Hi all,

1/3 MGM National Harbor. Had a couple bad sessions and decided to buy in for a short stack. Playing $100. Two limpers and I am dealt KcKd in SB and make it $20 to go. Both call. Pot $63.

Flop: 5c6c9d.

Before I get a chance to act, the first limper bets $75. Hero?

Thanks,
DT

How deep are the limpers? Any reads or tendencies on them? Heads up this is usually a call, but if they are deep with each other, and the guy leading out is a nitty old man, I can fold this.

Dude just get it in. You have like 26 bbs left.

he never has a set or 78, so just shove.

He most likely has TT-QQ.

If you're the SB, how could he act first?

presumably out of turn, and presumably you have the right to check or bet, and his bet still has to be made if you check, so check, and then shove on his forced bet.

His donk is heavily weighted to top pair, TT-QQ are less likely (though not inconceivable) given he limped initially. 56 is possible, but sets/straight less likely.

He bet out of turn and I checked, so his bet was binding. The second limper smooth called and I jammed over the top, figuring the initial bettor for a smaller overpair that he limped in with. Then the initial bettor asked if he could raise (he could not), at which point I was pretty sure I was beat.

Initial bettor was middle aged black guy and caller was middle-aged Asian guy who I'd seen chase a few times and get there.

I think the bet looks pretty strong and think villain could have sets and straights. Flush draw is out there which will get villains to be more aggressive than they would be with no flush draw out there. Weaker or more marginal hands are more likely to check or bet much smaller to “see where they’re at.”

Villain can also have flush draws with an overcard or two (especially an ace).

The pot is much bigger than your stack so just get it in. Villain looks strong to me but you’re strong too and you can lose in this spot often and still have a clear call.

Check, so the limper is committed to his bet and then call.

You're starting with a 33bb stack and flop an OP, you have to GII OTF. Sounds like V acted out of turn, so I'd check so that his bet stands. It's a pretty crappy flop for KK, but again, you started with 33BB and flopped an OP. Not even a decision to be made IMO.

While buying in short when on a downswing can have some merits when you're playing with a limited BR, a hand like this shows how you can encounter higher variance by playing short because you have no real choice but to GII OTF with OPs and TPGK/TPTK types of hands.

It's taken me quite a while to come around to benefits of a shortstacking method, and at tables where there are few morons (especially postflop payoff stations) it is likely a very good method. Sitting with just $100 in a 1/3 NL game is probably a bit too shortstacked and you can likely get the same benefits sitting at $200 (which is what I now do). Obviously if everyone at the table is an idiot then you're likely better off sitting deeper and attempting to cover them (assuming you are a much better player than all the idiots).

One of the benefits of playing shortstacked is that you can very easily setup trivial small SPRs where you can easily commit with TP+ on the flop (or at the very latest by the turn) and can't be bluffed off your hand. So trivial call in this case (noting I would have shoved flop if it was checked to me). If someone outflopped you getting in a hugenormous 20% of their stack preflop, good for them.

GcluelessNLnoobG

There's no decision to be made here at this stack size, sorry they showed up with 66

What better flop were you looking for? Never lay-down KK in this scenario.
Get your chips in the middle and hope that 2nd limper also calls as well.

Trivial spot, if you pay off every time you are outflopped here, you are still printing money.

One of the reasons to play a short stack is so u eliminate tough decisions. This spot is exactly what you want. So shove.