8. Do not routinely play hands with a 2, 3, or 4 in them. That's like playing with only one card, because you'll always get overcards. Again, think ahead.
9. Don't forget to gear it up a notch. Call when you might normally fold with that marginal hand. Raise when you would ordinarily just call. Reraise a little more liberally. Check-raise more often. Call more often on the river with what would be a weak or second-best hand in a full game.
10. Ask for a rake break and a single blind. If they say you can't play for the jackpot when the rake is reduced, tell them, "Great!" As you may recall from the chapter on jackpots, the odds are really against hitting the jackpot in a short-handed game. Why give a dollar per hand to the players in the full game who will hit the jackpot? A single blind helps you because it keeps you from having to play garbage hands as often.
11. Being able to play well in a short-handed game is a must-have skill if you're going to be a tournament player. If you're going to place high in a tournament, you'll eventually have to learn how to play when the table is short-handed, so it's worth developing this skill when you have the chance.
12. Before you play in any short-handed game, truthfully and honestly evaluate your short-handed skills. Compare them to those of your potential opponents.
13. Gaining skill at short-handed play will definitely help you in your usual full game. Many times almost everyone will fold in a full game. At that point it's as if you're playing short-handed, especially if you're in late position. Consider what you know about playing in late position, stealing the blinds and reading players.
If you decide to play in a short-handed game, it should usually be for one of two reasons:
1. You know you'll be one of the best players in the game, so you think you'll have a positive hourly rate.
2. You know that you won't one of the best players in the game, but the other players aren't that much better than you are, and you see this as a good opportunity to gain some experience without risking too much.
If you can't meet one of those two criteria, wait for a better chance to put your money in action. In either case, don't play unless you know what you're doing.
Practice playing in short-handed games according to the guidelines I've mentioned in this chapter. Keep separate records of your results in these games, and if possible, name the other players in your notes. This will help you more accurately evaluate your prospects when faced with future short-handed playing opportunities. Good luck.
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If this happens in your usual game, and you're playing against your usual opponents, then those hands before the game breaks up provide an excellent opportunity for you to practice your short-handed skills, particularly if you feel that the other players' short-handed game is not much better than yours, and especially if you think that they don't even know of the differences between a full and a short-handed game. Do what you can to keep the game from breaking up so you can take advantage of this chance.
Here's a list of points to keep in mind if you find yourself in a short-handed game:
1. Players whose usual style of play is loose and aggressive will unknowingly be playing a good game when it's short-handed. Short-handed play is characterized by continuous, unrelenting betting and raising, so players who already play that way will have a leg up on the game.
2. You should change your playing style from tight-aggressive to mostly loose-aggressive. If you play your usual tight game, the blinds will eat you up, and you'll be folding before the flop too often.
3. Big cards are worth more. AK, KJ, and OJs will win without much improvement against three players more often than they will against nine players.
4. Because big hands win more easily, you can raise preflop with many more hands than you would in a full game. If you have a good handle on the other aspects of a short-handed game, you can usually raise preflop any time both of your cards are an 8 or above.
5. Because there's a lot of preflop raising when it's short-handed, you should always raise before the flop when you hold AA, KK, QQ, AKs, and other big cards. Since players expect that you'll raise anyway, the raise actually helps disguise your strength.
6. Forget that your cards are suited, if they are. It doesn't take a flush to win every time. In fact, you don't have to try to make flushes or straights, because two high cards will often be enough to win. Usually, you won't be getting the correct odds to draw to a flush or straight, but that's no problem, since you're really betting on just the high rank value of your cards.
7. Because most pots will be raised before the flop, small pairs and suited connectors go way down in value. It costs a lot of money to call a raise with 7^64, flop a draw, and pay to draw, only to miss the draw or make a pair of 6s on the river. Think ahead.
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