Dealing with Shortstacks

Shortstacks are poker players who join no limit poker games and sit with 50 big blinds or less. These players are annoying to play against because post flop play is all but eliminated when they are in the pot. They also like to go all-in frequently, which messes things up for other people who are trying to play against one another.

I’ve had to deal with a lot of short stacks in the past and have learned a few techniques to deal with these players. They usually aren’t the most sophisticated of players so it’s not too difficult to learn how to beat them. It only seems difficult at first because we aren’t used to playing against them.

1. Practice Avoidance

It’s best to just avoid short stacks if it all possible. They offer such a limited potential win that’s it’s just not worth playing against them. If you can find a table full of normally stacked players, go play at that table instead. Short stacks are annoying and offer little upside.

This is the easiest way to deal with shortstacks. Rather than play their game, all you have to do is find a new table full of people who aren’t afraid to buy in with a full stack. These players offer greater potential rewards and will actually play more streets than just the flop.

 2. Call Their Pushes

Many short stacks like to push all-in to small pots if someone else has raised first. Let’s say, for example, that you make a raise with a pair of 9s and a short stack decides to push all in for 25 big blinds. It might be scary to make a 25 BB call with just a pair of nines but you have to remember that this is a short stack. His pushing range is probably much wider than any full stack’s pushing range.

Against loose pushers, you can call with a range of hands such as 99+ and AJ+. In most cases, you’ll be crushing their range. You’ll experience a lot of variance with these calls but you’ll come out ahead in the long run. Against tight short stacks, you should adjust your calling range to something like JJ+ and AQs or higher.

3. Turn the Tables

Remember that any time you face off against a short stack, you both have short stacks, relatively speaking. The excess chips in your stack don’t mean anything because the biggest pot you’ll play is when your opponent gets it all in. That means you have plenty of opportunity to use the shortstacks’ own medicine against them.

Try calling a short stack’s raise and then pushing all-in no matter what comes on the flop. That person will now have to make the same decision you have to make every time he pulls the same move. There’s nothing they can do about it except tighten up and wait for stronger hands.

Don’t be afraid to 3-bet the short stacks preflop. They don’t have any implied odds to call your raises so they’ll have to resort to either pushing or folding. If you prove that you’re willing to call their pushes, they’ll really struggle with this decision. Sometimes it will backfire on you but that’s a part of the game. Short stacked play is always high variance.

4. Keep Your Cool

Short stacked players thrive on other players who get annoyed and make bad decisions. No matter how many stupid moves a short stack pulls, you need to keep your cool. If you express any anger or frustration, it will only encourage that player to continue doing what he’s doing. The worst thing you can do is tilt and donate money to the short stack.