Many of you might think that this is a useless COTW as we play mostly full-ring. Especially, with the advent of Rush, we play less and less shorthanded. So why bother?
Well, have you ever run at ~900 BB/100 hands over 50 hands in a full ring games? Can you consistently make 40-45 BB/100 at 50NL over a few thousand hands? If you can, stop reading. If you can’t, I hope this COTW could be a good start……. There is no magic key though.
I will describe briefly the situations when short-handed play can be profitable, types of players, pre-flop and post-flop play. After reading this COTW, you will have a simple framework for thinking about shorthanded situations. I hope the discussion will build on this framework (which is smt that works for me, but by no means a perfect way to play) and will help me and the rest of the community to improve out play.
Profitable shorthanded play
I started working on my short-handed play after reading an excellent COTW on table selection. Somehow only in the end it said that the best thing was not to select tables, but to start your own. Quite surprised that such a long COTW boiled down to one simple conclusion, I forgot all the rest….. and lost about half of my bankroll more or less within 1 weekend. All during shorthanded play. It turns out that it can be very profitable if you have the skill, and quite the opposite if you do not.
Profitability shorthanded comes from winning 1 full stack before the table fills up, i.e. during the first 10 hands. Always keep this goal in mind. And once you play 1 big pot, the table fills up immediately and it is harder to profit.
3 pre-conditions for profitable short-handed play:
• You have started the table- do not join the tables that were already started by smb else. The chances are those guys have rather more than less HU/shorthanded skills. Your goal is to feed off all the fish that is joining the new tables, not to be that fish
• You can deal with tilt- shorthanded play is very volatile. Smb could win your entire stack by flopping 2 pair with 39o againt your AA. If you tilt, spewing shorthaned goes much faster than at full-ring
• There is no HU/shorthanded specialist at your table- you will identify these guys really fast by seeing them all the time and losing a stack or 2 to them. Do not fight that guy, be that guy instead. Remember 1 thing out of this COTW: if you like winning and dislike losing, change tables if you see a guy like that. Keep playing only if you meet all 4 of the following criteria:
o
Your parents are from Romania
o You were born and raised in Canada
o As a kid, you were too small to play ice hockey so you played poker
o Your fist name starts with ‘D’ and ends with ‘L’
All other shorthanded situations are not worth spending your time on.
Types of players and strategies
Any player is a fish, especially, your humble servant. Typically, the question is who is bigger fish at the table. The key to profits, is to identify based on 1 or 2 hands (and sometimes incorrectly) what type of fish you have in front of you. The stats do not help as most profitable fish never lives long enough for you to accumulate stats on them. Also, shorthanded stats are hard to interpret.
So you really need to observe the players and categorize them. I, personally, find it hard to concentrate on more than 1 HU table at a time. Sometimes 2 multiplayer tables, but that’s really it (I can play chess on 2 boards without looking at them, but not 2 HU tables….).
There are 3 types of fish:
- Aggrodonk- this guy wants to overwhelm you with aggression. You rarely meet them at full-ring games. They are abundant when you start tables. Most of your profits will come from them
- Calling stations – you know….
- Cissee - not sure about the spelling, but these guys always think you have the nuts.
You should slowplay the agro, value bet the station and bluff the cissee. Period. I could actually stop the COTW here. Just think systematically who you are playing against and you will make a fortune.
Sometimes you run into good players. They come in three types:
- Aggrodonk
- Calling Station
- Cissee☺
The thing is, we all have weaknesses. With good players they are less pronounced. When seeing a good player, (somebody who can think and adjust) you need to understand how he perceives you and whether he wants to slowplay you like a calling station, value bet like a cissee or bluff like an aggrodonk. Then you need to adjust accordingly.
Playing Pre-flop
HU IP depending on the player, I will play
- Against an aggrodonk- top 70-75% of hands
- Against a station: 85-90% of hands
- Against a cissee- I will literally raise ATC including 72o
HU OOP I will play less hands, on average - ~75% of hands and adjust according to the type of player I am facing just like IP.
I guess there is no specific rule as to the % of hands to be played, just try to adjust your entire range so that you play more hands IP than OOP, less against aggro, average against station and more against cissees.
