Playing with nine players to a table is a much different animal than playing with four players, or even just one. Knowing how to adjust to each of these styles can be hard thing to master, and in fact, most players are more comfortable with one situation or another. However, if you play tournaments, you're going to have to be able to handle a dwindling opposition if you want to go the distance. Let's examine what sets each of these styles apart.

Playing at a full table. Every basic poker book that talks about starting standards, and what hand to play in what position, is talking about how to play at a full table. Generally speaking, a full table will give you more options, since you'll frequently be able to see flops with seven, five, or even just one other person, and be able to choose your hands and associated strategy accordingly. Obviously, standard strategic play for a full table isn't really the focus of this discussion, so let's move on to short-handed play.

Short-Handed Play. One thing to point out here is that a full game may become shorthanded abruptly - when playing online, it's especially important to pay attention so that you notice when a seat becomes empty or gets filled.

Most authors recommend adjusting to a "short-handed strategy" when a table reaches six or fewer players, although even at a seven-handed table you can begin to make slight adjustments. For example, Dan Harrington says that he will raise for value (in a tournament) with AT under-the-gun at a seven-handed table.

An important thing to consider when wondering whether or not you should adjust for shorthanded play is how many players are left to act behind you. At a full ten-handed table, you would need six people to fold to you before you could find yourself first-in with only three players left to act. However, if you're playing four or five handed, then you're in about that same position when you're under the gun - even though you're first to act, there are only a few players left. In fact, in a four handed game, the under the gun seat is also the cutoff seat - just one off the button.

Thinking about it like this, it should be easy to see why certain adjustments are necessary for playing shorthanded, similar to those adjustments one would make for position at a full table.

There are two basic principles at work when playing short-handed:

a) The chances of a premium hand being dealt are much less than at a full table; and

b) There's less competition for each pot

The implications of these principles are what drive a successful shorthanded style. The first and most important thing to take from those two statements is that the quality of hand needed to take a pot down is going to go way down, on average. If you take it a step further, the second statement especially implies that sometimes you won't even need a hand - the chance for taking down a pot through sheer force of will is much greater when you have only three opponents, as compared to having eight or nine.

It should be clear then that aggressive play is called for in such situations. It should also be clear that with fewer opponents, one should be more concerned with hands that will win pots without improving, and less concerned with hands that need implied odds to be profitable.

For example, at a full table, you might prefer a hand like:

over a hand like

because of it's drawing capabilities. However, if you're playing at a table with only three or four other players, an ace-high will win more often than a suited connector will, simply because it doesn't need to improve to beat even such a commonly decent hand as:

So the key things to keep in mind as the number of players dwindles are that big cards go up in value, while the smaller suited cards go down. Also, there are more opportunities to mix up your play shorthanded - because a quality hand isn't needed to win as much as it would be at a full table, people will frequently be battling for pots with sub-standard holdings. Sometimes they'll even be throwing chips around with nothing, just because they know they're supposed to be more aggressive when playing shorthanded.

It's important to be aware of the aggressive nature of shorthanded play, both to utilize and to neutralize it. For either purpose, it's necessary to get a good line on who you're playing with. Against novice players or people used to playing a full game, an overly aggressive approach is best. If they'll let you walk all over them, then by all means do it. However, against more experienced shorthanded players, it's probably best f you don't try to get away with murder every other hand - you'll just dump chips off as your opponents call you down or play back at you.

The best way to exploit somebody's mistakes is to push them in the direction they're already going. If someone plays too tight, encourage them to play even tighter by bullying them unmercifully. But against experienced, overly aggressive shorthanded players - while it's important to not let yourself get pushed around -you can generally be more patient. Let your opponents own aggressive tendencies get out of hand, and you'll often find yourself getting paid off handsomely when you have a big hand.

Playing heads-up. Playing heads-up can be one of the most exciting ways to play Texas Hold 'Em. It can also be very lucrative - or financially devastating. The problem is that although you're supposed to be aggressive, the other player knows this to be true the same as you do - it can easily devolve into nothing but a battle reminiscent of two rams head-butting on a grassy knoll.

One of the key difficulties in playing shorthanded, and especially heads-up, is the fact that you can't believe your sole opponent when he tries to convince you he has something good. And with good reason: with only two players, the odds of either of you having even a decent hand are pretty damn slim. So, when one of you actually has something nice, that player will frequently get paid off by the other.

In order to be a successful heads-up player, one must be able to decipher their opponent's - and their own - patterns. Heads-up play is a constant dance; a constant battle of wits that requires versatility and constant adjustment. You establish a pattern, exploit it over time, and then change patterns and exploit the change. When your opponent figures that all out, you go back to the first pattern, or a third, and exploit that one until your opponent has caught on. It's all a matter of timing and perception.

For example, while most people play very aggressively when facing heads-up competition, I prefer to play possum at first - I especially do this if I have a chip lead coming into the match-up. This causes two things to happen to my opponent: he begins to feel comfortable pushing me around with his chips (which makes it easier to get them), and he begins to respect my chips when I break my passive pattern and make a sudden show of strength. So, in practice, what I'm saying is that after letting my opponent establish an aggressive pattern of stealing blinds and maybe even flops from me, I'll begin to steal a few from him.

After a while, I'll step up my aggressive frequency. Since my opponent has gotten used to respecting my rare shows of strength, it will take him a while to realize that I've changed gears. I'll generally be able to steal well more than my fair share until he catches on, and then once he starts playing back at me, I'll back off and try to reestablish a respectable image again.

Somewhere along the way we'll both get some real hands, and fortunately, I usually have a good sense for where my opponent is at in this cycle. If I get a great hand, and he's currently not believing me, then it's high time to get paid off - but if he's giving my bets respect, it's a careful balance between getting paid and keeping him interested. A good hand isn't enough: you have to have a good hand at the moment your opponent thinks you have nothing.

In closing, the fewer players there are, the more you'll have to fight for your fair share, and the more important it becomes to keep your opponents on their toes with deceptive play. Brute strength can do a lot against the right kind of opponents, but against stubborn rams, you're going to need to get creative and be flexible to consistently come out on top.

Good luck at the tables!

Sam @ Power Poker Course.




Back to Advanced Texas Holdem Articles List.

Play Texas Holdem Poker At Full Tilt Poker And Get Up To $600 Worth Of Bonuses - Click To Claim Now!

Click Here To Learn About What Poker Sign-up Bonuses Are & Why You Should Use Them.