I've been thinking more about a kind of problem that often occurs for me, which is the following:

When entering a 1/2 game with a capped buy-in of 100bb, a normal raise size for the table could easily be in the range of 15-20$, or 7-10bb.

If the game is not extremely loose-passive preflop, and most pots are getting raised, then from the outset I am very limited, most notably by not getting proper odds to call with speculative hands/medium-small pocket pairs, but also by the fact that I could easily find myself pot committed fairly quickly post flop. In short I'm left with little room to maneuver.

Things like floating a c-bet getting heads up to pick up the pot on the turn become difficult if not reckless, as I'll be putting in most of my stack, and if I've lost a pot and am starting with something closer to 75bb, then my bet on the turn is basically a pot-sized shove.

SO,
I'm trying to think of the best way to address this, and am curious what others have done facing similar situations. Too often I find myself feeling like I'm playing a short stack strategy, nitting it up waiting around for the top 6-7% or so of hands, and then just trying to get it in and double up. If this is basically the strategy I'm taking, then I actually think it's usually better to buy in for 75bb, as it makes getting the money in very simple.

But I really don't like having to do this. And it's starting to feel like all my sessions start this way; me basically waiting for a chance to double up, getting a bit of luck, often having to reload if something goes wrong, before eventually I'm playing with 150+bb and things really get going. All of my best sessions basically start with me winning a good sized pot very early on, allowing me to quickly get into the game "on my own terms", more or less.


Better solutions????

Changing tables could obviously be one, but assume that this isn't possible, or the other available tables are playing similarly preflop.

Moving up to 2/5? ...I'm joking. Though I have indeed noticed that, at least where I play, preflop raises at 2/5 tend to be more within the range of 3-5bb, which does actually eliminate the problem I'm facing at 1/2. However, my current bankroll will not allow it.

This feels like such an idiotic, basic thing, but for some reason (probably the result of having a few successive sessions just not starting up well) I'm only just now really feeling limited, and am getting reminded of my first days playing live where I was short stacking with 25bb and just waiting around sometimes for hours for a playable hand.

Anyway, it's something I've been thinking about. Curious what anyone else has to say.

Why is being "pot committed" bad?

You're right that you often don't have odds to call with speculative hands. So don't.

These two points are related, by the way.

Other than finding tables that allow you to buy in for 150BB and most people do it, there isn't much you can do.

It's boring, but if people are opening 10BBs with the range LLSNL players usually have, your adjustment is to attack those opens with a strong range (+ bluffs if you think it necessary). They're making big mistakes, so your strategy should be very profitable.

Well, you're right, it's not necessarily bad, except that it doesn't leave me any room to get out of the hand, so, it is kind of bad. MAYBE it's actually illogical of me, but when I'm thinking of a situation where I'm floating a flop c-bet because I think villain is weak, I am not thinking that my bet on the turn should have to be a shove.
Or, I'm wrong, V doesn't check turn, he shoves turn, I have AQ on a board like K683, getting about 2:1 to call, still can't call, and just decimated myself. Or I 3-bet my AQ pre and end up shoving pretty much any flop.

Basically, it just feels like a lot variance is being brought into my game when I'm calling a raise for 10% of my stack pre flop, or decide I'm better off 3-betting a wideish range.

Maybe it's actually completely irrelevant and I really am not thinking about it logically. But on the other hand when I'm playing relatively deep stacked, I don't have these issues, or at least I only have them when I happen to be in a hand with someone who's playing around 100bb, which is actually pretty rare. More often there are some people with between 25-60bb, some others with 180+, one or two with ~100.

When it's not ME who's playing 100 or less bb it's no problem. I can play with the deeper stacks, and most of the shorter stacks play bad, they're not waiting around for premium hands, and if they are I can just fold. If a pot goes multiway and someone with a shorter stack gets himself committed, that doesn't necessarily mean I am also committed when there are other deeper stacks in play. And the guy probably doesn't even know what pot commitment is in the first place. So if I raise or call a raise with some high cards that whiff it's usually no problem, I can get away from the hand. If I'm playing between 80-100bb then I can only call so many (like, 2 or 3) of these raises before I'm down to 50bb and either have to reload or play really short.

