addl info. Dude that shortstacks in my current locale has a decent sample and he showed me a w/r of just over 25/hr. He generally shortstacks but will spin it up and stick around from time to time

I've ~recently come around to the benefits of shortstacking in my games, mostly because I think my games have evolved to the point where I don't believe I have nearly as much advantage over my opponents postflop as I once did (and may even be at a disadvantage), and yet I believe I do have a massive advantage preflop (as my opponents are simply far too loose and aggressive preflop). So after many hours of beginning every HH response with "buy in for the full 100bbs (if you think you have a postflop advantage over the field)" I now find myself as the one buying in for 66bbs (which is quite shortstacked at a table where 10x raises with multiple callers can be common). Still too early to tell exactly how this is going to end up (started off awesome but then tied my worst ever downswing which I'm still digging out of, so numbers are all over the place so far), but I'm looking forward to 2018 with regards to it.

Ava, aren't you like breakeven or so after like the 5th hour mark or whatever, which I"m guessing is in direct relation to playing short vs deep?

ETA: Since I always play to a pre-determined time, I guess I'm not 100% shorstacking as I don't leave after doubling up / etc. However, I do try to effectively "rathole" by switching to a smaller effectively stacked table if possible.

GnowbuyingwhattheshortstackersaresellingG

Mike

What are rules in your room?
Some allow table changes and can go south with chips.
If so, then the challenge would be interesting to see win rate.
If you have to sit out an hour or two, should those hours be counted in win rate?

If you aren’t talking about true ss then dunno if it’s interesting at all.

You can change tables and buy in for the minimum again at the new table. The only time limit rule is you must wait 1 hour before returning to a table you were at previously.

I've always felt that so many people **** on shortstacking because it is annoying/reduces the winrate of full stacked players, not because its actually bad (although admittedly most shortstackers are also terrible players).

It would be more attractive if rake was lower or if players weren't still making so many postflop mistakes... but I still think that in some situations it can be the most profitable strat. I mean, obviously people opening to 6x+ and cold calling far too wide is a terrible strategy vs shortstackers, but in live games, this will happen constantly.

Yesterday evening I sat at a brand new table. One of the semi regs said to me "That guy on your right loves to bluff. He takes pride in his bluffs." Apparently everyone knows him as he used to be a reg in my room. Someone asked where hes been and hes said "Ive been travelling the world playing poker. Germany...Russia...." He said the highest he played was a $100,000 buy in game. At that point I stopped listening because I knew he was FOS.

So here are a couple hands against him.....He turned out tobe one of the worst players Ive seen in a long time. He played 90% of hands and called 90% of raises after limping.

1) Button straddle. World traveler completes the BB. I raise to $50 UTG with TcTs. Only WT (world traveler) calls.

Flop ($110) Qd4d8s. He check/calls $65.
Turn ($240) Td. X/X
River ($240) Qs. He bets $200. I shove all in for $365. He calls with Jd2d. Nice preflop call Sir.

2) Next orbit. Some guy straddles button again. WT completes BB. I raise to $50 KQ UTG. WT calls HU again.,

Flop ($110) Kd6c6s. He checks. I checks back. Lets see if he really likes to bluff.
Turn ($110) 3h. He bets $70. I call.
River ($250) 3d. He checks. Blah. Im pretty sure he has nothing so there's no reason to bet. Especially since there's some small chance he has a 3. X/X. He had T9 offsuit.

3) I open to $20 UTG AA. It folds around to WT who shoves all in for $110. I call and beat his 66.

4) EP limps. WT limps in MP. I limp Ac7c. We go 5 to the flop

Flop ($25) Qc7c4c. Checks to me. I bet $20. Only WT calls
Turn ($65) 3d. He check/calls $45
River ($155) Tc. He check/folds to my $75 bet and says "Nice river. I had a set. I cant beat you no matter what I have"

5) 3 limps including WT. I raise to $30 J9s OTB. They all fold. That was the only time he folded a limp to my raise in 2 1/2 hours.


