Shorthanded Hold'em
By: Michael Cohen
What is shorthand?
Shorthanded games refer to poker games that have six players or less. Texas Hold'em is traditionally played with nine or ten players, but many find the game more enjoyable when played with fewer people. Whenever a hold'em game is played with less people (whether it is no limit, pot limit or fixed limit), there is bound to be more action and excitement. Since you have to pay the blinds more often, people tend to play more hands. There are many more hands that are winnable and playable when the competition is among fewer people.
While limit shorthand is not played very often in brick and mortar casinos, it is played extensively online. Since Empire Poker is the largest online poker room, there will always be limit shorthand hold'em games available at all limits. Empire Poker has dedicated shorthand games (the six max tables) but also has short games when a traditional table has not yet filled up.
Starting Hands
Big cards have more value in shorthand. Most of the time, a high pair will be the winner. You generally do not need a flush or straight to win a pot; top pair is generally sufficient.
Thus, you should play pocket pairs of sevens or higher (play the lower ones only if there are four or more people in the pot), ace with a kicker of nine or higher, and two face cards. When the game is played with six people, you should be much tighter in your hand selection than if there are three or four people. When it is very short, you should play hands with any ace. You should also be more liberal when you are in the blinds since you have already paid a bet.
Postflop Play
I prefer short games to long ones because there is so much more action postflop in a shorthanded game than in a traditional one. One reason is that bluffing is a viable option in a shorthanded game (sometimes). If your opponents are very tight and are used to longhanded games, they will easily be bullied in a shorthanded game. In general, flop bluffs often work, though river bluffs rarely work unless your opponent happened to be on a draw and has a ten high.
At Empire Poker, people tend to play shorthand games very aggressively. You should generally bluff under only a few conditions:
if you were the preflop raiser
if there is only one or two other people at the flop
if the pot is small enough so that someone will not call with just about anything.
Because people bluff so much at shorthand, people will often call down and pay off with just about anything, even ace high. Picking off bluffs is a judgment call; however, a key piece of advice is to remember what you can and cannot beat. Do not just blindly call down based on the strength of your hand, but do your best to calculate the probability of the number of hands he or she could have that could beat yours.
Another critical concept at shorthand is value betting. Since people will tend to call you down with sub-par hands, you should bet your made hands aggressively when you have them. You should be more liberal with your value betting especially on the turn/river. Do not get scared if you have top pair and then a flush hits; go ahead, and bet it for value. However, be wary of value raises. Obviously, if someone raises you on the river, he or she probably has something decent, so only re-raise if you have a very good hand.
Notice Your Opponents
Poker is a game of people. While some poker games emphasize math skills (such as seven card stud), shorthand poker is more of a people game. Make sure you take note of the maniacs and liberally call them down, but be wary when a tight player starts firing. While Empire Poker has many players, you can generally get a good idea of what type of player an opponent is after twenty minutes.
Be Cautious of the Swings
Since there is so much more action in shorthanded limit games than in the traditional longhand ones, be prepared to sustain much harsher swings. If you are new to shorthand, play a limit that's, at most, half the stakes at which you tend to play traditional fixed games.