Again, maybe I'm wrong and it makes no actual difference. Basically, what it comes down to, is that facing 8+bb raises with a 100bb stack makes me feel relatively powerless and unable to do much but hope I hit my hand, or that V misses his.

Or maybe I should just not be worrying about it, have no problem calling several raises, giving up if the flop isn't favorable and I don't know villain well enough to know whether a bluff will be +EV (which is often the case early on), and just reload after losing no more than 30bb.

I'm not sure what 1/2 games you are playing where every pot is opened to $15-20. I view 1/2 to be largely a limpfest. If every pot is being opened to $15+ then players are opening pretty wide and 3-bet bluffing could be highly profitable.

Don't float flop cbets (that should be pretty obvious). Also, it's probably best to play more ABC tight when you are playing at a new table until you understand the table dynamics and how certain players play.

It doesn't have to be a shove. You can bet less than your entire stack even if it leaves you a trivial amount left. And if you have absolutely no equity you can then fold to a check/shove or c/f river.

In the first case why can't you call the turn? If it's because villain bluffs flop often but rarely ever bluffs turn then folding there doesn't have much to do with your relative stack size. It'd play out the same if you were deeper.

In the second case, that's not necessarily bad if villain is calling really wide preflop.

Most of the time you both miss. That's what I'd try figuring out. Sometimes c/f'ing every street is correct because villain will just never bluff (and you will actually get to showdown and win with A-high.) But yeah you don't have a lot of room postflop when you're short, that's why tightening up preflop is so important.

Yeah, this makes sense, and it's actually not the boredom that bothers me, it's the feeling like I'm just waiting to get lucky (i.e. get a strong starting hand)

This is especially a problem though in (albeit rather uncommon) situations where there are 2 strong players opening maybe 2 or 3 hands per orbit, but the hands are not getting shown down, so I don't know exactly what their opening range is from any position.

So in this kind of situation, I'm not sure how strong (or weak) a range I can comfortably 3-bet. E.G., active player opens from early position, 1 caller, I have AJo in late position. Or AQ, or AT, or 99. Without actually seeing their hands I tend to end up playing it safe and am basically 3-betting AK, JJ+, some TT/99 or AQ depending on the circumstance.

Maybe this is just what you meant by a strong range. And it should be profitable, though I guess it just involves a good deal of variance, as does short stacking. This is just what I have to deal with at the beginning of my sessions, I guess.

I've been on tables where it opens this high. I feel like your best strategy is to play very tight early. Also will make a c-bet more worthwhile knowing you started with the best of it. But I'll play tight until I build my stack and get a feel for all the players at the table. As for low pocket pairs just try to weigh position/price/number of callers and take a shot if it's worth it. I find that 1/2 tables are either limpfest or high gambling tables like these. (I find that I make more money at the latter)
Forums

You always have the most concise responses with the most essential perspective.

Nothing wrong with that.

You could make a decent guess as to what a player's preflop ranges might be just from seeing how often they call or raise, even if they show nothing down. I'd spend some time playing around with the preflop hand chart in pokerstove or similar software, it's really useful to have some idea what 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% of all hands looks like.

I play in the same games and use the same strategy. Theres not any fun and fancy play but thats optimal strategy. I just wait good hands , raise them hard and till the turn im all in, except there is ultra wet flop. I also limps for cheap when i have oportunity and position. When i get 150bb+,i loosen up a bit, get in some bluffs and 3bet bluffs in play.
Im not thrilled with that play but i think its best.
I just busted out with floped nut straight,all in on safe turn and V rivered FH with set on flop.

You have to really pick good spots. Things like 3b preflop, and stealing blinds can be profitable. If you have a raising hand, you can make it $10 and people will generally fall in line for that hand.

Weird game if you're consistently getting $20 opens in a game with buyin capped at $200. People just bringing 5 bullets and trying to get deeper?

Why not buy in for 65-70bb and look for a spot to 3b light.

EP opens to $20 and there are 3 callers. H 3b AI for $130.

Everyone folds and H now sits with 105bb, and a weak/tight image.

In this game, forget about turn and river, there's no such thing as "float". The hand is over preflop or on the flop. The 10BB standard raises changes the 100BB buyins from a medium stack game to a short stack game.

In a short stack game, you have to gamble and double up. Variance is higher. That's just the way these games play.

