I am new to cash and having a hard time making the adjustment from MTT's. Trying to perfect my short stack game, typically buying in for $100 at 1/2 but am losing fairly consistently at -20% ROI after about 20 BI.

One issue I need advice on is pot-committedness in cash. I know it is not the same as in MTT's, but without a better understanding of how this concept translates to cash, I find I often commit chips and then end up folding, which is killing my ROI.

Take the following hand as an example:

Played at the table for about half an hour at this point, haven't played one hand. Get AJo in MP, raise to table standard of $10, everyone folds except SB, who calls. I have $90 left, villain has about $600 and is a 60-ish man who might be aggressive but not much of a read at this point.

Villain checks dark, flop: Ks8s2h, I bet $15 into $22 pot, villain calls. This is just a cbet by me, I do not have a spade.

Turn: Js
Villain bets $20 into $52 pot. I think and end up calling, not putting him on the K and wanting to evaluate on the river if he has the flush.

River: 9c
Villain looks at my stack, which is about $50-55 and puts out a $50 bet. I don't know what to do, as I know he can bluff this much with his stack in order to take down a $95 pot, I also know he can have a flush, a K, or QT. What should I do and is there a better line?

Just to clarify, I am short stacking due to bankroll constraints. Trying to build my bankroll up to eventually buy in to table max of $300. This takes about 5-6k bankroll, I only have 1k, but not horrible if I go bust.

When you are shortstacked, the time to make a commitment plan is generally before the flop. It can be conditional, such as I will commit with top pair but not otherwise, or it might be I am committing right now (I don't think AJo is a good hand for this, btw....) regardless of what comes, or I am committing on a dry board, etc.

In any case, since you describe your bet as a c-bet (and that's fine, btw, not a horrible board for it), it seems like you are uncommitted at this point. If that is true then NEVER put another cent into the pot unless you later decide to commit! When the J comes OTT, you have another decision to make on commitment. If you decide to commit, then all your chips should go in OTT (obviously, this is a bit villain dependent, if you are sure they will bet the rest OTR with their whole range including air, but think they might fold their air to a raise OTT, then wait ofc, but know that one way or another, your whole stack goes in....). If you are not committed, then DO NOT call his turn bet. You do not have enough chips to call the turn and evaluate.

As a shortstack your number 1 rule HAS to be never to commit more than 10% of your stack when not committed. That's right, if you are playing 100, that means your commitment decision comes at 10 bux. There are some exceptions, of course, like a c-bet as a bluff or semibluff, but if you NEVER put more than 10% of your stack in (deep or short) without committing at least conditionally, you will not be making a major mistake. Otherwise you simply end up bleeding too many chips, as you have already found out.

Btw, a 60 year old is probably not 3 betting AK as a general rule, so he could certainly have AK in his range here.

Ya i think your biggest issue is that when u open for 10 and then cbet 15 youve now essentially committed 25% of your stack... U either need to play deeper or play tighter and basically be ready to commit post flop if u want to play short..

In the example hand you should likely be folding pre (def folding flop) and pretty much going with all tp hands u make until you chip up and can revrt to a more deepstack strat.

Vs need to know through your betsizing that you are committed as well which means be very aggressive post with your tp hands and pp...

So your basically folding flop or playing for your stack in a nutshell

I think subconsciously you know this....but I'll say it anyways. You can't play effectively with short stacks. Don't play until you feel you have a sufficient bankroll to buy in for at least 100BB (table max is preferable) and can handle a downswing where you lose a couple of buy-ins. You are just pissing away what little bankroll you have playing short-stacked.

As played #1...fold AJo MP. If you are playing short-stacked, the only hands you should be raising in EP/MP are hands that you can go all in with (premium hands) and hope to double up with. AJo ain't it.

As played #2...OTF bet is OK, draws will call you and TID here w/Ace high is OK as well. OTT calling is the worst thing you can do here with your stack size - the flush draw just got there and I don't see what you are beating other than a bluff. you are either all in (if you soul read that Villain is bluffing) or folding.

Lol why are we randomly thinking he doesn't have a king? And calling to evaluate a flush???

OMC just took a flat/lead line on a scare card, turn is a trivial fold.

This is, of course, not true at all. You may be leaving some value out there by playing shortstacked, and you are certainly going to be playing a higher variance game, but there is no reason why you can't play effectively. It requires a lot of discipline, and no doubt most players would find it hella boring, but if you follow a good shortstack strategy, you can play extremely effectively, especially if you can get in with some deepstacks that are playing exploitably (to you) because they wanna bust each other.

Your trying to maneuver way too much here. When short stacking your looking for hands you can commit with on the flop. The occasional c-bet will take down some pots and keep villains from giving up just because you bet, but this shallow it has to be done with care. Your going to have to fold a lot of marginal hands that might be playable deeper.

AJo is OK but bottom of range hand for that even from MP, because catching one pair is dangerous. Flop c-bet is fine, though you shouldn't do that all the time and you need to consider villain's tendencies. Once that bet get called though, your done with hand unless you spike an ace. Your too shallow to go any further. Short stacked, you should only c-bet this heads up half the time or so, and should favor boards where you have more outs. Multiway, only c-bet if the flop is particular good and nobody else seems interested.

In any case, there is no reason to think villain is bluffing on turn, and even less to think they are bluffing on river. Without a history that says villain likes to bluff scare cards, the turn is a fold in a situation where you may not have any outs at all, even if deeper. Don't let villains showing you one card manipulate you, a lot of villains with AsQs that had you crushed the entire way will show you the As to make you think they where bluffing.