Strategy for a shorthanded shortstacked home game (1 Viewer)

[BHK25]

I normally have a 1/2 home game a couple times a week. While I always buy in for 100bb. most players buy in 40-50bb initially and we normally play 4-7 handed. Any suggestions on overall strategy deviations when dealing with short stacks. Just wait for premium hands and get it in??

 

[DrStrange]

There is a strategy section for threads like this, just to make sure you have a wider range of opinion.

Short stacked games play preflop and on the flop but rarely further.

Speculative hands have little place in your opening < or worse, calling range >. Less true if the table folds post flop - but then you could effectively play any two cards as a bluff. Pretty suited connectors are no good in a short stack environment.

Yes, play premium hands. Noting that "premium" means a rather wide range at a four player table. Basically you should be playing "top pair hands", generally aggressively.

Normally calling aggression preflop is a mistake. If you can't 3-bet, then you should be folding. The SPR is going to be low - top pair rules the roost.

How you proceed post flop depends on the table. There are times where a 100% c-bet strategy can work out. But mostly you can thrive playing to make top pair and checking if you miss. Be sure to press your luck when you flop a big draw. There is a lot to be said for showing down some semi-bluffs to get action when you have top pair.

This can be a high variance environment, but also a high win rate game as well. Be prepared to go bust several times and even so go to war the next time you have a top pair hand.

By the way - it is perfectly rational for a weaker player to buy in short. Better by far to play four $75 buy-in vs a single $300 buy in if you think you might a soft spot.

 

[BHK25]

Great advice! Yeah the game as been soooo good. I've played about twice a week since May and have only had 2 losing sessions. People call down way too light. I figure the best default strategy is to play tighter ranges since they'll call with underpairs or literally nothing.

 

[1A25R]

If they call too light, they also limp and flat often ?

 

[BHK25]

If they call too light, they also limp and flat often ?

Yes about 70% of pots I end up opening or folding due to limps. I 3bet a little lighter because I never expect go get 4bet without qq+ AK. Played last night for about 4 hours. Thought I played solid but ran awful. Got my money in good about every time and the cards didn't fall my way. Lost about $450. (2nd losing session since late May) but man it's frustrating knowing I played well and got sucked out on a lot.

 

[1A25R]

How it works in that case if you try to steal the blinds /limps with a 5x bet preflop?

 

[BHK25]

How it works in that case if you try to steal the blinds /limps with a 5x bet preflop?

Yep my standard open is 8-10. Players aren't very good, I can size bigger with my better holdings and they never realize. I have a few hand histories from last night that I can post to give you an idea of how my night went. I'll post in a few min.

 

[BHK25]

A few significant hands from last night playing 1/1 5 handed (later dropped to 4 handed.)

Hero Qs10s on button with 1 limper. H bets 7 Sb calls Heads up to flop
Flop 10 8 3h rainbow. x Hero bet 12 V calls
Turn 6h x Hero bet 18. V shoves all in for 38 more. Hero calls
Villan shows Ah 7h
River is 2h
Hero down 100 after this hand

Hero Rebuys for 100

Ac5c from BB. LJ bets 7 Hero 3bets to 25 because villain has been pretty tight and expects decent fold equity. V calls
Flop J 7 3 rainbow. Hero c bets 20. villain shoves for 80 more. Hero folds.


Now 4 handed

H 9s9c V1 bets 8 (loose player). SB makes it 21. (also really really loose) I shove all in for 50. Both V's call. V1 KQs. V2 AKo. lose on river to a spade
Hero now down 200 on session

Hero rebuys for 200

H 10Jd. V bets sb calls H calls flop 223 with 2 hearts. V1 checks. Hero bets 12 V2 folds. V1 calls.
Turn 9h xx. River Ah (4 to a flush on board). x Hero bets 14. V calls with Ace 5. (no heart)


Hero UTG with KQoff. bets 8. 3 callers
Flop J93 with 2 diamonds Hero bets 20. call call. Turn 2s. Hero checks V1 bets 45 V2 calls. Hero folds


Hero on button with AQc V bets 8 Hero 3bets to 30. V has 80 behind he shoves Hero calls. V has JJ and it holds


Limped pot. Hero 9s10c. Flop 1010q. He checks I bet 4 V 3bets to 12. Hero calls.
Turn Q. xx. River 9. He lead shoves all in for 75. Hero folds bottom full house

