Hi all,

I'd like to hear your thoughts on what range you would call a short stack all in preflop?

The scenario I had this weekend was at $1/$2 versus a villain that bought in for $100, playing only a few hands but had his stack reduced after calling a couple of top pair medium kicker hands that he lost.

Villain has $25 and shoves from MP (played about 4 or 5 hands at this stack size before shoving. I realize the $ amount isn't high but I put villains range as 99+, AJ+. I have AJs from CO... Call, fold or raise? There are no other limpers. In my experience villains with these small stacks that are tight players with over $100 tend to have string starting hands in these scenarios but would like to hear your thoughts?

Snap fold. Even ignoring the players behind us, we're crushed by that range.

The general question (what's our calling range against a short stack's shove) depends heavily on the short V's range, as you clearly recognize. No one's going to be able to give you a specific answer. Play around with PokerStove and see how different starting hands do against various ranges.

^ Jay said it, nothing else to say.

Ok thanks... I'll play around with some scenarios in poker stove. For what it's worth villain had 1010

I enjoy gambling with Short Stacks. With the range you ascribed the individual I think folding is absolutely the best play. Personally, I have found many people in that spot to have a much wider range to shove, but that doesnt mean it always holds true.

I will often re-raise in a spot like this in order to isolate the all in player and begin building an image of aggression and craziness. That being said, I may be very bad at the game and have a desire to gamble waaay too often in scenarios I would be much better folding in. Good luck sir!

In my $1-$2 game, I kept notes for months on what hands rolled over when the shove was say $65 or less. The range was much wider than I originally thought. Axss, 66+, AT+, KT+. Based on that, I decided to call those short stack shoves (or isolate if needed) with TT+ and AK. Recently I've opened that up to 99+ and AQ+.

I was amazed how ready players were to ship their last $60 with Ad4d, etc. It's like they see the Ace and that's all she wrote, ship it.

I agree with this in the games I play. I'm perfectly willing to take AJs against a small stack, better if we get another caller or 2 though.

Amazed? This is actually quite believable as many LLSNL also dabble in low buy-in donkaments. In fact, I'll bet tournaments and TV is how most of them got introduced to poker in the first place. Shoving with a suited ace when short stacked is just a bad habit they brought with them.

What amazes me, is how their minds are completely oblivious to the differences between the two types of games. I feel like smacking these guys sometimes and saying "HEY IDIOT, THAT'S REAL MONEY! You can just pick it up and buy a tank of gas" But they just don't have that gear in their mind where they can "surrender" a session in defeat. They either book a a win, or they will fight to the last chip. Never anything in between.

~25bb I call 10-10+ AQ+
~50bb I call QQ+ AK most of the time and sometimes JJ almost never AQ
~100bb depends, if 4bet pots I prob only call AA, if ep raise and calls around KK and QQ is good, 4bet+ spots are hardly ever not AA at 1/2

Of course depends on players, I shoved AK once knowing the villain calls any ace 50bb deep

This sounds about right. It's usually not that hard after a little time to figure out someone's short stack shoving range under certain circumstances. Especially if someone just lost half their stack they're often just looking to double it back quick and just gamble off what they have left before rebuying.

There are a number of villains where I'll call a shove for 25bb with 77+ AQo+, but I'm still hesitant to call there with AJ suited or off. It's more villain specific, if I'm not quite sure I'll just fold it. For some reason it seems to me that people are more likely to shove a last 30 dollars or so with KJ than A6, I honestly think the hand just looks nicer or something, two high cards, so they shove it. Could just be some weird chance, but I see way more KJ/QJ getting shoved preflop than Ax's.

At the Commerce that kind of short stack shove is roughly K8+.

A really wide range.

But we have to isolate it to get the best equity, anyone else who calls a raise intended to isolate is dominating us.

It's more "will it be heads up or not" IMO.