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Short Handed Poker
You are probably more likely to find short handed action in no-limit Texas holdem games, but given the number of games that are running on the Internet every minute, short handed limit games are certainly possible. If you’re sitting in a short handed limit Texas holdem game, you may have to make some adjustments from your typical game.What is Short Handed Play? When Will it Occur?
Short handed play simply refers to a poker game that does not have a full table of players. Although a full game is nine or ten players, people don’t generally think of a game with seven or eight players as short handed. In most cases, a short handed game refers to a game with six players or fewer. This can occur for a few reasons: You are at a live casino and not enough players are interested in your particular game to fill the table; a number of players have chosen to sit out of the game even though they have a seat at the table; you are in a tournament and there are less than ten players left, or the seats of eliminated players have not been filled; you play poker online and have specifically chosen a game designed for short handed play.How Does One Handle Short Handed Play in a Limit Holdem Game?
The most important thing to keep in mind about any short handed poker situation is that you have to play more hands. This is in fact why short handed games are so popular. Many players come to the online or live casino to play, not to fold, and quickly tire of folding hand after hand. In a short handed game, it is less likely that there is a premium hand out there against you since fewer players are holding cards. This means your medium-strength and strong hands go up in value. This being the case, you must loosen up your starting requirements in order to be successful.Blinds in Short Handed Play
The other crucial component to short handed limit play is defending blinds. You absolutely must become a blind defender to be successful in short handed limit. In no limit play, one pot can make up for many rounds of lost blinds. In limit play, it cannot. The blinds come around twice as fast as in a full game and they represent a significant percentage of a typical pot.If you routinely surrender your blinds with little resistance, you will be eaten alive in a short handed limit game. You need to get into the habit of occasionally calling and even raising with marginal hands in the blinds. Similarly, you must be a frequent attacker of blinds. In a short handed game if you are in the small blind and it is folded around to you, you should often raise with any two cards, especially if the player on your left is not a solid blind defender. If he calls, you must not give up.
You must continue to press the attack for as long as it seems feasible. Exercise this technique and others on Bodog Poker!