Short Stack Poker Strategy: Surviving and Thriving

Many beginner poker players tend to be afraid when they are the short stack, when in reality, playing short stacked can be powerful if you understand the basics and follow a clear plan.

What Is Short Stack Poker?

The term short stack refers to a situation where your chip stack is small compared to the blinds. In most games, you are considered short stacked when you have 20 big blinds or fewer. In reality though, some players consider themselves short stacked when they have less than the average chips. 

For example, if the blinds are 1/2 and you only have 40 chips, this means that your effective stack is 20 big blinds.

Short stack poker is not about fancy moves. It is about making strong, simple decisions with limited chips.

Why Stack Sizes Matter So Much in Poker

With deep stack sizes, you can bluff more, chase implied odds, and play more hands. On the other hand, when stacks are short, you can make decisions faster. However, at this stack size, mistakes cost more, and you must value every chip.

That is why short stack strategy is very different from deep-stack play.

The Core Idea of Short Stack Strategy

The main goal when playing short stacked is simple: Get your chips in with the best possible hand advantage.

You are not trying to outplay opponents over many streets. Instead, your strategy here is to play fewer hands, bet and shove more often, and avoid tricky situations.

A good short stack wins by reducing complexity, not increasing it.

Starting Hand Selection for Short Stacks

When you start playing short stack poker, hand selection becomes very tight.

Here's some examples of good hands for when you are short stack:

• Big pocket pairs (AA–TT)

• Strong Broadway hands (AK, AQ)

• Medium pairs (99–66 in the right spots)

Of course, there are hands to avoid as well, such as these:

• Small suited connectors

• Weak aces

• Hands that rely on implied odds

With a short stack, implied odds are low because you do not have enough chips behind to win big pots when you hit.

Fold Equity

Fold equity is the hidden profit engine of short stack poker. Every time you shove and opponents fold, you win the pot immediately—so you don’t need to “hit” to be profitable.

This matters more as stacks shrink because the pot becomes a large percentage of your stack, making uncontested pots extremely valuable.

Fold equity is highest when you apply maximum pressure (open-jams and 3-bet jams), when your opponent’s range is wide (late-position steals), and when your hand contains blockers like an ace or king.

Postflop at Low SPR: The “One Decision” Framework

With 10–20BB stacks, pots often become low SPR. Your postflop edge comes from not overthinking.

If you were the aggressor and get called, shove more often with top pair+ and strong draws on favorable boards. Above all, avoid fancy small bets that leave you with a weird remaining stack.

If you miss completely, well, that's a problem. Bluffing is less attractive because you have fewer streets and less leverage. Remember, your fold equity comes primarily preflop—don’t try to “outplay” with tiny stacks.

<10 Big Blinds: Pure Push-or-Fold

When you have under 10BB, you don’t have room to “see a flop.” Any raise you make commits too much of your stack, so the optimal approach is usually jam or fold.

Open strategy (first in):

• Jam wide from late position, tighter from early position.

• Prioritize hands with high card strength and blockers (A-x, K-x) because they increase folds and still have equity when called.

Some practical jamming examples:

• UTG/early: AJs+, AQo+, 77+ (tight)

• Hijack/CO: ATo+, A8s+, KQs, KJs, QJs, 55+

• Button/SB: Any pair, A2s+, A8o+, KTo+, K8s+, QTo+, Q8s+, JTo, J8s, T9s

10–15 Big Blinds: Shove-Heavy + Re-shove Pressure

At 10–15BB, you still want a mostly shove-based game, but you gain a powerful weapon: the re-shove (3-bet jam) over someone’s open raise.

1) Open-jam vs open-raise

When to open-jam:

• Versus aggressive blinds

• When antes are in play

• When you want maximum fold equity

• When your hand isn’t great to raise/fold (e.g., A9o, KJo)

When to open-raise (2x-ish) instead:

• When you can comfortably raise/fold sometimes (15BB closer than 10BB)

• When opponents behind are tight/passive

• When your hand benefits from getting called by worse and you’re okay playing a low SPR pot

Practical rule:

• 10–12BB: mostly jam or fold

• 13–15BB: mix jam + some small opens (especially BTN/CO)

2) Re-shove (3-bet jam) ranges

This is the “short stack attack.” You’re leveraging fold equity against opens.

