Guide to short stack play

Phil Hellmuth holds a record eleven World Series of Poker bracelets and is also a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

Hellmuth has made several instructional poker videos, including his Ultimate White To Black Belt Course and Phil Hellmuth's Million Dollar Poker Secrets, and has written several poker books including Play Poker like the Pros, Bad Beats and Lucky Draws, The Greatest Poker Hands ever Played and Poker Brat.

Here's Hellmuth runs you through his short stack strategy:

"I think of a short stack as being someone who has less than 15 times the big blind. I don't like it when someone has 15 times the big blind and bets it all on Ace, deuce because everybody does that know, it's just too predictable. Now someone with Ace, Jack can call because they think 'why did they bet with 15 times and not three."

"With Ace, deuce I may make a little raise, I may fold the hand and I may even move in with it sometimes but it's not a strong hand to move in with.

"There are a times when you are short stacked or just above the short stacked line when being patient is still important. Short stack you need to be patient because everyone is going to call you. I still like to play patiently when I'm low chipped.

"There are a lot of people who are chronic short stacks and the reason why they are chronic short stacks is because they don't play enough hands or they are just too patient.

"If you play too patiently you are not going to play enough hands and you are always going to be a short stack. Then it's difficult because you need a big hand to double up, you might get that big hand but I'd like to see someone who is chronically a short stack learn to play more aggressively.

"But if there's 100 people left in the game and 90 are cashing sometimes if I am short stacked I would play even tighter until others busted themselves, that's a viable strategy to do that.

"I think the people who play super aggressively often accumulate a lot of chips early and that's part of being super aggressive and then what happens is when you get deeper and deeper in a tournament those aggressive plays aren't working.

"Now people will start thinking 'I'm not going to let him raise four in a row, I'm going to come back over the top with Ace, four because it's probably the best hand'.

"And now the guy who is probably bluffing and plays too many hands can't call the re-raise so he gets short on chips right near the money because he is making raises and can't call the re-raises. If you are one of those super aggressive players who gets a lot of chips early, you need to know when to play super aggressive and when to back off.

"In cash games if you are not going to buy back in then use the same strategy as tournament play but I would trap more. If I were short stacked in a side games and I had two Aces or two Kings then I might limp in because now if anyone flops any pair then they are going to call you."