Shorthanded? & What about position?

[Luhroy]

PART A
I played in a 3-6 game last night and during the latter half of my session the table fluxuated between 8-5 players. I couldn't recall reading anything about semi-shorthanded (8-5 players) stategy. Among Sklansky & Malmuth's Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players (HPAP), Miller, Sklanksy and Malmuth's Small Stakes Hold 'em (SSH) and Jennifer Harman's Limiit Hold 'Em section in Super System 2 (LSS2) I thought I'd find some helpful advice.

I didn't.

So, my QUESTION is: Is the advice in HPAP and/or LSS2 applicable to strategies of SSH, and if they are applicable should any adjustments be made--if so, what are they?

PART B
(1) According to Miller, Sklanksy and Malmuth's Small Stakes Hold 'em shorthanded means "four or fewer" (p. 355).

(2) According to Jennifer Harman's Limiit Hold 'Em section in Super System 2 (LSS2), sub-section "Short Handed Play" (pp. 275-280), "A game played five-handed or less is generally considered shorthanded" (p. 275).

(3) Yet in her introduction to LSS2 Harman seems to contradict herself by saying, "Games with three to six players are called SHORTHANDED" (p. 209).

My QUESTION is: Why the discrepancies between (1) & (2)/(3) and (2) and (3)?


PART C
QUESTION (Series) 1: In small stakes hold 'em games is one off the button late postion or middle position seven handed? What about six handed? How about eight handed?

QUESTION (Series) 2: In small stakes hold 'em games how should postitional demarcations change in a range of heads-up to eight handed? E.g., is there a middle position four handed? Is there an early postion four handed? Five handed, is early position still the first three seats to the left of the blinds (cf. Miller, Sklanksy and Malmuth's Small Stakes Hold 'em , pp. 80-83.) or could we get away with calling early position in this case the first two seats to the left of the blinds? Etc....?

[badmeaningbad]

tl; tc; dr

[Luhroy]

huh?

[Ineedaride2]

I'm pretty sure anything smaller than a full ring game could be considered short-handed. Typically, we define it as anything 6-handed or less.

As to adjustments, the quickest way to adjust to shorter play is to pretend that the applicable number of players have already folded to you. If it's 7 handed, UTG, UTG+1 have folded.

If it's 4 handed, it's folded all the way around to the CO before anybody plays a hand.

This is very simplistic, as short-handed games usually play differently by nature, but at least this will give you some idea of starting hand choices, etc.

[badmeaningbad]

I have just made the switch to SH recently so I am FAR FAR from being the most qualified person to answer this.

I have read through both SS's Limit Hold'em sections and have generally found HPFAF and SSH to be much better reads for the limits you are playing.

In general I consider 6< to be shorthanded. But as a general rule, whether there be 8 or 4 players at the table, I try to think of it as a full table with the missing # of players having folded. So if at a 6 handed UTG player open limps, I would consider that very close to a MP player open limping at a full table.

I have found live 3/6 or 6/12 games that have reached 5 handed or so to be excellent, because many players who play primarily live don't get the opportunity to play shorthanded and they don't adjust properly.

And in general you do need to adjust your "preflop demarcations"... in this forum at a six handed table the players are generally referred to as
UTG
Mp
CO
BT
SB
BB

This does not mean that you use HPFAP's full handed starting requirements for UTG at a 6max table. Rather you should be much closer to Midde positions starting requirements, as you are 3 off the button instead of 7 off the button.

Anyway, hoped this helps. Many other posters on here would probably be able to answer your questions a little better.

[kross]

too long; too (confusing|complicated|complex); didn't read

Please, read the FAQ at the top of this forum, along with the essential reading linked from there. Then, if you still have questions, fire away!

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=0#Post8857864

Also, your question regarding what is considered shorthanded? It depends who you ask. If you ask someone who plays nothing but shorthanded, a table with 6-7 players feels crowded. Then there are the nits at the casino who start bitching when a seat is left open for more than 10 seconds, and will get up to leave because they don't want to play "shorthanded". LOL

[Quebecker]

shorthanded can mean whatever you want. For myself, shorthanded is 6 player and less. I usually play my short-handed on game network where I play in 5handed match. But 6 handed is also a shorthanded game IMO