$6.6 NL HE MTT: Learn from the opponents - just play push or fold with a sub 10BB stack

[fundiver199]

Game

Hold'em

Game Format

No Limit

Table Format

MTT

Buy-in

6.6

Game Options

1. Turbo

Currency

$

One of the guidelines taught in the CC 30 day course is to play push or fold preflop with a sub 10BB stack. Sometimes even deeper especially with an ante. This hand is a good illustration why. The game is an On Demand SnG on ACR Poker, and we have reached the final table as well as the payouts. A min-cash is secured, and as in most regular MTTs, the next 2-3 payjumps are not that significant.

The opponent was playing VPIP 14 / PFR 9 over a sample of 868 hands, so pretty much a classic nit. This and his short stack is the reason, I just called KQo preflop instead of rejamming. I thought, I had low fold equity, and I was also somewhat concerned, he might have a premium hand. However on a flop with only low cards I decided to run a stop-and-go, because I thought, an opponent like this would likely not be willing to call with A high, and if he had any pair lower than QQ, I had around 25% equity, and I was getting 2:1.

CardsChat Poker Hands Converter

Convert your hand history into forum code, plain text or relive your hand and create animated replays

www.cardschat.com

 

[Andyreas]

Good illustration of the concept indeed!

Since we'll miss flops more often than connect, playing post flop is never a good idea being that short except if you have QQ+.

I guess some people are just too afraid to bust and usually blind out instead of doubling up.

 

[fundiver199]

I guess some people are just too afraid to bust and usually blind out instead of doubling up.

Yeah I guess, thats the issue. Now he ended up dusting away 25% of his chips without even realising his equity, enhancing his status as the short stack and likely to bust next anyway. Whereas had he jammed and picked up the pot uncontested, he would have increased his stack by 30% without showdown. Or if he got action just played a "flip" and either have dubbled his stack or gone home. With stacks this short fold equity is everything, and you do not want to hand that advantage over to your opponents.

 

[fundiver199]

Since we'll miss flops more often than connect, playing post flop is never a good idea being that short except if you have QQ+.

Just for clarification it is ok to sometimes see a flop short stacked, if you are in the big blind and get a good price. Lets say BB is the player with just 8BB, BTN has 20BB, and SB cover him. Then BTN kind of have to raise small, and BB dont always have to jam or fold. BB can also choose to take a flop, especially if its a minraise.

However when BB do this and then run the stop-and-go on a board like this, then BTN need to do a lot of calling, even if he missed the board. I remember Jonathan Little doing some live streaming during the pandemic. In one of the streams he faced the Stop-and-Go and kind of giggled about it saying, that its really easy to play against - you just call.

And this is true. If BTN had any strong AX hand or broadway here, then he should call. He can sometimes be ahead, and even, when he is not, more often than not he have 6 live outs to top pair, and he is getting 2:1. But a lot of people dont find those calls, and thats why, you can still use the Stop-n-Go as an exploitative strategy in a situation like this.

 

[fundiver199]

An even more extreme situation came up today. 18-man SnG, 7 players left, 4 places pay. Everyone kept avoiding putting their stack at risk, and this opponent would rather put in 1/3 of his stack preflop and then fold to a Stop-n-Go than risk going out 3 places from the money.

CardsChat Poker Hands Converter

Convert your hand history into forum code, plain text or relive your hand and create animated replays

www.cardschat.com

 

[Geo90]

Csak a tisztázás kedvéért, rendben van, ha néha shortstackkel látunk floppot, ha nagyvakként ülünk és jó árat kapunk. Tegyük fel, hogy BB az a játékos, akinek csak 8 BB-je van, BTN-nek 20 BB-je, és SB fedezi őt. Ekkor BTN-nek kicsit kell emelnie, és BB-nek nem mindig kell all-in vagy dobnia. BB dönthet úgy is, hogy elfogad egy flopot, különösen, ha az egy minimális emelés.

Amikor azonban BB ezt csinálja, majd stop-and-go-t futtat egy ilyen boardon, akkor BTN-nek sokat kell megadnia, még akkor is, ha elvétette az asztalt. Emlékszem, Jonathan Little élő közvetítéseket tartott a világjárvány alatt. Az egyik streamben szembesült a stop-and-go-val, és kuncogott rajta, mondván, hogy nagyon könnyű ellene játszani - csak meg kell adni.

És ez igaz. Ha BTN-nek erős AX keze vagy broadway lapja lenne, akkor meg kellene adnia a tétet. Néha előnyben lehet, és még amikor nincs, akkor is többnyire 6 élő outja van egy top párra, és 2:1-hez kapja a tétet. De sokan nem találják meg ezeket a téteket, és ezért a Stop-n-Go-t továbbra is kihasználható stratégiaként használhatod egy ilyen helyzetben.

I like these moves, I have not used this strategy at all, because in these situations the throw share is so small that they roll widely, and at such tables, I think, many will throw, especially on microbets.