06-10-07, LearnTexasHoldem:

Stack Size and Cash-Game Strategy

Question:

Nowadays most of the literature you read and discussions you hear about No Limit Texas holdem is either about Deep Stack No Limit (Effective stacks of 200+ big blinds) or extreme short stack No Limit (Such as tournament endgame, effective stacks of under 15 big blinds), however if you look at the majority of the lower to middle buy-in NL cash games, you will notice they are populated by stacks of ~50-75 Big blinds.

Top 3 Beginner Rooms

Now in deep stack no limit you can play a wide variety of starting hands because the implied odds are so great. Post flop play is also much more complicated since bluffing is a much more useful tool (due to the amount of money at risk and the superior quality of player who usually plays these games) and drawing hands have such a tremendous upside.

In Extreme short stack No limit, position is extremely important since a hand like ATo may be an allin hand after a few limpers when you are on the button, but an easy fold when you are under the gun (depending on how small your stack actually is). In a game like this, suited connectors are just about worthless because you will never hit your hand enough for them to be profitable. Pocket pairs are valuable not because of their set making capability but because their of their value as a pair. Postflop play in these games consists of all-ins and folding and not much else.

So, with all this in mind, what hands become more or less playable in these medium stack No limit games? I will use a 1/2 game with effective stacks of $100 as my example. In these games I still will call $10 raises heads up with medium and low pocket pairs to try to catch a set. If there are other callers in the hand I may call a slightly higher raise as my implied odds increase the more people that are in the hand. Against a good player I may fold a PP to a raise especially out of position since he may sometimes be able to lay down a hand I have beat. Now suited connectors' value is heavily dependent on the aggressiveness of the game and your position. In early position in an aggressive game you will most likely have to fold these hands since a raise is very likely. However in late position I will limp if I can see a cheap multi-way flop. High card hands like AK are where my stress level goes up in these games. In a deep stack game on a K98 flop, in the face of significant action I would usually fold my AK. In a short stack game I wouldn't dream of folding this hand. However in a medium stack game I find myself right on the fence. People at these tables online come and go so fast that it is hard to get a read on their play especially when I am multi-tabling. So when I raise $10 preflop, get one caller, flop comes K98, I bet about $20 and they push their 90$ stack in, I get irritated. Sometimes I feel like I am too willing to lay down a hand because I seem to fold far more good hands than my opponents.

So my questions are these:

1. What adjustments should I make to my pre-flop raising, limping and raise-calling requirements in these games? Since these games tend to be insanely aggressive postflop especially online, do hands like suited connectors go down in value since you will rarely have the odds to draw? Should I be calling liberally in late position or should it be a no-set-no-bet level of tightness?

2. How should I play marginal hands in these games? In deep stack no limit you don't want to bet your stack on a marginal hand like Top pair. In a short stack game you can't wait to get your chips in the middle with Top pair. But when everyone has medium stacks, how do you adjust?

3. How do you decide if someone is just putting pressure on you because they know you are tight, or if they actually have a hand that beats you? And if they truly are pressuring you, how should you counter it?

4. What are some moves that you should use when you are in position? The books always say "late position is better because you get to see what everyone else does" but this kindergarten definition doesn't tell you how to exploit this advantage.

5. In games where everyone overvalues their hands, is there ever a reason to semi-bluff with your primary draws? Or should you just stick to calling when you have implied odds?

Edward Miller

Answer:

First of all I'd like to thank you for your thoughts on the game. It's obvious that you know a great deal about Texas Hold'em, and I hope my answers will help you fine-tune your game.

1. As you pointed out in your text, hands like suited connectors decrease in value, but I think it is correct to play higher ones - like 98s. You often have the sufficient odds to draw to, say, a flush, at least to the turn. When facing a big turn bet, it's usually best to throw the hand away when the stacks are as small as you described. The general guide line is to play cards with higher ranks the smaller the stacks are.

To answer your no-set-no-bet question: If you are the raiser with a pair, you should almost always keep on betting on the flop against one or two opponents. If you are facing more than two opponents, you have to look at the flop texture and more often check than bet if you don't have an over-pair or a set. Keep in mind that when you call a raise with a small pair pre-flop, you almost always need to flop a set to continue unless you have a good read on your opponent. The odds against flopping a set is 8.5 to 1, and you should always relate that to you and your opponents' stack sizes before making a call.

2. This is a tricky question that has a lot to do with your read on your opponent and the flop texture. Let's look at two examples: You have AK and the flop is Ks 9s 8c. If you bet the flop in the raised pot, and an aggressive player moves in on you, I would say it's often right to call. There are too many drawing hands he could be making this move with. However, if the move is made on a flop like: 3d 6c Ks by an average-aggressive player, I would often choose to fold. Yes, there is a chance he holds 54s or is on a stone cold bluff, but that is something you have to live with.

3. Again, it's very hard to decide, but there are two things you should keep in mind: On the Internet, people tend to have much less information on you, which makes it pretty unlikely that they are making moves based on your previous play. These thoughts often occur when you are in a cold streak and people keep raising you time after time. It's important to keep cool in these situations.

When you feel pretty sure that your opponents are taking advantage of your tightness you must lower your hand standards. You probably have a certain amount of action you can take with top pair/top kicker, but when you feel you are getting run over, you have to adjust and take the same amount of action with second pair. But remember to be sure of your read before you commit a lot of chips.

4. The advantage of late position is rather subtle - but it's very real. If you use an analysis program like Poker Tracker, you will see that you make much more money from the later positions than from the early ones. To name particular moves is hard though. The money comes more from value bets you can make because you got position, and the very fact that you have more information than you do in early position. When I play from late position, however, I re-raise more often with marginal hands to put pressure on the opponents. This can be a tricky play though, and it works better when the stacks are bigger.

5. When playing in such games it's - just as you wrote - best to do more calling and less semi bluffing. There are, however, a couple of times when semi bluffing is correct. When you play against the same players for a long period of time, it's necessary to sometimes raise with your draws to remain unpredictable. Also, if you have a very big draw with 15 outs or more, it's correct to push since you will be even money or better to win the pot, combined with the chance that your opponents decide to fold.

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