Unusual Short Stack Moves to Make in Poker Tournaments

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When you get short stacked in an online poker tournament, there are several ways you can approach the situation. You can try and rock up to catch a big hand or you can try and make a stand and get lucky.

Today, we will give you some moves you can make when you’re short-stacked that can give you a good chance of getting back into the game.

Shove Against Other Shorter Stacks

A move that will work more times than you’d think is moving all-in with a short stack against another shorter stack or even a medium stack. When you shove against a shorter stack, you are making them play for their entire stack. With medium stacks, you are making them commit enough of their chips to where they will be a short stack if they lose.

This move is much more effective as you approach the bubble as some players will rock up and try and get into the money without a major confrontation. If you get called, you may still have live cards and can double. When players fold, you pick up enough chips to survive another round of blinds.

Get Your Chips in a Multi-Way Pot

If I am really short, I will sometimes gamble by getting my chips in a multi-way pot. While odds are that my hand will be behind, often I will have live cards and can get lucky. One of the best spots I’ve tried this in was a tournament where six people limped in pre-flop. I was short to where my all-in raise was called by all six players. At 6 to 1 pot odds on my money, this was a gamble that could have paid off huge.

That feeling when you ladder a payjump as the short stack #pokergifs #poker #pokerstars #twitch #feelsgood pic.twitter.com/xeCIw6gKQk

— Jaime Staples (@jaimestaples) August 24, 2016

This move works better in multi-way pots against larger stacks. Chances are they will call you to try and get you out of the tournament. While you will lose your share of these, you will also occasionally get lucky and get enough chips to get back into the game.

Gamble With Known Live Cards

A move that is higher risk is trying to get your chips committed with a substandard hand, or one that you know will be called by a better hand. For example, you pick up 9-7 suited with 8 big blinds left. While this hand is likely behind most calling players, it will likely be live and you have some chances to double up.

When you make this move, assume that you will be called. It is a bit of a desperation play, but heads-up you will probably be no worse than a 3 to 1 dog at most.

Make a Suspicious Raise

This move is something that I discovered works by pure accident. I was in a tournament with a stack of around 7 big blinds. I was in the big blind and saw a flop. On the flop, I made a bet that was about half of my stack rather than shoving. Frankly, I was still a newer NL Hold’em player at the time, but my opponent was really thrown off by my play.

He sat there and openly started asking me why I made that bet. To him, it was screaming to be a “call me” bet and he assumed I flopped a big hand like a set or top two pair. The truth was that I had a medium pocket pair, but my bet was so odd that he ultimately folded A-K.

Afterward, I discovered that if I had a shorter stack, an unusual bet size would look suspicious to better players and so I used the tactic often. I was surprised how often the player would fold rather than open up a door for a double. This allowed me to pick up chips without risking my entire stack.

This play will not work against beginners or unobservant players. It is more of a move that takes advantage of thinking players. So use it sparingly.