In short handed, the poker strategy favors caution. Depending on the depth of your stack, you will have to adapt your style of play. Faced with an opponent’s stack, you will have to choose the right solution so as not to raise an opponent or exit the poker tournament.
The Right Options
Before you decide to pay a shorthanded stack, you will need to consider the depth of that stack. Indeed, if you are chip leader, you might be tempted to call a small stack, even with an average hand. Big mistake! You need to keep your chip advantage and avoid overtaking an opponent. So don’t give in to the urge to rush a player out. Paying the stack of another player when you are chip leader should therefore only be done with a premium hand.
- If the stacks of the remaining players are fairly equal, you will need to take the initiative in the game by regularly raising in position or with good hands. On the other hand, if you are reraised or a player takes the initiative to push all-in pre-flop, it is better not to get involved.
- In the short stack position, you will be more likely to push all-in than to call an opponent’s all-in. However, if the situation arises, you will again need to make a very narrow hand selection. Even though the chip leader can push all-in to intimidate you, we saw above that he can have a real premium hand.
- Paying an opponent’s stack shorthanded is therefore a decision that deserves careful consideration. The best way to get into the paid places is very often to skip your turn, unless you have a really big pair.
The Bluffs That You Can Go for
Bluffing is a weapon to use in qq online, but it should certainly not be overused. At the start of the tournament, bluffing is a strategy that could cost you dearly. Indeed, the longer you wait for the end of the tournament and especially a lower number of players, the more effective your bluff will be.
At the start of the tournament, bluffing is a rather risky strategy. Indeed, when the table is in full ring mode and you are in the first blind levels, you do not yet know the style of play of your opponents. You are therefore not immune to finding a better bluffer than you or simply a player who will pay you until the river with an average hand, but still stronger than yours. Take the time to get to know your opponents a little one day before trying to attack them with bluff raises.
Conclusion
The start of a poker tournament is often a period of observation, not conducive to big attacks. However, you should not completely deprive yourself of bluffing. This strategy can allow you to learn a little more about your opponents. In addition, the start of the tournament being often calm, your bluffs are more likely to pass than at a time when the blinds are much higher. You can therefore allow yourself a few bluffs, but never by committing your stack or too large sums and above all, keep in mind that bluffing is a strategy that starts from the start. Don’t venture into rip-offs on the river bluffing. You would then expose yourself to great risks.