Multiplayer
Same logic again it is just the % of hands gets smaller but I try to make same adjustments to position and type of fish as HU. The rule of thumb I have developed for myself is that to arrive to the approximate % of hands you want to play at a short table, you need to
- estimate your conventional VPIP/PFR at the full ring table
- adjust to the number of players at the table, i.e. divide by the number of players at the table and multiply by 9
So if at full ring you play 18/12, with 3 people at the table you should play 54/36. This is an average number that gives me an easy way to think about my range. It needs to be adjusted for position and type of fish at the table
Raising pre vs. limping
I am in the ‘always raise’ camp. Hate giving free cards to the BB. However, I can see a logic of limping against aggro players. Another exception that I make, is in limped multiway pots when I have the BTN and hold strong SC, suited 1gappers or 2gappers.
Calling a raise pre
I have another rule of thumb for figuring out my calling range: take the villain’s raising range pre (say 50% of hands) and divide it by 2. It is essentially a practical application of the gap principle. It is all very fluid and situational though.
3betting and reacting to 3bets
Could be a leak of mine, but depending on the type of player:
- Against an aggrodonk
o
For value: I will not 3bet my best hands. Rather, I will 3bet hands that are favorites pre, but tough to play post flop. Medium and some small pairs are a good example. I do not mind stacking off and sometimes losing pre.
o As bluff: If the villain raisies a lot, I will 3bet as bluff. I choose top of my folding range to do that
- Against a calling station:,
o straightforwardly I will 3bet top of my range for value only. Never as a bluff. Consider isolating calling stations with strong hands in multifplayer games. My range for this is 88+, AQs+, AK
- Against a cissee: only as a bluff, the top of my folding range. Never for value
Reacting to 3bets:
- Against aggrodonks: mostly fold, call with premium hands, 4bet as bluff ~1/4 hands
- Against a station: 4bet premium hands, fold all the rest
- Against a cissee: fold, except if you hold the top of the premium range
Playing post flop
This is where you advantage should lie and most of your profits come from. I break it down by type of hand you hold OTF
Top pair (just top pair)
- Against aggrodonks: chec-call 3 streets. Some exceptions if the flop has far too many draws, than you need to decide whether you are fine to stack OTF or OTT.
- Against a station: value-bet 3 streets
- Against a cissee: some variation of betting and checking. The idea is to keep the pot small with, for example, check, bet, bet or bet, check, bet. You want to keep the pot small
If you get raised by a station or a cissee, you need to decide whether you are happy calling 1 bet or through your hand away. Pay attention whether they can play back with a draw. TP is a very strong hand shorthanded, so you might decide to stack off if raising or c/r the draws is part of their range.
Other pairs
- Against aggrodonks: I close my eyes and call them down with the second pair
- Against a station: bet flop, check turn, read his soul on the river
- Against a cissee: the same as top pair. I might bet 2 streets with the 3rd pair if I read the villain for having a 2nd pair or a draw
OOP against a station or a cissee, consider donk betting. It is the cheapest and most profitable way to defend your hand. Also, OOP calling a cbet OTF and leading turn can be a powerful move.
Draws
- Against aggrodonks: I play very aggressively. Raise IP, c/r OOP. Aggro players are able to lay their hands down. With the FE, playing draws aggressively is very profitable
- Against a station: go very slow. Take all free card you can. Aggressive play is not profitable without FE
- Against a cissee: play aggressively. Check if you have the right odds if you get reraised and intend to stack off
Nothing
- Against aggrodonks:
o
As default, through it away.
o IP consider floating, but do not overdo it
o Rebluffing can work, but I found it overly expensive with aggro players in the long run. I can consider it against an aggro shortstacker. Still like to have some out against a pair, like overcards, before I do it.
- Against a station: check it down or through it away unless you improve OTT or OTR
- Against a cissee: bluff unless the board has many draws:
o
Cbet by default. IP consider reraising donk bets that are about half pot or less
o Consider donk betting OOP
o Stab paired boards and monotone board (never 2-barrel). Make you bet size realistic
o Consider 2-barreling if you read opponent for a 2nd pair.
o 3-barrelling can be powerful if the draw is part of his range. I found half pot bet OTR super profitable in these spots.
o If you are representing a flush, bluff several streets. Make sure that your bet sizing is such that your last bet is about pot size, and involves the entire stack.
o Bluff river with 1 to a flush or a straight if you believe the opponent might not have the necessary card. Make your bet size threatening
Hand examples. All these hands have been played 2 days before writing the COTW. During the course of this time, I have played ~2000 hands exclusively for the sake of writing this COTW. My win rate ended up at ~40 BB/100 hands
#1 Calling down an aggrodonk
The villain was overly aggro. So I figured I needed to take a stand. Here I had position, plus my hand is somewhat connected. Then with the second pair and no big cards, I figured I could be ahead. Then I closed my eyes and called him down.
