running into a big starting hand.
On most deals, everyone's holding trash.
Here's some advice for altering your strategy
for short-handed no-limit cash games. Keep in mind that all the
advice here is geared toward short-handed play while players have
deep stacks. The advice given here won't work especially well
in a tournament, or against players who come in with less than
100 times the big blind.
My love of short-handed play is one of the reasons
I play online so much. It's rare to find a three- or four-handed
table in a casino, but online, I can find short-handed games any
time I want.
Pre-Flop Strategy
Three- or four-handed games are usually very aggressive,
and I will never limp in. I open-raise or I fold. In a typical
short-handed game, I'm raising one in every three or four hands
when I'm not in the blinds. I recommend raising with every hand
you'd raise with in a full ring game (big pair, AK, AQ). In addition,
I raise with any pocket pair, including twos and threes. I'll
also raise with suited-connectors, such as 4s-5s.
What might be something of a surprise is that I'm
extremely wary of hands that seem to hold some promise. Hands
like A-J, A-T and K-J, are hands that most know to treat cautiously
in a full ring game, but I will often fold these in a short-handed
game as well. Why? Well, these are hands that are likely to get
me in a lot of trouble. For example, if I were to raise with K-J,
and the flop came K-T-3, I'm either going to win a small pot,
after betting my top pair and seeing my opponents fold, or I'm
going to lose a much larger pot as my decent hand goes down in
flames against two-pair, a set, or an out-kicked top-pair.
It's also important to note that A-J, A-T are just
about useless against re-raises and must be mucked against most
opponents. With a hand like 4s-5s, however, I can call a re-raise
with hopes of catching a big flop (two-pair, trips) or a big draw,
and then taking my opponents entire stack when I hit. If I miss
a flop with a suited connector or manage to hit only bottom pair,
I can easily fold to a flop bet. But if I call a re-raise with
A-T and then catch top pair on a Ten-high flop, I may get in real
trouble against a bigger pair. Or if I flop an Ace, I could be
out-kicked.
Post-Flop Strategy
If a pre-flop raise from the cutoff or button has
been called by one of the blinds, it's important to make the most
of your positional advantage. Keep in mind that in a short-handed
game, your opponent isn't likely to hold much of a hand and that
even if he held something decent, chances are he missed the flop.
(In hold 'em, unpaired hole cards will fail to make a pair on
the flop about two-thirds of the time.)
So, if I missed the flop completely while holding
something like 6-high, I'll almost always bet the flop. If I get
called or check-raised, I'll happily shut down. But, I pick the
pot up often enough to make the bet in this situation worthwhile.
If, however, I'm holding a decent Ace and miss the
flop, I'll usually check. In a short-handed game, Ace-high can
win at showdown, and taking a free card gives me a chance to hit
my hand on the turn.
I'll also bet most of my draws on the flop. Often,
I'll win the pot with a bet. Even if I'm called, I've got the
added benefit of building a large pot. If I happened to hit my
draw on the turn or the river, there's a good chance I'm going
to take my opponent's stack.
Psychological Strategy
Short-handed play takes some getting used to. The
pace is furious, forcing a lot of tough decisions in very short
periods of time. The swings are far more dramatic than in a full
ring game but, I think that after adjusting to the pace of the
action, most players will come to love the excitement that accompanies
short-handed play.
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