What is Short-handed? Simply put, it means that there are fewer players actively playing then there are spots at the table. For example, in a tournament where a table can normally accommodate 10 players, you may have situations where some players are moved to another table but not yet replaced by new players, some people are sitting out, and some people just lost all their chips. So you may end up facing 6 players for a few hands even if the table allows for 10 players. Read on to see how this impacts your poker strategy.

Tournament Play: Stack Size

Short-handed situations come up quite frequently in no limit texas holdem tournaments both at online poker sites and in live poker games. You may be playing a short-handed no limit holdem tournament to begin with, be in a Sit and Go that has lost a few players, or you may even, if you are skilled and fortunate, be at the final table of a multi-table tournament. In all of these cases, you will need to understand what your stack size means for the short-handed situation, as this is an important part of your overall texas holdem poker strategy. If you whish to learn more about general tournament strategy, have a look at this article on general holdem strategy.

Short-handed Tournament Play: Big Stack

This is the ideal situation to be in, no matter what kind of a texas holdem tournament it is, short handed or full table, a big stack is always desirable. You have more poker chips than most players, and few players against you (because you’re currently short handed). In a final table tournament situation, this may be the time that someone decides to offer a deal. Even though you are winning right now, you should not be afraid to consider a deal if the deal is fair.

A deal is an agreement between players on how to split the total prize money available without having to play for it. For example, if three players are left, and each player have a fairly equal stack, they may op to combine the prize pool for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize and split it in equal shares. In order for a deal to be made, all of the players at the table must agree on the deal. And, players can make a deal for all, or only a part, of the remaining prize pool. So, you can "lock in" some gains by making a deal, but still have something to play for. Sometimes, a deal is reached for prize money, but players keep playing for a title, a bracelet, or what ever other badge of honor the first place winner would normally receive.

Remember that short-handed, there may be a few players with nice sized stacks, as the total amount of chips is divided among a small number of players, and one bad beat may put you from the top of the totem pole to nearly out of the tournament. Use your negotiating power as big stack when a deal is offered, but don’t be too quick to reject the idea of a deal even when you’re leading.

If you have to or choose to play on, you should try to get involved with the smaller stacks if possible. Each elimination at this point can mean a big jump in money, and opponents will not want to risk getting knocked out without a premium hand, offering you some good stealing opportunities. Even if you get all your chips in against a small stack, the damage done to you if you lose will not be fatal, whereas if they lose, the damage can be disastrous, and can also mean a guaranteed bump in prize money for you.

Short-handed Tournament Play: Short Stack

In a short-handed tournament poker situation with a short stack, you need to be extremely aware of both the stack sizes of the other players and the prize structure. If one more player needs to be eliminated to burst the bubble and put players in the money and there are stacks out there shorter than yours, you may want to hold on to your poker chips, even if you like your hand. Be sure to factor in the location of the blinds. If the blinds will reach you before they reach the other short stacks, you must subtract their value before comparing your stack to theirs when determining who is likely to go out first.

You must also calculate the size of your stack relative to the blinds. If there are four players left, you may have the shortest stack and still have many, many rounds of blinds before your stack becomes dangerously low. Your opponents may still be hanging back waiting for you to get knocked out, but you can afford to wait for decent hands for at least a little while. Also, there’s always the chance that two of your opponents will pick up monster hands and feel compelled to butt heads before you have to make a move. That means one of them will be eliminated and that means you move up the ranks by one spot.