Shorthanded Table Strategy
written by BeatTheFish.com
 ...Fishy
says, "Stay observant and aggressive... Of course fish can talk!"
Short-handed games aren’t something that
I recommend for the beginning poker player, but these are becoming
more popular online. You also might run into this if several players
have recently deserted your cash game. Many tables are set up to
only allow 6 players, and they’re usually full. Personally,
shorthanded games aren’t my favorite to play for one simple reason:
there isn’t as much money at the table. You’ll usually find that the
pots are faster, but smaller. The action is faster, but you won’t
have as many players in the hand with you. This type of play
attracts a lot of players because of the faster action and the
ability to play more hands.
It’s true that you’ll be playing more hands in shorthanded play.
You’ll have to open up your starting hand requirements or else the
blinds will just eat you up. When you do come in, especially in late
position, a raise is usually in order. Even if you only steal the
blinds, at least you create an aggressive table image and you’ll
have enough to cover the blinds next round or play a few extra
hands.
You can also win more pots with worse hands than you would in
a full cash game. You’ll usually only have one or two opponents, are
your top pair with a mediocre kicker will usually be good. For
example, if I call from late position with A-3 suited and the flop
comes A-10-9, you should bet at it. Your opponent will probably
raise if he has you beat, fold if he doesn’t have anything, or put
in a weak call if he caught a pair of 10s or 9s. You can keep
betting at the pot on future betting rounds and try to collect some
extra bets.
Even though you’ll be playing more hands shorthanded, you still need
to watch out for a big hand from our opponent. Just because there
are only 6 of you playing, doesn’t mean that pocket Aces don’t come
around. If you’re betting at a pair of 10s, he might slowplay you
into thinking you have the best hand. Watch out for a raise in
shorthanded games when you have a borderline hand.
Also, while slowplaying a vulnerable hand is rarely correct in a
full cash game, you may consider trying it in a shorthanded game.
Since you’re usually only playing 1 or 2 opponents, you want to make
the most out of your strong hands. If you hit something like 2 pair
or a set on the flop, you may consider checking or only betting a
small amount into your opponent. The intention is to allow your
opponent to catch up to your hand but not exceed it so he’ll be
willing to call your larger bets or even raise you. Of course,
you’re going to welcome that action if you’ve got the top hand. The
same dangers and draws exist, however, in any game, so you’re going
to get burned if you slowplay too often or in the wrong situations.
Shorthanded games are good for fast action and lots of hands when
you’re tired of a full cash game, but don’t expect large pots and
lots of callers very often. They can also be tricky for beginners,
so start off small and work your way up as you gain skill.
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