200nl short-stack live cash game

[dnord]

Max buyin is 50BB in this live 1/2 game in dude's garage. So anyway.

Hero (CO): $80
Villain (BTN): $100

Hero is dealt 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
Three limpers, hero limps.
Villain raises to $10, three or four callers, Hero calls.
Pot is ridiculous, like $50.
Flop comes T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
Hero bets $40, Villain calls.
Turn is 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], completing flush.
Hero goes all-in for $30.

My reads here are: this is a homegame I've never played in, but is playing pretty much like NL25 online. Lots of limping, raises are going to 3BB regardless of limper situation or position, etc. Villain hasn't done anything crazy, but there's nobody in the game thinking on level 2.

I'm not too worried about the result, but I'm more interested in how I should play short stack. I'm used to playing full 100BB stacks online. With a full stack, my line would have been pot flop, check the scary turn (and call if I was getting odds to draw to my 10 outs), and only proceed with a FH. With a full stack, I'm obviously happy to punish his hearts draw with bad odds.

With a short stack, I would obviously have to call with my last $30 into a $160 pot, but I wonder if I mismanaged getting there. I like having more options.

[PoppaTMan]

Preflop is fine given the fact that there were so many other callers of the BTN's PFR. Just keep in mind that without good reads, you need to be dumping these small PP (like 22-77) to PFR's if you're expecting to be the only other one in the hand with these stacks.

Flop bet is pretty much standard, if not just a tad too big. But it honestly doesn't matter as long as you don't lay them correct odds to make their draw with one card, since we're putting it in on every turn. Depending on your image, you can also straight up shove this flop and get called by worse hands than you would with a $40 bet. This has worked well as a metagame play for me in the past when playing against a bunch of (bad) regulars.

There is no other option on the turn since you have odds to call a shove anyway, and there are worse hands that he will call with but check behind if checked to.

Nice Hand.

[MisterBrightside]

Your money is going in with a set and only 35BB ($70) in your remaining stack compared to a $50 pot on the flop. Here what's important is maximizing your equity.

The player acting after you is the preflop raiser. The flop is only semi-dangerous and the preflop bettor is reasonably likely to C-bet. Give him the chance.

Hopefully he bets about 50% of the pot or more and if it's your lucky day you get a caller back to you. If so you can check raise now; if they have anything they will be pot stuck and call this just as often as a turn bet.

If the pre flop raiser decides not to C-bet it isn't a catastrophe. After all your stack is only a little bigger than the pot and you can easily rebuy given the smallish 50 BB cap. Yeah the heart or possible straight can come on the turn but more often this might trigger someone holding a pair/draw combo hand or worse to bet. You get the money in then. Even if a draw got there you have ten outs. But most of the time it won't be made yet and you can accumalate chips, something you can't easily do with the capped buyin.

The general principal is that a small stack doesn't need strong and immediate suck out protection with a big but not invulnerable flop. Instead it wants action on big flops; protecting what's left simply isn't that important.

This is the sort of hand you can afford to take a small risk in the hope of doubling or tripling up. This puts you in position to have a big night if weak opponents get some chips.

- Mr. Brightside