short-stack
TournamentAliases: short stack, 短码, shortstacked
A short stack is a player with a relatively shallow stack, typically below 20bb. Decision-making is greatly simplified — mostly shove/fold.
A short stack is a player with a relatively shallow chip stack, typically measured in big blinds:
- Ultra-short: < 10bb
- Short: 10-20bb
- Medium: 20-40bb
- Deep: 50bb+
Detailed Explanation
Short-stack strategy traits:
- Decisions simplify to shove/fold: stacks are too shallow for postflop play; most actions are all-in or fold
- Fold equity is the main +EV source: shoves win when opponents fold
- ICM impact is relatively smaller: close to busting, limited marginal value to lose
- Shove range is slightly wider than chipEV: on the bubble, short stacks push wider than mediums
Push/fold decisions have ready-made charts (e.g. Nash equilibrium charts) — look up by position + stack:
- 12bb BTN: about 35% shove range (22+, A2s+, K8s+, Q9s+, J9s+, T9s, A8o+, KTo+)
- 10bb SB: ~30% shove
- 6bb: shove almost everything
Short-stack call ranges are much tighter than push ranges (calling has no fold equity, only showdown equity):
- 12bb calling any short-stack shove: QQ+, AK
- 12bb calling a big-stack shove: JJ+, AKs
Common Use Cases
- Mid-to-late tournament: blinds escalate fast, most players spend time short-stacked
- MTT bubble: short stacks actually have better survival odds than mediums (aggression + ICM asymmetry)
- Learning push/fold charts: starting from short-stack is the fastest tournament-learning path
- Avoid muddy play: short-stack flat calls are usually -EV — shove or fold