ITH Poker Forum

[chillin411]

http://www.internettexasholdem.com/poke ... ded-games/

"My book, Internet Texas Hold’em, focuses on limit hold’em at a full table of nine or ten players. I learned this game by playing in full ring games, but my real passion is playing in shorthanded games. I don’t play nearly as much online as I once did, but when I do, I play mostly shorthanded. Shorthanded play has more action, more hands, more strategy, more bluffing, and is simply more fun. It also is a lot more profitable."

Post any questions you may have for Matthew, or any comments you may have on the article below.

[OgreMkV]

How would you modify your starting hand chart to fit these situtations?

Just for the heck of it, I played a $1/$2 6 max game a couple of weeks back. I did well, finishing up about 5BB. However, that was the most stressful game I've ever played. Maybe later, I'll get used to it, but wow, the action was fast and furious.

Would your suggestions apply to any short-handed game (like the final 4 in an SnG)?

[vinceaida]

am still amazed that most players simply do not understand basic shorthanded strategy, even at limits such as $50-$100. Let’s cut to the chase; the biggest mistake by players in shorthanded limit games is simply calling a raise against a lone opponent. This is often a mistake in full ring games, but in shorthanded games, it is absolutely essential to either reraise or fold. The one exception is when playing from the big blind.

Why the exception for the BB?

Vinceaida

[torch]

Why the exception for the BB?

Welcome to the site Vince!

The BB is an exception, because you already have one small bet in the pot, so your price to call is halved (you're getting better odds).

[mchilger]

Also for the BB, you are out of position. This is the same from the SB, but a reraise from the SB ensures that you charge the big blind a high price for entering the pot. So I always either reraise or fold from the SB against a lone raiser and while in the big blind I will either call or reraise depending on a variety of factors - strength of my hand, position of raiser, previous action, quality of opponent, etc.

Ogre, starting hand guidelines are very dependant on your opponents, especially the type of opponent in the big blind. Creating guidelines for short-handed is much tougher to do than in a full ring game. But as a start, you can just take out the early position seats from my chart. For example, if you are 4-handed and you are first to act, this is very similar to playing in the cutoff in a full ring game when everyone has folded to you. THis is an over simplification, but it is a place to start with if beginning short-handed play.

Matthew

[OgreMkV]

Thanks, I thought it would be something like that. I couldn't quite decide whether to take out the early or late group.

I guess you could do either one depending on the table too.

[Dire]

Very informative article! Not something I had even considered before.

[KEVBO]

Great article Matthew! Wish you wouldn't have written it though

I have used this strategy for as long as I can remember and everybody always chastized me for playing like this when in fact I always knew it was the correct way to play. I often was considered the maniac fish and would constantly have "know it all" players sit at my table for hours waiting for a big hand to try and "catch" me. Of course I usually abused them and was considered "lucky". This strategy also works well in full ring games if used in the right situations.

Remember your home game for ITH'rs a few months back? Of course I played a little crazy (I protected EVERY blind and raised w/ any 2 UTG ) just b/c it was a $1/$2 game and the atmosphere was fun, but you may remember seeing me use the strategy you discussed quite a bit, especially in the mid to late positions. You may also remember that I occassionally would attempt to blind steal with about any 2 cards (twice that night actually, once w/ QT and once w/ J6). This strategy works in a similar fashion. You: 1) have position and force your opponent to make a hand and 2) keep everybody off balance, especially ABC type players. Once an ABC type player figures out what your doing you already know exactly what adjustments they are going to make, so you just stay one step ahead of them. And of course your good hands ALWAYS get paid off.

I kept trying to tell people that there was a method to the madness, now they know!

- KEVBO -

[MXRider]

All I have to say is that this was probably the most informative article that I have read. I have been playing quite a bit of 6max lately profitably, however, by making this adjustment in my game, wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[darvon]

2. You put the pressure on the original raiser to hit his hand.
Realize that most of the time, the flop misses your hand. If you don’t hold a pair, you’ll hit a pair only about 33 percent of the time on the flop. By reraising, you force your opponent into hitting a hand, rather than you hitting a hand. Let’s look at a simple example:

Your opponent raises and you reraise. The flop comes A-8-4 rainbow. Your opponent checks and you bet. Your opponent missed the flop and folds. You take down the pot quite frequently whenever your opponent misses the flop. Think about all of the hands your opponent might be holding here: K-Q, K-J, K-10, Q-J, Q-10, J-10, 10-9 suited, or any medium or small pair. You will win the pot in most cases.

Now let’s assume you just call the original raise. The pressure is now on you to hit a hand. Your opponent will almost always bet out on the flop and you will be forced to fold most of the time. For the price of one small bet before the flop, you put yourself in the driver’s seat in a pot that has about three big bets in it. This is a small price to pay for a big advantage.

This is NOT the play I see. Caveat: I am playing at the $5 SNG level.

Single raiser if called will CHECK if flop misses them most times, not BET.

Your other points are still germain, but you missassume what majority action is at my level.

[MrSmith]

Matthew, remove this article right now! It is too good to be online.

[DTheater]

with this strategy, are you not going to end up losing a ton of big pots with 2nd best hands?? i imagine it increases your variance even more?

[Wynton]

with this strategy, are you not going to end up losing a ton of big pots with 2nd best hands?? i imagine it increases your variance even more?

This stragegy might increase your variance, but if you're playing the short-handed games correctly, such variance is inevitable.

One key thing is knowing when to back off post-flop. 3-betting might obligate you to continue with the hand until the turn, but there's no rule that you have to keep proceeding at full speed.

[XxMagiciaNxX]

I play a lot of short handed 5/10 NL. I wonder how much this article would apply to the short handed NL game. Usually when I call a raise, it is for the purpose of flopping a big hand, not because I have a big hand. For instance, if I am in position with 4 4, rarely would I even think about re-raising in this situation. I would try to flop a set against as many opponents as possible in order to maximize value. I know this article focused on Limit play, but do you have any insight as far as NL play goes? Would you employ the same strategy in a NL setting?

[mchilger]

Glad everyone has liked this article so much. I love short-handed play and will look into writing some more articles. I also hope to finally do a 2nd edition of ITH which will include a short-handed chapter (maybe late 2006).

Dtheater, I'm not sure this would actually increase your variance. Remember, you'll be playing a lot more pots headsup rather than 3 or 4 handed since the blinds will fold a lot - this will decrease your variance. The difference between calling and reraising might add a little bit more to the pot, but you run the risk of losing either way if you have 2nd best hand. By reraising though, you should be able to steal the pot more often on the flop and turn.

I wouldn't employ this strategy in a NL game. Just one example, you have 77 on the button and face a raise. I don't mind that the blinds enter the pot here since I am hoping to flop a set and win a big pot. Also, by reraising, I put myself at risk that my opponent will reraise me back forcing me to fold a hand that I want to see a flop with.

In NL you should be mixing it up more. You need to reraise with these "borderline" hands sometimes so that your opponents don't always put you on a premium pair, but at the same time I like to see a lot of flops with position in NL. There is a lot more opponent specific strategy in NL compared to a Limit guideline where I recommend either reraising or folding ALL the time.

Matthew