The past week and a half, I have been only playing on tables with ZERO shortstackers. This means I have been almost exclusively playing on the FTP deep tables. This has caused me to ease up on my table selection requirements a bit, but I think my decision to not sit with shorties is still very +EV for me. Here's why:
1. Short stacks really have a big impact on my opening and isolating ranges. With short stacks in the game, you have to be a lot more careful about the hands that you open and/or isolate weak players with. With the threat of a shorty shoving behind you, it really handcuffs you and causes one to miss out on a lot of +EV opportunities.
2. Going along with #1, playing on tables with all deep stacks allows for a much more LAG game. Even when there aren't many fish around, there are going to be so many more opportunities to use aggression and position to pick up chips. In fact, a tight/deep game should be one of the best games in which to do a lot of stealing. It's almost like "chipping up" on the bubble of a tournament. You can really open up your late-position range, and pick up a lot of pots uncontested. There are so many nitty regs that give up their blinds or fit-or-fold the flop, and they do this time after time. It's so so profitable, and it's very low variance!
3. Not only do shorties cause one to miss out on a lot of +EV spots, they also put you into a lot of neutral EV spots where you find yourself flipping. Sure you're not going to lose much in these situations, but you're not going to win much either. On the other hand, if you have an edge in a deep game you stand to win so much more money, especially since the edge can also be substantially larger. Also, at first glance a table full of 14/11's may look like hell, but if you pay attention it's not hard to find some serious leaks in a lot of these player's games.
4. Shorties tilt the hell out of me. If I lose 3 or 4 flips in a row to shorties, I'm ready to spew. I'm also not fond of the handcuffing effect talked about earlier. I think I can play on a much more even-keel in a deep game, where I don't have to deal with that crap.
5. Why? Cause fuck'em, that's why!
Feel free to comment on my thoughts and add your own.
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Good for you! Way to take a stand. I would be interested to see your win rate is in the next month. F$@K short stacker's. Quote from me yesterday to a short stacker that shoved over my isolation raise vs. a full stack fish. "Why are you trying to kill such a beautiful game!"
ReplyDeleteI don't think of it so much as "taking a stand." It's more just keeping myself in a playing environment that I am more likely to play optimally in.
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ReplyDeleteMakes sense. Nice thought process and good observation.
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