Short stack situations arise frequently in tournaments and require distinct strategies from deep stack play. Mastering short stack play prevents costly mistakes.
Defining Short Stacks: With 20 big blinds or less, postflop play becomes increasingly difficult. At 10 big blinds or less, push/fold strategy dominates. Between 10-20 big blinds, you have some postflop maneuverability.
Push/Fold Strategy: With 10 big blinds or less, your options simplify to pushing all-in or folding. Forget limping or min-raising—these plays waste fold equity and create awkward situations. Embrace push/fold and execute it properly.
Shove Ranges: From the button with 10 big blinds, push 50-60% of hands. From middle position, push 20-25%. From under the gun, push 10-15%. These ranges seem aggressive but are mathematically correct given fold equity and blind steal value.
Facing All-Ins: With 15 big blinds in the big blind facing a small blind shove, call with roughly 60% of hands. Adjust based on opponent tendencies—call tighter against tight players, wider against loose players.
ICM Considerations: Near money bubbles or final tables, ICM dramatically affects short stack strategy. Tournament life gains value, making speculative calls -EV despite proper pot odds. Survival often outweighs chip accumulation.
Resteal Opportunities: When opponents raise with 25-35 big blinds, look for resteal spots by pushing all-in. This play leverages fold equity, your pushing range, and opponents' reluctance to call off significant portions of their stack.
Double-Up Strategy: After doubling up from 5 to 10 big blinds, don't tighten up excessively. You're still short-stacked—continue pushing aggressively to build a competitive stack.
Anticipating Short Stacks: As blinds increase, anticipate reaching short stack territory. Don't wait until you have 5 big blinds to adjust. At 20 big blinds, start looking for spots to accumulate chips or push all-in profitably.
Big Stack Awareness: Big stacks can call your pushes profitably with wider ranges due to pot odds. Avoid pushing into big stacks unless you have premium holdings. Target medium stacks afraid of confrontation.
Opponent Type Adjustments: Against tight players who fold too much, push wider ranges. Against calling stations, tighten up and wait for stronger holdings before pushing.
Ante Impact: When antes begin, pot sizes increase relative to stacks, making aggressive play more profitable. Adjust pushing ranges wider as antes grow.
Common Mistakes: Waiting too long before pushing (letting yourself blind down to 3-5 big blinds), pushing into bad ICM situations, and failing to adjust ranges based on position and opponents.
Practice Tools: Push/fold calculators and ICM calculators help you understand optimal short stack strategy. Study these tools away from tables, then implement learnings in play.
Responsible Gaming: Short stack situations create pressure and can trigger desperate plays. If you're frequently short-stacked due to poor early game strategy, focus on improving fundamentals rather than short stack heroics.