I’ve been trying to improve my tournament game, and one of the biggest challenges I face is adapting my strategy based on stack depth. For example, playing with 20bb feels completely different compared to 50bb or 100bb. Do you guys have specific rules of thumb you use when stacks get shallow? What’s your approach for open-raising and 3-betting depending on stack sizes?
* Open raise smaller as you get shallower. 20BB- there are even spots where you should open-limp instead of raising (it is mostly from the late position and your limping ranges basically replace your open-raising ranges and are still strong. The main reason for limping is just to preserve postflop space for multi-street action when you are very short, not to cheaply get through worse
hands). I often see 15BB stacks open-raising 3BB for no reason, basically rendering postflop unplayable without jamming on the flop for themselves.
* 20BB- you lose your 3-betting ranges and instead get rejamming ranges (you basically either cold call or jam, nothing in between). Rejamming ranges are usually condensed, as you want to have strong hands like aces in your calling range for balancing. Also, side note:
it does not apply to ICM spots. When there is significant ICM pressure present, you prefer to generally 3bet instead of cold calling even when you are short, but this is a whole other topic.
* Preflop as you get shorter your implied
odds hands aka drawing hands aka low pocket pairs and suited connectors significantly lose in value, as with a short stack with an easy possibility to find yourself in all-in you just can't realize your implied odds much. Another side note:
this effect can technically be offset if you are playing at a weak table with a lot of multiway spots, as good multiway pot odds can compensate for low implied odds
* On the contrary to the point above, hands with high raw
equity aka offsuit big cards and offsuit aces gain in value instead, as shortstacks can't get their equity denied (aka forced out of the pot by multiple street bets) easily as they can easy get all-in and cheaply see all three streets.
* You start having open-shove ranges, which mainly consist of medium-low pocket pairs (depending on the position and stack size), medium offsuit aces (both have good equity when shoved and called but can't open-raise / limp and call a rejam), some suited kings and broadway suited connectors (those mostly just capitalize on fold equity generated by the previous two classes)
10BB- is a push-fold game:
* You don't raise, most of the time you don't call, you only have two options: shove or fold. Hands with good base equity as aces and pocket pairs, even the low ones (they were bad before as against most of the hands you are basically flipping with a 50% chance to win or lose, but now as you don't risk as much and basically can't have your equity denied at all with open-shoves, they are becoming good again)
* Suitedness matters the least here. You shove slightly more suited hands than offsuit ones, but not really that much (notable exception is low suited aces, as they are scarce, have good equity when called and block one ace).
* Other points from the 20BB- game apply generally apply too
