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| John D'Agostino Learn to play poker Poker Strategy Tips and Lessons Taking on a Short Handed No Limit Game Professional Poker Strategy Advice |
| Pro Poker Tips and Lessons Get the best poker playing advice and strategy from the worlds best poker professionals. Poker Strategy and Poker Tips from the pros. John Dagostino |
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John D'Agostino
Poker Lesson #33
Taking on a Short-Handed No-Limit Game
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.
In Depth Full Tilt Poker Review
Poker Lesson #33
Taking on a Short-Handed No-Limit Game
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.
In Depth Full Tilt Poker Review
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