I'd play this game very tight and aggressive. Wait for top ~10% of hands. Your range should adjust for how many players are left to act which affects the chance you have the best hand. 3-bet hard. You should win decent dead money preflop by the raiser and his callers folding due to your tight image. If they play back, get it in, time to gamble. Don't call a raise and try to outplay people postflop, 3bet. If you have an AK-AJ/KQ type hand try to see the flop for 1/3 of your stack and shove the flop if you connect, c/f if you don't. No need for fancy play. Don't play connectors or small suited aces, they're garbage. Small and medium pairs are fine for their pair value, not for set mining.

You mention short stack strategy being boring. I understand about how irritating it can be to wait around for a good hand, but perhaps there are more playable hands than you think. Personally, I think short stack play is much less boring because of the high variance and gambly adrenaline rush. Variance is not a bad thing unless you're playing with your whole bankroll, which you shouldn't be. Only -EV is bad and often the highest +EV strategy is also high variance.

100BB buyin is fine vs. the 75BB, just massage your PF3B amount to set up favorable situations.

Games that play shorter narrow the skill gap. Less of your poker tools are available so the novice has a better chance to beat you. This is why you want to find a game that plays as deep as possible if you have a significant skill edge. Sounds like the 2-5 game might be better for you if you feel more comfortable with postflop play. If you're stuck in the 1-2 game for bankroll reasons, then you'll just have to deal with it. Also remember that the rake is a killer in 1-2 as a % of the pot so moving up is not as rash as it might seem.

if there were more games around where someone opened to 10BB and 3 people called on a consistent basis we would have to shift these boards to teaching people how to lose rather than how to win

In all seriousness though, there are some benefits to buying a 60-70BB stack and the ability to shove lighter, while still maintaining fold equity against weak opening ranges is definitely one of them

I have similar problems in my local game, I simply adjust by a playing tighter range and playing ABC on the flop, if I hit well I carry on and look to gii by the turn, if not I likely fold.

The games I play fit this description a decent amount of the time. I buy in for 100bb so I can win the most money possible when I have the best hand. Most of the money I win is when my AK>KQ on Kxx board or something similar. A lot of times the pot gets so big that I shove the turn for 3/4 pot size bet.

Stuff like calling KQo to EP raiser I dont do, calling J9o out of the BB I dont do, raising it up over 5 limpers w A9o I dont do

I don't understand this.
scenario 1: Assume you have $600 in front of you.
V1 [$180] opens for $20. V2 [$200] & V3 [$190] call. You call with AQ.

Flop comes K97

Flop betting requires you to fold, as you stated above.
How is that scenario any different than if you had started with $200? If you had, all you would need to do is top off $20 to your stack to restore yourself.

The only difference would be, that having started with $600, you'd probably still have the winner of the hand covered.

scenario 2: Now say you started with $600, caught something on the flop that allowed you to continue. Now on the turn, a continuation in the hand would require you to basically put your V all-in. This is the exact same situation as you stated in your 1st para., except you'll still have ~$400 in front of you.

If the next largest stack at the table is $300, all $300 of your $600 stack is doing is looking pretty.
It doesn't matter how much you have in front of you if you have your opponents covered.

Stop waiting so long to reload. I buy-in for $300 in my 1/2 game [when the avg stack at the table is $300] and re-load every time I can add on 1/2 $25 chip[s] if the stacks at the table warrant it.
I buy-in for $200, or whatever is appropriate for the table, but I've got $200 in green chips in my pocket. I usually re-load when I'm on the Button.

Every serious grinder that I know [except those NITS on SSI looking to make $100 & go home] are constantly topping off when they're down $50 or more from their buy-in.

When buying in for $200, I'd re-load 1/2 $25 chip[s] on the Button. Then, if you win, what you are going to have to deal with is: You and only 1, maybe 2, other players deep-stacked & you having to manage your way around those two players, as they are the only 2 that can really hurt you.

This, however, is easily solvable if they are quality players that you don't want to have to deal with [or you don't want to find yourself in a position where you're putting all your winnings at risk in one hand]:

Find a table that isn't deep-stacked. You have to sit down at the new table with your $600, but only $200 is in play if that's the next biggest stack. But then you're back to your original problem.