Home : Magazine : O.P.N. Newsletter : Four Players Left, and You're the Short Stack

Four Players Left, and You're the Short Stack

by Matt Lessinger

Print-page
Bookmark

Last month, we discussed what to do when you are the chip leader in a sit 'n' go (SNG) tournament with four players left, and only the top three get prize money. Now let's look at the less fortunate situation of being the low chip man with four left. When that is the case, you want to do your best to survive but, if the timing is right, you should also be willing to gamble. Your strategy will depend on your opponents and your personal preferences. First let's talk about your opponents.

If they are experienced SNGers…

They will probably avoid having a major confrontation with each other. They would rather wait for you to be eliminated, so that they can be guaranteed third place before they start gambling it up again. In that case, you'll probably have to double up at some point to make the top three. You'll want to be patient in choosing a hand to play, but not too patient. Even as the short stack, you still want to try to be the aggressor. You'd much rather be betting all-in than calling all-in.

Plus, don't forget that underdog hands have a better chance of winning than you might think. As long as your cards are live, (that is, as long as neither of your cards is duplicated in your opponent's hand), and your opponent doesn't have a high pair, you will usually have at least a 1-in-3 chance of winning. That's not thrilling, but it's not too bad either.

Let's say you have $800 left, the blinds are $200-$400, and you are stuck posting the $400 big blind (BB). Predictably, someone raises your blind. Depending on how far ahead your opponents are in chips, you should lean towards calling with any two cards. Even if you have a hand that only has a 33 percent chance of winning, you'll have a 33 percent chance of ending up with $1600, (or $1800 if the small blind, SB, money is in there too), as opposed to a 100 percent chance of being down to $400 if you fold, with half of that going in as the SB next hand.

If your opponents see you get down to $400, they will really play the waiting game, not making a big move until you get eliminated. Your chances of getting to third will probably be much less than 33 percent. That's why you should look to take a shot at doubling up before you get down that low, even with a garbage hand.

If you can win an all-in confrontation with $800 left, you'll have at least four big bets in front of you, which is enough to make your opponents think twice before tangling with you again. That, plus seeing that you were willing to call with a subpar hand, will stop them from raising you with their own subpar hands. Once you get your opponents to stop picking on you as the low man, you've greatly increased your chances of making the money.

If they don't seem like experienced players…

They probably won't change their playing strategy when the SNG becomes four-handed. Instead, they will continue playing in the same manner that got them that far. Even some players with SNG experience are inherent risk-takers, and they want all the chips all the time, even if it means that they might finish fourth. If one or more of your opponents fit either of those descriptions, then you should focus more on survival, since your chances of sneaking into third are better than usual.

Try to wait them out. Let them forget about you. Hopefully, they will collide with one another, ignoring your presence at the table. Of course, if you happen to pick up a big hand anywhere along the way, feel free to jump into the fray. You'll probably get action from a worse hand, and even though you might get unlucky, that is a chance you should be willing to take. But if the cards are not favorable, don't force the action.

Let's go back to the situation we discussed earlier. You have $800 left, with half of it being posted as the BB. If someone raises, and you have a junk hand, you should lean towards folding. Yes, you'll hurt your chances of finishing first or second. But, you don't want to run such a high risk of elimination when there's a decent chance that your opponents will clash with one another before you get blinded off. You could pay the SB and still have $200 left. If your opponents are truly ignoring your presence, that $200 could be enough to slip you into third place.

You always have a choice.

All told, you're in a very ambiguous situation. On the one hand you want to do your best to try to finish third, so you don't leave with nothing. On the other hand you don't want to completely sacrifice your chances of finishing first or second. To some extent, your choice becomes a matter of personal preference. Would you rather shoot for first place? That's fine. Just understand that you'll finish fourth more often. Would you rather do your best just to get third place? That's OK too, but then you'll hurt your chances of finishing first or second.

It would be nice to have the deck hit you with a good supply of big pocket pairs and other strong hands. That way you wouldn't have to make any tough decisions. Unfortunately that is something you can hardly ever count on. Most times the cards will just be average, and then you'll have to make up your mind as the low chip man. Go for the slim shot at the gold, or set your sights on the bronze?

Personally, I make my decision based on the texture of my opposition, as I described above. For your best chances of success, you should do the same. If your opponents seem to be waiting you out, they will make it tougher for you to finish third, so you might as well take your best shot at finishing even higher. If they are essentially ignoring you as the short stack, then you have a decent shot of jumping into third, so you should make that your goal.

The more flexible you can be in that regard, the better your chances of achieving long-term success in SNG tournaments.

Matt Lessinger's "Bet With Less" column appears in Card Player magazine. He can be reached at mlessinger@hotmail.com.

Back to the Latest Issue
 

O.P.N. Newsletter