Full Tilt Poker $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 3 players
2+2 Hand Converter
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SB: $14.60
Hero (BB): $25.00
BTN: $25.65
Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BB with 6
8
1 fold,
SB raises to $1.50, Hero calls $1.25
Flop: ($3.00) 6
9
3
(2 players)
SB bets $2, Hero calls $2
Turn: ($7.00)
(2 players)
SB bets $2.75, Hero calls $2.75
River: ($12.50)
(2 players)
SB bets $8.35 all in, Hero calls $8.35
#2 Value betting a station
Although my first instinct was to slowplay a top set HU, I am up against a station…. he could catch a flush...So I play ABC
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BB: $13.01
Hero (BTN): $26.74
SB: $17.82
Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BTN with K
K
Hero raises to $0.75,
1 fold, BB calls $0.50
Flop: ($1.60) K
T
4
(2 players)
BB bets $1.60,
Hero raises to $4.50,
BB raises to $12.26 all in, Hero calls $7.76
Turn: ($26.12) 8
(2 players - 1 is all in)
River: ($26.12) J
(2 players - 1 is all in)
#3 Bluffing a cissee
I raise ATC. I read that small donk bet as a weak pair or more likely a draw. 2-barrel to move the villain off the hand
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BB: $17.70
Hero (BTN/SB): $49.30
Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BTN/SB with 9
5
Hero raises to $0.75, BB calls $0.50
Flop: ($1.50) J
6
4
(2 players)
BB bets $0.25,
Hero raises to $1.25, BB calls $1
Turn: ($4.00) 7
(2 players)
BB checks,
Hero bets $3, BB folds
#4 Isolating a station with a middle pair
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SB: $35.54
BB: $17.50
UTG: $12.10
MP: $9.00
CO: $23.55
Hero (BTN): $25.00
MP posts a big blind ($0.25)
Pre Flop: ($0.60) Hero is BTN with 8
8
UTG raises to $1.25,
2 folds,
Hero raises to $4.35,
2 folds, UTG calls $3.10
Flop: ($9.30) K
9
K
(2 players)
UTG bets $1.25,
Hero raises to $20.65 all in, UTG calls $6.50 all in
Turn: ($24.80) 6
(2 players - 2 are all in)
River: ($24.80) 6
(2 players - 2 are all in)
#5 Trying to stack off pre with a low PP against an aggro donk
I 3bet with 6s as the villain was super aggro. Expected a shove though. I would have stacked off without a set on any flop except A-high or smt like QJTs. Note a small weak looking bet OTF to provoke a bluff
Full Tilt Poker $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 5 players
2+2 Hand Converter
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CO: $25.00
BTN: $28.73
Hero (SB): $25.00
BB: $25.00
UTG: $6.43
CO posts a big blind ($0.25)
Pre Flop: ($0.60) Hero is SB with 6
6
1 fold, CO checks,
BTN raises to $2.16,
Hero raises to $6.98,
2 folds, BTN calls $4.82
Flop: ($14.46) 2
4
6
(2 players)
Hero bets $6,
BTN raises to $21.75 all in, Hero calls $12.02 all in
Turn: ($50.50) 7
(2 players - 2 are all in)
River: ($50.50) J
(2 players - 2 are all in)
Full Tilt Poker $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 5 players
2+2 Hand Converter
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CO: $25.00
BTN: $28.73
Hero (SB): $25.00
BB: $25.00
UTG: $6.43
CO posts a big blind ($0.25)
Pre Flop: ($0.60) Hero is SB with 6
6
1 fold, CO checks,
BTN raises to $2.16,
Hero raises to $6.98,
2 folds, BTN calls $4.82
Flop: ($14.46) 2
4
6
(2 players)
Hero bets $6,
BTN raises to $21.75 all in, Hero calls $12.02 all in
Turn: ($50.50) 7
(2 players - 2 are all in)
River: ($50.50) J
(2 players - 2 are all in)
Cliff notes:
- SH play can be very profitable if you start your own tables and avoid skilled players
- Categorize the fish you are playing into aggrodonks, stations and cissees
- The rest is common sense
Two Plus Two
). So it should be very similar. However, I would assume the 6max people are stronger at playing shorthanded so there should be less fish if you start a table
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