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Lately the concept of short-buying has become frequently discussed by poker players. This two-part article is an attempt to analyze positive and negative effects of this action.
What a short-buy is?
It is technically buying in below the minimum amount set for the table. In many casinos if you are going break, you are allowed to make one short buy.
Actually, in poker this term means buying in for less than the table maximum. This definition is the one used as a base for the present article.
There are many opinions regarding this move in poker. The fact is that it can really be opportune in some situations, and at the same time, it can be a big mistake in other cases.
Positive Effect of the Short-Buy
Before you buy in short, you should take into account the other players at the table. If all your opponents have a very strong understanding of implied and pot odds and their playing style is too aggressive, it is worth to consider short-buying.
For example, picture a very big stack getting into a hand as opposed to a stack which is ten times smaller.
- The smaller stack has all the implied odds in the hand, which makes for poor reverse implied odds for the big stack.
- Any large bets will put the small stack at risk of being pot-committed, making smaller the probability of successful bluffing.
- The large stack supposes the short-buy player is going to be playing a very tight poker, heightening the small stack’s hand range to higher-end cards.
- The small stack still has a value if lost to the large stack in an all-in situation.
Thus, it is clear that the small stack can get a large advantage by means of his short-buy.
In the next part of the article dedicated to a short-buy, negative effects of this move will be revealed.