Tips for Playing Short Handed Poker
Quite a few Absolute Poker Download players have begun moving to the short handed cash game tables instead of playing the regular full ring table game. In a short handed poker game there is only six seats for players so you need to adapt your strategy so that you can compete. If you use the same strategy that you were using on a full ring table game then you’re not going to do very well. I’ve compiled the most comprehensive tips for beginners who are making the switch from a full ring game to a short handed game. Often when players make the move they will forget to change simple aspects of their game, but this article was written to help all of you make the transition smoother.
* You will need to re-analyze your starting hand selection first when you make the move to a short handed game. You will need to play a wider selection of hands on a table with fewer players because the values of the hands go up. Since there are only six players with cards the likelihood of someone holding a monster hand is lower then if we were comparing it to a table with nine players.
* Since there are only six players a lot of the game will be bluffing and determining when you’re being bluffed out. A lot of pots nobody is going to hit which means if you bet first you will often win the pot. In hands when the board isn’t very threatening you will often find players throw out a bluff bet to see if they can take it down. If you can spot these bets then you should re-raise the player as they will often fold.
* The blinds will be coming around a lot quicker on a short handed table so you need to make sure that you’re playing enough hands and not playing to tight. Its one thing to be conservative, but you also need to steal the odd blinds when you aren’t being dealt anything. If you haven’t played any hands for a little bit then when you raise the pot to steal the blinds you should have enough respect that everyone folds. If you aren’t willing to bluff and steal blinds then you aren’t going to stand a chance at the short handed tables.
* Often the players who play short handed tables regularly are very loose so you need to make sure you’re fairly loose as well, but within moderation. You need to try and see a lot of flops so you have the potential of hitting and taking down some pots. A lot of pots will be raised so you need to be willing to call some raises and not be afraid to play.
Short handed poker can be quite profitable since there will be action for you to find, but you need to be careful at the same time because it can be a dangerous game. You can practice playing free poker short handed on PokerStars or FullTiltPoker any day of the week. Often you will not be able to get a read from your opponent when they have a monster hand in a short handed game and this can be one downfall. Since you don’t expect full houses or nut flushes to be dealt every hand you can easily get trapped into big hands if you’re not careful.