Comfortable Short Stacked?

[Max1]

Having an issue. From my days as a bonus whore, I got very comfortable bringing $50-$60 to the .50/1 table (max stack $100) as opposed to a full stack at the .25/.50 table. A few notes:

Advantages:
1) Much more likely to get someone to lose $50 under those conditions then a full stack on a tighter/cheaper table.
2) It's where I'm comfortable. When I full stack and get my AA broken pre flop or rivered or whatnot (which happens more often than not), I seem to pay more for my mistakes than my wins. I know it's not a good attitude to have when playing poker, but that how I think of it.

Yes, I know the blinds are higher, but I'm willing to take it. Should I stay where I'm at playing there, or should I try taking it down a level?

[Ruy Lopez]

Short stacks can make decisions easier, especially with top pair hands. Since it's easier to commit with a short stack, you're harder to bluff, etc. There is a vocal group of short stack haters here at 2p2. Once you get better, you'll want to play as deep as possible to maximize your value. Over time, getting your AA all-in pre will make you plenty of money so don't use that rationale. If you're a winning player I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe you should drop down and play full stacked for a few thousand hands to get your groove back.

[iRockPoker03]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe you should drop down and play full stacked for a few thousand hands to get your groove back.

[/ QUOTE ]

[fybpm]

I used to play short stacked at cash tables but I realized that if you're in $100 max and you buy in for say, $60, someone that has already doubled up or done more, lets say with a stack of $260, they hit top pair, they're going to try to put you all in and push you around with thinks like draws and you're maybe folding a winner.

Lot harder to use STRATEGY, if you play short stacked, so you must be very content with just waiting for a big hand.

[batair]

If your buying in for half the buy-in your not playing short stacked your playing mid stacked.Playing mid stack is the worst of both worlds. You won't get payed the max amount when you do get good hands and you can't play the correct short stack strategy.

[excession]

I played for 2 years buying in for 50-60BB's and only buying up to full once I got some reads and thought there were some nice fat fish around.

It make little if any difference to your PTBB/100 to be honest (no matter what everyone tells you) - in part this is because people are more willing to stack off to a 60BB guy than a 100BB one and also tend to underestimate you.

It will hurt your deeper stack skills and make you uncomfortable playing 150BB+ deep (as unless you play for long sessions you won't experience it as often)

Personally I think when starting out you should play all sorts of NL cash games on the way up - full ring, 6 max and heads up and with different buy-in strategies - short (20BB) medium (50-60) and full (100) (and deepstack 200BB if you can find it). There are subtleties in all types of NL play and it helps to understand how others play as well as giving you a more rounded NL cash education if you try them all out whilst it's cheap..

[sharpyetblunt]

short stacking when played right can be very profitable as you basically take out all the decision making on later streets, so if you feel uncomfortable with your post flop play shortstacking could be the answer, and play lower limits when you want to improve your postflop play.

[Nsight7]

[ QUOTE ]
If your buying in for half the buy-in your not playing short stacked your playing mid stacked.Playing mid stack is the worst of both worlds. You won't get payed the max amount when you do get good hands and you can't play the correct short stack strategy.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now I don't agree with this at all. Typically mid-stack is sometimes the best to play. First it will still be pretty difficult for you to get outplayed by big stacks, and yet they typically can't just push you around either. Plus, in LP, you can still take advantage of implied odds often enough with your low and med pps and such in heavily limped pots. Et cetera.

Remember, the effective stack is only as big as the small stack in the hand, and often enough playing with a mid-stack, you can much more easily give an opponent the wrong price to play back at you and get paid more handsomely than short-stacking, all that while not making it look out of the ordinary. In particular, it might be ideal for an ABC TAG-ish player sitting in a game full of pro-LAGs.

[EN09]

the 4 step plan

1) drop a level or two

2) buy in full

3) learn to play poker

4) move up in limits

PRESTO!!!!!

EN