[terrellk11]

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Short buy-in strategy is the optimal approach for playing online, IMHO. The reason is that all online NLHE or PLO games have a MAX buy-in of 100BB, regardless of the blind structure--even a 10/20 blind game has a maximum buy-in of $2000. Take a look at the same game structure, played live at the Bellagio, or any other poker room--the minimum buy-in is something like $800 or $1000, with no max. I typically sit in those games with around $4000, and am prepared to reload if necessary--and I'm usually far from being the smallest stack. Playing these kinds of stack sizes rewards skillful play on all streets.

For me personally, I find that online NL, capped at 100 BB's, has the effect of hampering my play--it is often difficult to structure my bets in such a way that I can maximize value, or put an opponent to the test with that huge uber-bet on the river, since too much of my (or my opponent's) money has gone in on prior rounds.

I have constantly whined at all the online sites, asking for at least some NL games with no-max buy-ins...to no avail. So I too have become a short buy-in, hit and run artist. It's not my preferred style of play, by any means. I'm just responding to the game conditions as they are.

I would be thrilled to find an online site that was willing to spread a NLHE with both a higher minimum buy-in and a "no max buy-in" policy..but it just isn't out there, sadly. The guiding principle appears to be "we need to have a max buy-in to protect the game". I don't agree with this philosophy, although I can understand why it might be in use at lower limits. Once you get to 5/10 and higher though, I see no reason NOT to allow players to buy in for as much as they want to.

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Absolute tables are 200bb max if that helps.