Short stacks are the most vulnerable when playing poker, regardless of the type of game you are playing in. There is a lot of money to be made in poker, especially at higher buy-in events such as satellite tournaments orpee tournaments. However, there is a lot of risk involved with playing short stacks, which normally involves higher risk plays and higher fluctuations in the ability to win a game. Most poker strategy short stack tips will involve playing tight or using value bets to try and squeeze out a win before the blinds get too high.
With very few short stacks (very rare) in a poker tournament, the time in the early stages to find a way to survive is generally the time when you should be trying to double up as many chips as possible. Especially in the early stages, when the blinds are low and chip stacks are low. Almost all players play a very loose standard of poker, and with very few big stacks, being able to double up several times will give you a big advantage in the beginning of the tournament. Especially when you factor in the fact that the majority of players will not continue to play standard poker, but rather looking to protect their chip stack and make a move pre-flop or post-flop to double up.
The point is that as the blinds increase, you need to make sure you are getting in with hands that have a higher probability of winning the hand pre-flop, or avoiding playing short stacks that are too honest or are desperate.
Jackson limped in with a weak hand and was called by a very tight player. If Jackson had a monster hand, this would have been a time to play it for all it was worth, as this guy would certainly last longer than that. However, Jackson limped in with this hand and the tight player flat called. Another player in the hand called, and the flop came down Qh-3h-2s. You can bet your bottom dollar this is a very poor flop for Bolagila. Unless he triple bars in this situation, there is not much of a benefit for him to staying in the hand. Unless he is sort of betting to get everyone to fold, there is no benefit to him staying in the hand either.
Therefore, the only benefit here is if Jackson hits his monster hand pre-flop, then he has a huge advantage over the other players and can dictate the action. Era’s a calling station that is going to call you with little risk, so if you make a big raise and he shoves in with his 1 inch stack, you are probably going to take his chips and double up your stack. Periodically you will be raising with pocket 8’s against the right opponents, and if you happen to coin the flop, you can get paid off by the right opponent (they will probably call you with 8-8 off suit instead of danger, since they need a runner, runner into a trap).
Therefore, you need to squeeze value out of these hands, and make it profitable to chase, or at least double up when you hit the board.
Also, you don’t want to get involved in too many pots with a short stack. The fact of the matter is, if you play like the loose, wild players that you are, and lose all that money to the blinds, you are not going to get any NL tournament players to bleed for it! Just holding tight is fine, but don’t be so predictable that you cannot get paid off when you actual have a hand. Remember, 80% of the time, your opponents are not going to have AA. AQ is still probably the best hand among all the poker hands Mecca.
So, the moral of the story is that you really want to win the tournament in many ways. Not just with a big stack, but with having a long-term advantage in the tournament. Define what winning means to you and practice to make it a reality. Keep practicing. I know, it’s hard to believe, but not every way to win a tournament is with a stack. Some are, but most are not. So, be patient. Bride however, has another theory. She believes that the only way to win the WPT is to be patient. If you’re not patient, then you’re not going to win. She says tilt is the only way to win; unless you can’t lose your emotions. Then it’s just your fault. She might be right, but be careful not to use her as your strategy. Be patient. Obviously, it’s the players that get tired that fall to the losers.