Short Stack Strategy for NL Tournaments

Playing with a short stack is as inevitable as any other undesirable poker situation. Just like bad beats and busts on the bubble, you're going to find yourself in this situation more often than not. Therefore in order to truly learn how to play poker you also need to learn not only how to survive being short-stacked, but how to turn this to your advantage.

Knowing When You're Short Stacked
For short stack strategy to be any good you first have to know when you're short stacked. The easiest way to determine this is to check whether you stack is 6 times the big blind, which means that, on average, you'd be eliminated after 4 orbits of the table without a win.

Determining How Short Stacked You Are
There are two broad categories of short stacked play. In the first category goes stacks that are capable of inflicting damage on opponents with an all-in bet, and can therefore be used for more complex plays. In the second category are stacks so small that it is cheap for opponents to call all-in bets.

The Very Short Stack
When you're left with a stack so small that any other player at the table can afford to call you with a marginal hand and try their luck, you have no other option but to follow a push-fold strategy. This means you'll want to get all of your money into the pot when you have  a hand that looks like it might win a showdown. Otherwise you'll need to fold your cards until a playable hand comes along.

Keep The Blind Levels In Mind
While losing 90% of your chips in a bad beat during the first hand of a tournament can be heartbreaking, you need to remember that the blinds are still small enough for you to bide your time and double up. Later in a tournament when the blinds can easily be bigger than your stack, you'll need to pick your spot with the hand that you think has the best chance at the showdown.

Prey On Other Short Stacks
If your stack is large enough for you to make other players think twice about calling an all-in bet, you should go after stacks smaller than yours. These players are far more likely to either call with marginal hands or fold when playing the blinds. The reverse is also true, in that you don't want to test your marginal hand on, or attempt to steal blinds from, your table's chip leader.

Don't Give Up
There are countless examples of short stacked players going on to win major tournaments. In 1982 Jack Strauss won the World Series of Poker Main Event after losing all his chips, and then finding a $500 chip he had forgotten about. Other players tend to either fear short stack players because they are more unpredictable, or underestimate how dangerous they can be, and both scenarios offer you an opportunity to put a dent in their stacks.