6 replies to this topic

[brando]

I posted this on poker pages as well so some of you may have seen it there.Ok here goes, let me preface this by saying of course this is always dependent on opponents and your place in relation to prize money, but this is just to be taken in general and as situational.Most of the time when players are short stacked and they're not getting many hands they push all in when they get there A8, A9, etc.....only to get called by AK, AQ, pair, etc....happens all the time on tv, real life, and online. So my "theory" is should you maybe push all in with say a J10 or 9 10 suited, some hand of that nature...that way at least most of the time your cards will be live, and those hands have a better chance against the calling hands as compared to AK vs. A 10.Just my thoughts, please give me some feedback, cause I know it does break the rule of getting your chips in with the best hand, but this may get your chips in in the best situation.

[copernicus]

When I'm down to a short stack (5-6 x BB) if the table is tight and I'm likely to steal the blinds then I prefer any suited connectors and higher unsuited connectors over Axo. At a looser table where I might get called by a low pair or A/anything I prefer A/paint or 20's.

[wrto4556]

Your question brings up a certain other theory written by Mike Caro in relation to the game of "paper, rock, scissors." No one of these choices is the over-all winner. rocks>scissors; paper>rocks; scissors>paper.Let's relate this to hand odds.44JTsAKo44>AKo; AKo>JTs; JTs>44In this case, JT would be an underdog against A-bigcard. But small pocket pairs do good. This is why you see so much pushing in with 33 and 22 on ESPN. If you think your opponent is moving in with small pocket pairs, JTs does better. This same concept goes with players as well. The loose/passive against tight/aggressive and so on. But that is a different discussion for a different thread. So, I think your theory is a good idea. But you have to know which hands do better against big cards and which do better against small pocket pairs to apply it correctly.

[foodbanker]

I think you're looking for safety when in the situation of short stacked..there is not much of one. It all depends how shorstacked you are.Plus one thing that I read constantly about in No-Limit and I find very true is that make sure that if you come in, that you are the one raising and not the one calling raises. So basically, since shortstacked..that you are the one going- all in and raising. Just don't be going all in when someone has already limped or raised in front of you. Play only if no one has entered. Be the raiser, not the raiser caller. The object is not so much as hoping your hand holds up or you'll out flop someone...but to steal the blinds. Its much easier to raise than to call a raise. Take advantage of any opportunity to steal the blinds when short stacked. I can concur that maybe its best to have J-10 rather than have A-low when going all in shortstacked. But I think my opinion on this is to have the A-anything. And the reasoning is:well..if you short stacked..they are liable to call you with any two cards suited. Especially the blinds if they have a good stack. So your Ace high maybe the best hand and flopping a Ace is very very strong in HOldem.Just my opinion. Besides, no-limit games is such a situational game. A raising hand one time maybe a muck the next time.

[srblan]

The reason for pushing in with Ax is that you want a hand that can stand a showdown without necessarily improving. Ace high could potentially win if you are up against king high. Jack high could not. If you move in with J-10 and get called with A-J you are in big trouble. If you move in with 9-10 and get called by 99 or 10-10, you are in trouble. The point is that you are going to need to get lucky with any hand that you are up against, so why not give yourself the best shot at winning without improvement? That is the reason that Mike Caro mentions moving in with a small pair instead of connectors: they are most likely to survive without improvement.

[GottaLovePoker]

Moving all in when short stacked. This is one of the most interesting topics in NL hold em. And it is corrrect that it depends a great deal on how short stacked you really are. If im very low stacked and starting to keep an eye on the button because i know when the blinds get to me they are going to hurt me, then i might be going all in wiht something like suited connectors. I feel that suited connectors are better off for CALLILNG an all in if you are a big stack though. If someone has about 1/7 or 1/6 of my stack I could see myself calling a small all in with a 9 10 suited. You hope that you are not going up against a high pocket pair and even if you are, suited conectors are the best things to bust it. AK against 9 10 suited is not much more than a coinflip.

[Smasharoo]

So my "theory" is should you maybe push all in with say a J10 or 9 10 suited, some hand of that nature...that way at least most of the time your cards will be liveYou're still crushed by AQ. You push with a small pair hoping to be up against overcards where you're ussually a small favorite or you push with big cards hoping to be up against a small pair where you're a small underdog.Would it be better to push with 45 if you knew someone had AQ than AJ, sure.It'd be a pretty easy game if you knew what the other guy had though.