I saw him limp/call $30 with K7 so I cant imagine what he folded to me. Of course there were a couple hands where I ISO raised him and the flop sucked so I let him have it without even trying to Cbet. Needless to say I hope this guy is back for good from his world travels.

Definitely a rigged deck imo

If that’s one of the worst players you’ve seen in a long time, I’d suggest a room change.

Yeah I wish there were more guys like this in my room but unfortunately most of the players have some minimal level of competance

I havent had too many interesting hands recently, although my results have been fantastic. Yesterday the whales were out in force. My table was filled with droolers and I saw more whales at other tables. Here are a few hands from yesterday:

1) Button straddle. Hoodie wearing whale opens to $30 SB. It folds to me. I make it $150 with AQs. Hoodie whale has $300 total stack and calls.

Flop ($300) Qh4h2d. He shoves his $150. I call. He has Ah2h and hits the flush.

2) Jamaican whale straddles UTG. I raise to $45 with KK. Whale calls HU with only $135 behind.

Flop ($95) 8c6d4h. He leads $75. I put him all in and he calls with 96. He turns a 9.

3) Jamaican whale straddles UTG. I raise to $40 AJs. He calls HU
Flop ($85) AJK. He has $100 stack left. I shove. He folds.

4) Jamaican whale limps UTG. I raise to $30 AJ. BB and Jamaican whale call

Flop ($60) J74. Whale leads $20. I raise to $80, He calls HU
Turn ($220) K. He leads $75 with $100 behind. I shove. He calls with QJ and I win.

4) Jamaican whale button straddles. I limp AQ UTG. We see a flop 4 ways.

Flop ($45) Ah7h2d. Checked to JW who bets $30. I call HU
Turn ($105) Ac. X/X
River ($105) 2s. I check. He bets $85. I crai. Its about $250 to him. He folds Kh6h face up.

5) Last hand of the session before I break for dinner. My chips are racked up. Button straddle. I limp 88 UTG. We go 3 to the flop.

Flop ($35) 884. Jamaican whale bets $20. I call HU
Turn ($75) 2. He bets $35. I call
River ($145) K. He bets $55 with $80 behind. I shove. He folds claiming he had TT but this guy has been bluffing all damned day and is stuck $2Kish. Im sure he had nothing.

I got up on the high hand board but with 26 mins left and I was starving so I told the floor I was leaving for dinner and I would find out if I won or not when I got back. I hit up Chipotle and got back to find out my hand held up for $400.

New table

I open to $20 QJ and everyone folds. Whale who looks like Mr Magoo says to me "You need to go into the tank before you raise. Nobody knows whats about to happen when you do that. Its scary". I chuckle.

1) A few hands later. I limp UTG. High stakes player raises to $20 in EP and gets 2 calls including Mr Magoo in the SB. I go into the tank. Mr Magoo says "Oh ****! Really?"

I make it $130. It folds back to Mr Magoo who says "$130 to win $60?" He thinks for a bit and then shoves $430. I call and beat his KQs.

2) Solid player limps in EP. Mr Magoo limps in MP. Solid 5/10 player makes it $25 in MP. I call with 55. Both limpers call.

Flop ($105) 9c9h7c. They check to me. I bet $55 and take it down.

3) 4 limps. I raise to $40 OTB AsAc. SB and MP call.

Flop ($125) Ts7s4d. They check. I bet $75. SB calls.
Turn ($200) 3s. Check/check
River ($200) 3d. He bets $250. UGH!! Ive played with this guy a few times. He decent but can be tricky and does bluff more than he probably should. The more I think about this the more I think I should just fold. Id say that when I call a river bet like this over $100 or and Im not sure Im ahead, I lose 80% of the time. I literally flipped a coin on the table and it came up heads which was a call, so I called. He had TT.

4) Very next orbit I get AA OTB again. 3 limps and I make it $35. EP solid guy calls and Mr Magoo calls.

