Short handed poker is popular within the online poker community. They like the fact this type of poker requires a more aggressive style, so you play more hands per hour actively than you would in full ring Texas Holdem poker. This type of poker strategy article will be useful for any type of poker game that involves less than seven players at the table.

In short-handed poker it is even more important than in full ring to always raise when you are first in. Because more hands are playable, players will find playable hands more often and are likely to re-raise your limp as it is a big sign of weakness in short handed poker. Be aggressive pre-flop and realise this is a post-flop game where good post flop skills are needed to know when you are ahead and when you are beat.

Taking notes is very important; you need to identify strengths and weaknesses of your opponent’s short handed game so you can take advantage of it later. Look for calling stations, calling in short handed formats of poker is not good. How come you hope to work out what your opponents have by giving them odds to call with such a wide range of hands? With that in mind, look for over-aggression also. If you feel your opponents bet no matter what, make a note. When you have a hand you can proceed and induce the bets that make you money. Do they fold easily to a river bet? If not you can overbet the pot and have a decent chance of being paid off when you have a great hand.

As we have discussed, hand values go up in short handed play. In this way it is the opposite of PLO in that weaker hands win more often. You must be more aggressive. I coached a player who had a real problem with checking, he just did it way too much! I made him play short handed poker and after a week of being pummelled he started to bet out with weaker hands. It worked. You must be more aggressive but realise that you will lose some hands as well as winning and decisions are more marginal in short handed. This is another reason why it is good to play this game because of the strategies it forces you to learn.

Short handed games are more prevalent at the higher stakes where full ring games are less frequent. If you are moving up the limits then being a good short handed player is essential to remaining a successful online poker player. Most top players like the action at the high stakes and this is found in short handed play and heads up matches. For the big money, learn short handed poker.

If you on bwin.com you might catch me playing poker on the short-handed tables, preparing for my Isildur1-like march up the levels. As you can see much of the concepts listed above will help refine your full ring game, so as always another form of poker to learn only helps your overall understanding. Short handed poker is popular online and a great place to learn. If you see me, go easy on me. Good luck on the poker tables.

By Malcolm Clarke

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