Short Handed Poker
Shorthanded poker is normally defined as a ring game or tournament table with 6 players only in Texas Hold’em. Unlike full tables with 9 or 10 players, it has several advantages:
· Hands are played faster than in a full table.
· The odds are higher as the outs in the hand are higher, since they are fewer players involved.
· Bluffing or taking your opponents out is considerably easier as they are fewer players.
· The average rake per hour is significantly higher due to the fast moving game.
However, it involves a specific group of skills to be able to succeed at a shorthanded game. It is not only easier to take your opponent out of the game, but the pots are smaller in comparison with mid stakes tables. Due to this what would be a medium pot in full games is considered as a nice pot in short handed; making it more attractive for player to risk their stack.
One of the skills you must be able to dominate is your bankroll management, in a shorthanded game you should bring in at least 20 times the big blind, which differs from the 10 times in the full table. Players will be somehow aggressive and most opponents will play tight, this means the amount you must invest in your starting hand will be higher than just the blinds; therefore, you need more bankroll to start playing.
Another important skill is reading your opponents, their strength and playing style, identify them as very tight or very lose. This will make your game easier when you decide whether to call or not a bet, or raising before they act in a hand. Players with an aggressive tendency will risk more before the flop and it will depend on you to analyze these players and decide if you are willing to invest in the flop and beyond.
In addition, a great tool for your success will be continuation bets, a golden rule on short handed. But don’t waste them. Continuation bets are normally done after the flop. For instance if you are sitting with an Ace Ten and the flop comes down to Ace-Rag-Rag, then you should to a continuation bet to take all those players lurking for a portion of the pot with a mid hand but nothing on the flop. Once again it is important to know the player’s playing style. A tight player calling you with a bet on the scenario above will most likely have another Ace and perhaps a higher kicker, so when the turn comes; try to be careful you don’t invest many chips in a kicker situation.
Finally the best skill and probably the most important one in all poker based games: read the board. Calculate what would be the chances of the board of having a greater hand that will beat yours. If there are 4 spades in the board and you don’t have any of them, you might have a 3 of a kind of aces, a flush will kill you. If the board is loaded with a killer hand, you have 2 choices. Risk it all protecting your hand, or run and minimize your loses even if it means winning less.
Always consider that poker is a game of skill as much as it is of luck, with this we mean this is not a golden handbook for you to use, just a couple of guidelines and tips for you to take in consideration.
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