A Fun Little Exercise

If you are new to playing short-handed here's a fun little exercise for you to try.

Ingredient 1: A 6-max limit table with 3-4 players. Try to find a table with loose passive players. (That means they are calling a lot but there's not much raising pre-flop; everybody is playing their cards straight up from what you can tell)

Ingredient 2: Take a seat with at least 30 big bets or so worth of chips.

Ingredient 3: (Ok, here comes the really fun part) Start out playing regular just like them and look for hands to pick up when you don't have the cards. Make it a game to see how many hands you can bluff at and get without getting busted. Once you get busted and they see you had nothing, proceed to step 4.

Ingredient 4: Now you're going to go hyper-aggressive. Play the next hand as if you have pocket aces. Keep playing every hand like you have the nuts and push, push, push until you lose at least 5 or 6 big bets. (I have wiped out a few tables completely without this happening)

Ingredient 5: (Ok, the table hates you now, let's take their money) Now switch gears completely and look for premium hands only. Super tight. The rest of the table should be a little fired up now so you will get some action when you play a hand. Once you have shown a few very nice hands and won some big pots, move to step 6.

Ingredient 6: You should have a scary table image by now. They will perceive you as being a little crazy, but they can't discount the fact that you have shown the ability to play solid as well. If I get to this step and I'm down from my initial buy-in I leave the table. More often than not I am up at least 25% of my buy-in and I continue on. If you get to this point and continue on is in order, you can play some really fun poker. I like switch gears every 10 to 20 hands and play very erratically. (I like to think of it as being a pitcher with several good pitches and I'm just picking them off; curve when they think fast ball...change up when they think you're bringing the heat....fast ball in on their hands...etc...)

I'm killing the short-handed limit tables right now. I don't in any way guarantee this will work for you. You have to find what works for you. Good luck at the tables this week....surf