Good re-shove candidates:

• Ace blockers: A5s–A2s, ATo/AJo (great fold equity)

• Strong broadways: KQs, KJs, QJs (depends on opener)

• Pairs: 55–99 often love reshove spots (coinflip-ish when called, wins dead money often)

Your position matters a lot here. Re-shove wider vs late-position opens (CO/BTN) and tighter vs UTG opens. Also, re-shove wider when opener is loose and stacks behind can’t trap.

15–20 Big Blinds: Most Complex Zone

This is the stack depth many players butcher because it feels deep but plays short. You have three main tools now:

1) Open-raising becomes viable

You can open-raise and still fold sometimes, especially from late position.

Default open sizes:

• 2.0x (or 2.1x) is common; keep it small to preserve fold equity and avoid bloating.

What to open more:

• Late position steals (BTN/CO)

• Hands with blockers and decent playability (Axs, Kxs, broadways)

2) Know when you’re committed

If you open to 2x at 18BB and face a shove, you must know whether you’re calling. Don’t open hands you can’t handle pressure with if opponents behind are aggressive.

Simple commitment guideline:

• If you open and would hate facing a jam, either open-jam instead or just fold pre.

• Don’t raise hands that become “raise/fold disasters” vs a competent restealer behind you.

Flat Calling Rules

With short stacks, flat calling is usually bad because you lose fold equity and get stuck postflop with an awkward stack-to-pot ratio.

However, flat calling can be an acceptable strategy when you are in position, when the opener is loose and you can shove many flops, your hand has solid equity and plays well (AQs, AJs, KQs sometimes), and when multiway dynamics make shoving worse and calling has strong pot odds.

As a tip, if you can’t clearly describe your postflop plan in one sentence, don’t flat.

Playing Short Stacked in Cash Games vs Tournaments

Short stack poker exists in both cash games and tournaments, but the approach changes slightly.

Cash Games

In cash games, blinds do not increase. This means that you can reload anytime, so being short-stacked is often temporary. In cash games, playing short stacked is usually a result of losing a pot or buying in for less.

Tournaments

Being short-stacked in tournament is different from being one in cash games. The main reason is because blinds increase in tournaments, hence there's constant stack pressure. As such, a strong short stack strategy is essential to survive late stages.

Tournament Factors That Heavily Affect Short Stack Strategy

Short stack play becomes significantly more profitable when you understand tournament-specific pressure. Unlike cash games, tournament chips cannot be reloaded, and this changes how opponents react to all-ins.

Antes Increase Fold Equity

When antes are in play, the pot is larger before cards are even dealt. This means that every shove risks less relative to what you can win, stealing blinds becomes more valuable, and open-jams and re-shoves gain EV even with marginal hands

As antes increase, you should shove wider, especially from late position.

Blind Pressure Forces Action

As blinds rise, stacks effectively shrink. A hand that was a fold at 25BB may become a shove at 15BB simply because waiting costs too much. Good short stack players act before they are desperate, not after.

Survival Bias and Risk Aversion

Many tournament players avoid calling all-ins unless they have very strong hands. This is especially true when you are near the bubble, the pay jumps, or at the final tables.

This fear creates extra fold equity, which short stacks should aggressively exploit by shoving and re-shoving more often.

ICM Awareness

You don’t need advanced ICM calculations to benefit from it. Just remember: Medium stacks fear elimination the most. 

When you are short-stacked, you should attack medium stacks more often than big stacks. After all, targeting players who don’t want to bust is one of the strongest tournament edges a short stack can have.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Here are the biggest mistakes poker players - especially beginners - make when playing short stacked:

• Calling too often

• Bluffing too much

• Playing speculative hands

• Ignoring position

Avoiding these mistakes alone can turn you into a good short stack player.

Final Thoughts

Being short-stacked is not a disadvantage—it is a skill. When you understand the strategy, stack sizes stop feeling scary and start feeling manageable.

Keep it simple, trust the math, and remember: a short stack played well can still win big pots.

FAQ: Short Stack Poker Strategy

Should I shove more often when I'm short stacked?

Yes, in most cases. As your stack drops below 20 big blinds, shoving becomes one of the most effective ways to apply pressure and maximize fold equity. Calling raises while short stacked often puts you in difficult post-flop situations where mistakes are costly.

Can beginners win with short stack poker?

Yes. In fact, beginners often perform better short stacked because decisions are clearer. It's not unheard of for players with less than 3 big blinds to become the chip leader.