Playing as the micro stack

When you stack has shrunk to below 10x the big blind, especially when 7x or below, poker wisdom states that you are now in desperation mode, and that all ins on ace anything or any hand with any strength are your last desperate gambit to double up.

I disagree.

I have been reviewing hand histories and have discoved that you can survive in a large tournament, even get back into the action, with a stack hovering around 3 to 7 x the big blind.

My best tournament result ever, 3rd in a 3$ buy in large tourney for $851, included 20 minutes of play where the stack was down as low as 2x the big blind.

And last night, 11$ buy in 2300 person tourney, I spent the last hour of the tournament at less than 10x the big blind, with 20 hands at 3x the big blind or less. Which meant my finish went from a $60 300th place finish to a $104 83rd place finish.

Having a stack this low doesn't mean your completely desperate and should give up in a desperation ace nothing move, it simply means you will have two key decisions to make at some point in the near future.

- Whether you will call or raise pre flop.
- Whether you will all in or fold post flop.

As the micro stack, you have no turn or river decisions, you have just the pre and post flop decision.

If you are the micro stack at the table, you will have been playing the same players for a while, and should have them grouped into categories:

Super aggressive big stack.
Tight aggressive big stack.
Any aggressive players (in a lot of hands).
Desperate short stacks.
Rocks (only premium, only play on big flop hits).

The players you end up playing against will determine large in your decision making.

The other key to micro stack playing is the pot odds play a huge role in determining what you are going to play with.

Here is the basic strategy:

1. Calling is a viable alternative to going all in and is recommended for drawing hands. If you are calling, you are also willing to call a raise doubling your bet, due to pot odds.
2. Made hands are all ins, 55s and up.
3. The basic calling strategy is call with your drawing hand (K J), and if either card hits post flop, go all in. If a conservative player has raised before you, fold pre flop.
4. Pot odd weigh heavily on decisions. If ever the pot odds are 1 in 5 or greater, call to particate in the flop.
5. At this stack size, your all-ins have very little impact on other pre-flop play, especially from early position. Instead call with strong drawing hands and A x hands. Go all in when they hit on the flop.
6. When you miss on the flop fold.

You may seem to be in desperate circumstances but even with 3x the big blind and antes, you still will have 16 hands to play before the blinds wipe you out. So the other non-conventional component of this strategy is patience.

Reading other players and playing position also influence decisions.

So, if you have A 3 off and are first to play, you have two choices, fold or call. Not go all in. All in from first position is a bad idea because:

1. Your all in doesn't have any real impact for multiple stacks at the table. You are going to get called. Whether you limp in or go all in here is not going to have much influence on the final outcome of the pre-flop betting.
2. Any other ace will likely have you dominated and will almost definitely be at least calling here. A big raise from a strong ace is an opportunity to escape pre flop.

When you call here you are in the two decision area. If you hit your ace on the flop you are all in. If not, you are folding to any action. The only reason you would bluff here is if you are playing against conservative players who are playing their cards, who will fold if they miss regardless of the player betting into them.

On the button however, you have an easy call if more than two others have limped in, due to rediculous pot odds.

And, if everyone had folded to you, and neither the small or big blind are super aggressive big stacks, you do go all in here with the A 3. Your all in here has impact, at least on more conservative players, if neither player has at least a medium strength hand, they will both fold.

Post flop play is simple, if you hit, all in, miss, fold. There is room for the very occasional bluff with tight stacks checking to you.

Any time pot odds are greater than 1 in 5, call. And follow the same rules for post flop action on your cards, if either hit, you go all in.

In summary, instead of putting all your chips in at 7x the bb on Ace three, call with the hand and see what the flop brings. Even at 7x the bb, you may still be able to play two or three more hands and double or more up, wait until you can be more certain that you are ahead before committing your entire stack.

All ins have less impact on other pre-flop play, so anticipate they will always be called. So don't go all in on drawing hands.

Call instead and waiting for hits.

Range goes down as pot odds go up. The opportunity to triple up or more is never missed unless a conservative player has re-raised before you.

Of course, the goal of all of this careful play is to at least double up, and get back into the action where a wider range of strategies are available. That is why pot odds are so key. But that necessity to double up shouldn't overtake careful play, a little patience can increase your odds of actually doubling up when you do hit.

This approach has taken me through thin parts of multiple tournaments now and eventually on to my two best monetary finishes yet. Its a combination of patience for the right cards and sudden vital decisions that may determine your future. Make those decisions carefully and you can not only survive the micro stack, you can escape.