Why M is Overrated

[Small Stakes]

Call me old fashion, but I still think the # of Big Blinds in your stack is more important than your M. Why? Because it correlates more closely with your folding equity which is the grandaddy of them all in terms of importance.

- If the blinds are 200-400 50 ante at a 10 person table and your stack is 1800. Your M is under 2, but you still have 4.5x time the blinds and some folding equity. Many people (correctly or not) consider the size of the raise as a primary decision factor. Also, many good players will pass up a positive CEV opportunity if it will kill their fold equity. The fact that the size of the raise is a primary factor to consider demonstrates its importance.

- If your stack is higher, your primary consideration should be where you stand after paying the blinds, # of hands until blinds. If the blinds are going up factor this in. If you can still buy folds there is no need to panic. (Regardless of M)

To push based on M leaves a signifcant amount of information out of the decision. If you only knew M, or # of Big Blinds, without a doubt the person in the latter case would be able more accurately predict how often the BB will fold.

Small Stakes