Surviving with a short stack in a tournament

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More often than we like, we all find ourselves short stacked in a tournament. The important thing is not to panic or tilt, but to adjust your strategy in order to survive and eventually get back into contention. The general consensus is that if you are short-stacked, you enter “push/fold” mode, i.e. you don’t have enough chips to play post-flop and need to find a spot to open push all-in, hoping to steal the blinds and/or double up. Below are several important factors to consider when modifying your strategy to short stack play.

Knowing when you are short stacked
I’ve seen a number of definitions of a short stack, ranging from 5-6 times the big blind to 4-5M (where M=amount you’d lose if you sat out for 1 orbit, calculated as BB+SB+sum of antes, or the amount in the pot before first player acts). I will be using the 4-5M definition here, mainly because it accounts for the antes, which hopefully are in effect already if you are short-stacked. It is also important to look ahead a little at the blind schedule, especially in fast structures where the blinds can double from one level to the next. Your 8M “proceed with caution” stack can suddenly become a 4M “push/fold” stack when the blinds increase. So if the level is about to change in the next couple of minutes, you will want to calculate based on the upcoming level instead.

How short are you?
There’s short, and then there’s SHORT! When you first get below 4-5M, you may have a little more time to be selective than say a 1-3M stack. You’re looking for pretty strong hands to push with when in the 4-5M range, but more importantly, you should be thinking about fold equity and position. You want to be the first to open the pot, and look for stronger hands in early position than late position. At this point, you have enough chips to not expect a call, but you still want to push with hands that aren’t easily dominated. I’d rather go with suited connectors than a weak ace, because if I do get called, it will likely be a stronger ace.

Generally, you shouldn’t get down to the 1-3M level unless something goes wrong, but if you do, you are in a pretty desperate situation, and are very likely to be called. You should be looking for a spot very soon to push with a better than average showdown hand and hope to double-up.

Who your opponents are
Pay careful attention to your opponents and adjust your strategy appropriately. If you notice a player that limps and folds to a big raise, then you can push with a wide range of hands expecting a fold. If a loose-aggressive player raises in front of you, you can re-raise all-in with a fairly strong hand and expect to be called with a decent chance to double up.

What stage of the tournament you are in
Pay attention to your situation in relation to the tournament stage. If you get crippled early in the tournament, you will likely be the only short stack at your table and you should be careful not to panic, but instead choose your spots carefully. Try to pick spots against loose opponents and double up to get back into contention. You can steal some blinds from tighter players, but it may not be worth it early in the tournament when the blinds are small. Don’t fall into the trap of going into push/fold mode too early when you still have plenty of chips relative to the blinds. For example, If your pocket aces get cracked at level 1 and you end up with 500 chips, don’t start pushing with blinds of 10/20 – you still have > 16M!

Later in the tournament, you will often be at a table with a few other short stacks and you must adjust accordingly. Pay attention to how others play their short stacks and think about what they will push or call with. For instance, if you have 5M in the BB and a guy with 2M is on the button and open pushes, you can expect him to have a wide range of hands, and should be more willing to call. Also, don’t get into a pot pre-flop with another short stack unless you are prepared to call his potential all-in re-raise. On the bubble, know who is playing aggressive and who is playing to cash and adjust your expectations accordingly.

Special situations that will alter your strategy
Payout structure will also be an important factor in your decisions. The payouts for larger MTTs increase greatly at the final table, and you should be shooting for a top-3 spot. These payouts flatten out more as the fields shrink and cashing becomes more important in the 1 or 2 table SNGs. Then there are satellites where cashing is the only thing. Often in satellites, you can sit back and watch a few donkeys butt heads on the bubble with marginal hands and easily coast into a seat. I’ve folded pocket kings on the bubble in a large satellite in order to ensure that I get my seat and would do the same with aces.

Be aware of your image. If you just got handed a big bad beat and suddenly find yourself somewhat short stacked, the other players will notice this and assume you are on tilt. If you are fortunate enough to pick up a monster in the next couple of hands, you can push with 6-10M and have a chance of a call from someone with a marginally strong hand, expecting that you are pushing with a wide range out of frustration.

Also, adjust your timing based on your image. If you find yourself on an extended run as a short stack where you are repeatedly pushing and stealing blinds but not moving up, be aware of how your play is perceived. For instance, say you have 3M, push with JT and pick up the blinds, then within the next 2 hands, you push with TT and about 4M and pick up the blinds again. You may want to think twice about pushing a 3rd time too soon with anything but a very strong hand because you are more likely to have someone call you down. The reverse also applies, if you get away with open pushing and stealing the blinds with weaker hands a couple times in quick succession and then are fortunate enough to wake up with a monster, feel free to push it expecting a call. Even more so if you just had a weaker hand get called and you got lucky.

“Chip and a chair…”
Learn to not give up when you become short stacked, and be aware of when you are becoming a short stack. Just adjust your strategy and consider the situation without letting frustration lead you to playing on tilt. I’ve had much success making comebacks after becoming short stacked at various points in a tournament. I still see many players not adjust their play and make 3xBB raises when they only have 6 BB left. Watch your opponents, your image, the blinds, the tournament stage/structure and consider all aspects of your situation to optimize your short stack play. I hope these tips will help you write your own huge comeback stories in future tournaments!

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