[JLaw]

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I seriously fail to see how this is bad for the game, that logic is total BS. Why do you think so many live games cap the Buyins so low? Because it is actually good for the game.

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There's a big difference between 20BB and 40-50BB. And in a live game even with a 50BB cap the stacks will get deeper because players don't just hit and run, move to another table and buy back in for 20BB.

FWIW I don't think short stackers are unethical. I just don't like them and do believe it's bad for the game. It's not just ratholers, but tight mediocre players who never seem to increase their stacks and therefore continue to tighten up the game as they struggle to double up. At microNL I run into a lot of these guys who are 6+ tabling. They sit around breaking even and making the games suck.

You're supposed to give action to get action, but 20BB shorties playing proper strategy only give action by moving in preflop with a narrow range, taking the fun out of the game for the fishy LAGs and loose passives.

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And I think your last sentence may be why you don't like a short-stacker -- "taking the fun out of the game for the fishy LAGs and loose passives". While I'll acknowledge playing is fun; I'm more concerned with making money, particularly when short-stacking. While it seems like you're more motivated by the "fun" aspect.

Even so, I still disagree with your statement that it makes the game suck.

In general, I typically see 0-2 players per table that are observant enough to play correctly against a short stack opponent. They certainly tighten up when I'm in a pot, and I'm certainly more careful when they call my pre-flop raise.

However, that's often counterbalanced by those who have the mentality of "you only had XXX dollars, so why not play" where XXX is usually between 10 and 50 big-blinds. Getting no respect due to the size of your stack is about as good as it gets for a shortie.

When I made notes for short-stack play, those are the things I'm looking at -- what adjustments (if any) does the player make against a shortie. I'll avoid the former and feast on the latter.

Jeff

ps. I won't ask what you think of a 10BB min-buyin :-) They're out there, and they're good for a shortie too since you make money on the loose pre-flop call and the absurdly weak flop folds. How many 10-15BB pots I've taken down with a 3-5BB all-in "air" bet is just insane. I've only seen a few players adjust properly to a micro/tiny stack in a cash game.