Js9s. Hero bets 8 V min raises to 16. Hero calls. Flop KJ6. V shoves for 40 all in. Hero calls V had AQ and rivers an Ace.
Hero now down 400 on session

Hero rebuys for 200 more

Kh6h from Bb. Limps around Hero makes it 8 (I'm aware I could've just limped this but was stuck so opted to raise) Button calls he's very loose
Flop 457 rainbow. I bet 14. Villain calls. Turn is 6. Hero bets 21. V calls. River 7. Hero checks V bets 35. Hero tank calls. Villain had ace 8 for straight
(This was the only hand that I think I could've played better. I think the bet of 21 on turn was unnecessary and shoulda just been a check fold)


Hero As4s. bets 6 from HJ. CO calls. Hero flops straight and leads for 8. Villain calls. Turn is Jack. Hero bets 12. Villain folds.

Total for session -470.

 

[BGinGA]

I think you're playing too many junk hands out of position, and playing them poorly.

 

[BHK25]

General statements aren’t that helpful lol. On the bright side. Playing now. Currently up 800

 

[Shaggy]

It seems like these villains like to call light and are sticky. You should be value betting your strong hands/flops. You should c-bet less often when you miss. Sounds like the don't pay attention when you raise more with stronger hands... don't c-bet when you miss... they probably won't recognize.

Seems like you have spewed a bit from early position with KQ type hands when you miss the flop.

Jamming pre with 99 after a weak villain raised and another 3-bet... turns out you were ahead because they were likely at the bottom of their range. I would expect to be way behind most times in that situation with 99.

Do you play a lot of tournaments?

 

[BHK25]

I don’t really. My crew is mostly cash guys

 

[Shaggy]

I don’t really. My crew is mostly cash guys

The reason I asked is that some of the play feels like proper tourney strategy depending on stack sizes and impending blind increases... or just fancier play that may be sub optimal for extracting $$ from these opponents... i.e. higher variance.

 

[BHK25]

Gotcha. Played about 6 hours. Bought in 200. Cashed out 1080. Played solid. Big pots With big hands. Limited bluffs because bad players don’t fold.

 

[BHK25]

2 more interesting hands from last night.

Playing 1/2 7handed

KJs on button. Folds around LP raises standard to 10 I call

Flop KQ10 rainbow Villain bets 15. Hero calls
Turn is 9 to complete rainbow. Villain shoves all in for 140. Hero????


2nd hand. Hero AsQc. raises from button to 15. 3 callers
Flop 554 with 2s. V1 bets 11 V2 folds V3 folds. Hero has 80 behind and is effective stack what's the move here?

 

[Shaggy]

Playing 1/2 7handed

KJs on button. Folds around LP raises standard to 10 I call

Flop KQ10 rainbow Villain bets 15. Hero calls
Turn is 9 to complete rainbow. Villain shoves all in for 140. Hero????

Easy call. Could make a case for raising on the flop. Top pair, big draw. You are behind only AJ. Villain will rarely jam like that with the nuts.

2nd hand. Hero AsQc. raises from button to 15. 3 callers
Flop 554 with 2s. V1 bets 11 V2 folds V3 folds. Hero has 80 behind and is effective stack what's the move here?

Easy fold. What do you beat? You can't improve to beat a lone 5. Likely villain has a 5 and is "protecting it from the flush draw."

 

[BHK25]

Yep. First hand I snap called and lost to AJ. Just a cooler

2nd hand was against the worst player at the table and I actually opted to Jam. Reasoning behind this was it was 15 pre and he called so he doesn't really have many 5s or 4s. My thinking was he could have A5s, A4s, 45s, 56s, or 44, 55. but that's it. I jammed which was about 65 more to him. He tanked for about 5min. and called. with 94off LOLLL and it held. Naturally. Hindsight I kind of like a call on the flop and reevaluate the turn. The jam was just based on the player. He's so bad that I woulda known by his actions if he had a 5 there. Definitely didn't think he'd call with 4 with no kicker lol


Not all bad tho. had AA and stacked KQ on a K83 flop. 4 turn. Then got it all in for about 120 and doubled.

 

[Shaggy]

Limited bluffs because bad players don’t fold.

Value bet bad players... don't hope for folds. Next time, make a similar bet with the trips or top pair. He will call you down.

 

[binisha]

Value bet bad players... don't hope for folds. Next time, make a similar bet with the trips or top pair. He will call you down.

If there is anything I've learned at my works friendly game is that value bets when those hands is great