Poker News

Richard Burke

From past columns, we now have enough insight into the Independent Chip Model to outline correct tactics for playing a short-stack in tournaments. In the next issue of Poker Player, we?ll present counter-measures and other tactics for players with medium and large stacks.

We turn first to a poker truism drawn from centuries of experience playing limit poker: when the blinds/antes are small compared to the limit, play tight; when they are large, play loosely. At the extremes, if there were no blinds or antes at all, then you would enter a pot only with a royal flush: if the required blinds/antes equaled everyone?s entire stack (showdown), then everyone would play no matter what.

Fred asked how that truism applied to no-limit poker. In no-limit poker, your limit is your entire stack, so when the blinds/antes are small compared to your stack, then you should play tight: when the blinds/antes are comparatively large, then you should play loosely. Arbitrarily, we call stacks short when they are smaller than five to ten times the big blind.

With a short stack you want to win the blinds/antes without opposition. You can do that only with a raise large enough to dissuade the blinds and any others from calling. With a stack smaller than about five times the big blind, you?re likely to attract callers. That?s why you can?t just wait for good cards when you?re short-stacked.

If you have a tight-aggressive table image, I told Fred, then your all-in raise with five (or more) times the big blindmight very well convince everyone, even the chip leaders, to fold. Fred asked how he could obtain that image. You would have a tight image if you hadn?t played many hands, because either you?d waited for premium cards or you?d been card-dead for several orbits. You?d have an aggressive image if you?d never limped, always raising when you entered a pot, I explained.

The best situation to steal the blind/antes is when you?re in late position and everyone has folded to you. Then your large bet puts pressure on the blinds, they fold, and you have more chips and several more hands until you become the big blind.

Unfortunately, that ideal situation rarely arises in tournaments. Nearing the money, you?ll have several short-stacks at your table who are also desperate, and one or more of them will push all-in before the action ever gets to you. Because your chances of winning decrease exponentially even with good cards, you must either take a chance with a premium hand, or wait for a better situation.

You may even have to go all-in when you?re first to act after the big blind. All-in, your bad position wouldn?t matter, and if everyone were to fold, then you?d have enough chips for another orbit of the dealer button. If one or more foes were to call, well, that?s why we call it gambling.

You absolutely must give yourself a chance. Raising all-in gives your opponents pause, at least, because you just might have a hand. If you were to wait until the merciless blinds and antes consume your stack, then your opponents would know they faced a random hand, and they?d happily call you with nothing. You might luck out, we?ve all heard about Jack Straus?s phenomenal win with only ?a chip and a chair,? but it?s much more likely you?ll have to pack up your stuff and head for the door.

ICM Part 1

ICM Part 2

ICM Part 3

ICM Part 4

ICM Part 5

ICM Part 6

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