Is it ever +ev to buy in short (live)

bankrollkings · #1 03-08-2007, 12:40 AM

I have always been under the impression you should always buyin for the max, without exception. I used to play live at a casino that had nl 5/10 but with 500 max buyin. They recently upped it to 1k, but I had no idea, so bought in short a couple times and my winrate was reasonably similar. So I gotta ask..is there ever a time it is +ev to buyin short? What are the advantages to maxing out your buyin (aside from having most people covered?) Can someone elaborate on this for me please?

gull · #2 03-08-2007, 02:20 AM

Yes, it is +EV.

Yo_Respek · #3 03-08-2007, 02:24 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I have always been under the impression you should always buyin for the max, without exception. I used to play live at a casino that had nl 5/10 but with 500 max buyin. They recently upped it to 1k, but I had no idea, so bought in short a couple times and my winrate was reasonably similar. So I gotta ask..is there ever a time it is +ev to buyin short? What are the advantages to maxing out your buyin (aside from having most people covered?) Can someone elaborate on this for me please?

[/ QUOTE ]

The advantage of buying in short is when you don't know what type of game it is. So at the beginning you may have a certain impression that is incorrect and a short buy in keeps you from making a more expensive mistake. If you are confident and well bankrolled it doesn't really matter what you buy in for.

jtollison78 · #4 03-08-2007, 05:03 AM

I've been buying in short for various reasons at the Rio 2/5 lately, and there's this guy that plays there who will call with almost any 2 preflop if you have $100 or so because, "you can't hurt me." On the flo, he will take cards off liberally. While not a steller player, this guy is otherwise cautious and is not a horrible player. I think buying in short and attempting to double up once or twice might be the best play here.

Other situations where buying in short include in very deep games where players are likely to play over you and it becomes easy for you to stick everything in with hands you couldn't otherwise play.

PhantomGoose · #5 03-08-2007, 05:33 AM

Grab a copy of Getting Started in Hold 'Em by Ed Miller. There are some particular advantages to short-stack play in general.

The method in question revolves around very tight play with an emphasis on preflop hand selection, which is beneficial to a lot of players who are inexperienced post-flop. As jt was getting at, you could wind up in a multiway pot with a strong hand - but be somewhat disregarded by deep players since your stack is relatively small. You might be all-in for $60 while the other two have $300+ stacks.

To a point, you're more of a nuisance, since you'll usually have the best hand. You can't win a big pot but you can't give up one either (so others will have a hard time getting implied odds to draw on you or play 76-type speculative hands). Sometimes they'll have already raised and you'll wind up pricing them in since your stack is so small.

snoop01 · #6 03-08-2007, 10:40 AM

what is a players (ev)? Can someone describe this for me or atleast tell me where I can find a good read on this info on the net? Or purchasing a book?

I just got one of D. Sklansky's books. I just started to read that one.

afadeyi · #7 03-08-2007, 11:09 AM

[ QUOTE ]
what is a players (ev)? Can someone describe this for me or atleast tell me where I can find a good read on this info on the net? Or purchasing a book?

I just got one of D. Sklansky's books. I just started to read that one.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...Number=5988672

cdlarmore · #8 03-08-2007, 12:14 PM

In nl, I like to buy in for max unless the game is just running ridiculous in which I may short buy and try to double through super loose aggressive players.

Lurker. · #9 03-08-2007, 05:23 PM

[ QUOTE ]
In nl, I like to buy in for max unless the game is just running ridiculous in which I may short buy and try to double through super loose aggressive players.

[/ QUOTE ]
why wouldn't you buy in for the most you could maximizing profit in a loose game?

hambone8705 · #10 03-08-2007, 05:24 PM

There are certain situations where a shortstack is more profitable, and of course there are those where it is not. If you are a regular at a certain casino and know most of the people there, Look at who's playing and if someone you know is a good player has 1k in front of him, and some kid you've never seen before has $200, then buy in for $200. If It's reversed and the good player has $200 and the shmuck has 1k, then buy in for the 1k. Or if you are somewhere you have never been before and don't know anybody, then you might want to buy in short so you can only lose a set amount until you get them figured out. I can get more in depth and come up with a bunch of these situations, but I wont, you get the point.