No Limit Hold’em Short Stack Strategy Guidance, Playing with a 10BB Stack. Part 1
One more problem to tackle in short stack no limit is how to act when facing an open raise. In most cases the raise will be to three-four times the big blind. Once again your only play is to fold or push. The accurate strategy depends on the belligerence of the raiser, but we present some general guidance that will be probably appropriate enough to use them in most situations.
You may add against:
- A raise from the first 4 positions: Push with JJ+, AK
- Raises from the next 2 positions: TT, AQ
- Cutoff raises: 99-88, AJ
- Button raises: 77-66, AT, KQs
- Small blind raises: 55-44, A7, KQ-KJ
But again this is quite compact, and you should open up just a little in case when the raiser is loose/assertive.
At last, sometimes you will receive a free play in the big blind. It is essential to make an attempt to maximize value in this case. With bad hands check and see a flop. Otherwise push all in. The way how you should play the flop is depend on your stack size and the number of adversaries you are facing. But there is a basic strategy which implies betting the pot with top pair or better until you are all in against any number of adversaries.
In situation when you are playing against 2 adversaries you may add middle pair and a flush/open end straight draw using two cards. In situation when you are playing against 1 adversary you may add several bluffs. Wager all the hands listed above, plus haphazard missed hands around 1/3 of the time. In case when called on your bluff, fold the turn. We present the simpliest strategy to play, but it is at least close to right. With such a short stack most gamblers will give you much action, so just a good hand gives you a chance to put the chips in the pot.
We repeat that the 10bb buy in is the most simple form of poker. This instruction will for sure put you 80% of the way to playing ideal10bb stack no limit hold’em. The rest 20% depend on gaining experience and reads on your adversaries. It is only no limit hold’em that can be completely described in such a short instruction like this one.
The disadvantage of this kind of poker is that while you will almost likely be a winner in the rest games, you cannot win in no limit hold’em unless you are up against adversaries that simply make terrible calls against you. But the game has also an advantage: this strategy will work even as you move up in stakes; in fact it may be even more efficient in these assertive games as your adversaries will be putting more money in preflop, which is good for you, as you can often receive your 10 big blinds in against their poor hands.
Short stack no limit hold’em with only 10bb may not demand a lot of skill or be very thrilling, but it’s a great way to increase your finances.