4-of-a-Kind
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: back with a vengeance
Posts: 3,307
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Trainer,
we want to avoid short stacks on our left because it changes the whole dynamic of the game. Let me (attempt to) explain. First I'll try to explain preflop play because it's the simplest. Basically there are a lot of times where a play can be +EV when there are a lot of players with healthy stacks behind you, but that same play becomes -EV if there are short stacks behind you. Say you have a pair of 6's and it folds to you in the HJ (one to the right of the CO). If you are 100bb deep and everyone covers, the best play here is usually to raise.
Now, let's say, somebody has 40bb on the button. You raise. A call by him puts you in a tough spot on any board that doesn't have a 6. A reraise here puts you in an awful spot because you just have to fold, period.
Say it folds to your button and you have T9s. If the button/SB/BB trio is 100bb+ deep, this is a stupid easy raise and is most certainly +EV. Now say that the BB only has 30bb. All of a sudden your hand becomes complete and utter trash.
So basically you are put in situations where either:
a) You have to tighten your range, sacrificing both EV and deception against your deeper opponents.
or
b) Continue raising hands that are +EV vs deeper opponents, while being easily exploitable and putting yourself in -EV situations vs players with shorter stacks.
"Money flows clockwise around the table"
True. But I shudder when somebody follows this up with, "so naturally, you want people with lots of money to your right, and those without much money to your left."
Let me tell you something that I've noticed in my journey from NL25 to NL400. The solid, full stacked regulars don't give NEARLY as much action as the short stacked donks. Trust me.
I'm always sitting with a full stack. Are you going to sit down on my left? Sure, you can, but that is SUCH a waste. Why would you want position on a player like me??? No, sit down on the left of the short stack who gives way too much action. And you don't have to play your baby pairs or suited connectors in a raised pot with this opponent. All of a sudden your KQ type hands go way up in value. You won't be put in situations where you have JJ on a Q high, 2 tone flop, out of position, where you bet out and he pushes and you have to decide whether he has QJ or a 4-flush or whatever. Sit on my right and steal my blinds.
Now if me and somebody else are like 200bb deep and the rest of the table is shorter, I wouldn't want to give position to this guy. But I need to go so maybe we can go into more detail later.
edit: I had something else I wanted to say but I completely forgot. It was a pretty important point too. I think it had something to do with seat selection but I'm not sure. If I remember, I'll add to this.
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