Flop ($115) QQQ. EP leads $55. Mr Magoo calls. I call
Turn ($280) A. Blah. Really bad card for me. They both check to me. I guess I should check back and pick off a river bluff, but I bet $100. EP folds and then Magoo says to me "If I shove are you going to call". He had about $400. I said "There's only one way to find out". He folded.

5) 2 limps. I make it $35 JJ SB. BB and MP limper call.

Flop ($110) KK4. Check around
Turn ($110) 3. I check. BB bets $45. This is the same guy who bet $250 on the river when I had AA. Folds to me and I call.
River ($200) 5. I lead $50. He folds and says "AK huh?" I probably should've checked the river but I didnt want to face another huge bet. I took the easy way out by leading out when I know theres no way in hell he can raise without a K. He might call $50 with TT-99.

I played 7 hours and won $725.

You been playing hard rock? Pretty sure I know the Jamaican guy lol

No. This was at the Isle

My head is still spinning from a hand I just played. I had TT in back to back hands. Here they are. The second one will blow your mind.

1) EP pretty solid guy opens to $30. I call ThTd in LP. The BB calls with $20 behind.

Flop ($90) 5c3c3d. BB shoves in his $20. EP raises to $85. I have $410 left. He covers. I tank for a bit. Based mostly on his preflop raise size, I think there's a good chance he has 88-JJ. His flop raise also leads me to believe those hands are in his range as well as 2 big clubs. I shove my chips in. He calls

Turn 5h
River Jd and I win. He went on to tell me that I was behind so obviously he had 2 big clubs. I pretended I didnt know what he meant when he said I was behind. He said something else about it so I asked him to elaborate. He started giving me a poker lesson as I listened intently. LOL. Actually I was a smidge ahead of him, but I didnt tell him that. I just said "OK"

2) Very next hand. Different EP opens to $25. I call in LP with TcTh. Both blinds call.

Flop ($80) KdTd4d. BB ($2800) leads $75. EP ($475 ish) raises to $225. I went into the tank. Im sitting with $900. I was more worried about how to play it due to the BB than EP. I finally decided to call. The BB folded

Turn ($605) 5s. EP checks. I shove.....get ready for this.....he folds 9d7d face up.

Oh my lord. Show the Tc one time baby!

you overplayed your hand and he made a good/standard fold against gen pop.

You're gonna have to explain this one. Im SMH at you right now. Lets see if you can make me see the light?

Nvm, I read it as you being 900 eff with villain otf, not $475. His check fold is pretty funny.

Whew! I thought you needed your medication adjusted or something.

If he shoves the turn like any sane person would do, I am calling since Im getting almost exactly the correct odds vs a flush and obviously he has other hands on his range besides a flush. I thought he had AdKx.

He basically check/folded $850 of equity away. I still cant figure out why he thought I had to have a higher flush. That's got to be the most weak tight fold Ive seen in quite some time.

Ill be in New Orleans tomorrow. I plan to play at Harrahs for a few hours in the late afternoon-evening.
Ill be in Biloxi Sunday-Tuesday. Ill be at the Beau Rivage playing.

If anyone is around, PM me.

Lol, I'll probably be at New Orleans Harrah's for 4 nights running in early Feb. Just missed you!

GbusinesstripG

Too bad. Id love to meet you.

I read that as "take all my money" which is fine.

I'll probably be playing the smallest NL game they have; will be interesting to compare it to my game back home. Last time I played there in 2010 I was playing 4/8 Limit and bought myself a $5000 hot dog (see BBV forum for my thread on this).

GhasnevermetaboarderG

I think they pretty much only spread 1/3 NL with the rare 2/5 NL game. And if I remember correctly you can buy in to match the biggest stack.

Looking at my database, I have 18 hours with a $1590 profit in that 1/3. $88/hr !!!

I'm moving to a shorterstacked strategy overall, so I'll be the one with like $200 and nitting it up. Lol. Course, probably not a bad method against unknowns in an unknown environment and only a handful of BIs on me that I gotta make last 4 evenings.

Ggoodluck!G

Have fun in NOLA, love that city. Say hi to resident PG&Cer bob_124