Pokerwiner.com → Within poker principles
4.Be willing to play short-handed.
Unlike stack size, this is an extremely important factor in poker game preservation. One of the worst things for the long term health of a game is its breaking up frequently during the hours when players expect it to be spread. Typical players dislike this tremendously because they don’t want to quit when they’re stuck, without having had a chance to try to get even.
When a game does too often break up this way, players soon learn that they cannot rely on the game to continue through the day (or night, as the case may be). They learn as well that it may or may not be there if they go to the cardroom during its normal hours. Encountering unreliability of this sort will eventually cause players to look elsewhere for a game they can count on. What causes games to break? It usually happens when they become short-handed, and there is no list of players waiting. Typically, some or all of the players do not want to play short handed. They leave and the game breaks. (It is interesting to observe how this process often happens in stages. Perhaps some players quit and a nine-handed game becomes six-handed. Then a player who insists on a full game gets up and takes a walk waiting for the game to fill up again.
Now someone decides that five handed is uncomfortable and decides to quit. Finally, at four handed, two more players decide to quit. Finally, at four handed, two more players decide they’ve reached their limit and quit as well. That leaves two players who, for one reason or another don’t want to play each other, so the game evaporates.) As a serious player you can help prevent this. Simply be willing to play short-handed! If two or three players are willing to play short-handed, their game continues, and frequently fills up again as additional players arrive. In fact, of the many times I have sat in a short-handed game that did not break, there have been very few which did not fill up again within a couple of hours. (Of course I cannot speak about what happens in casinos I do not frequent.
Furthermore, I have been mostly a day shift player. A game may be less likely to fill up late at night.) If you are not skilled in short-handed play, then you would do yourself a favor by learning this fact of the game. (See my essay on short-handed play.) I am not suggesting that you should force yourself to sit and play head-up against some very tough short-handed play.) I am not suggesting that you should force yourself to sit and play heads-up against some very tough short-handed game quite playable if you are reasonably competent in this area of play. Keeping a game together by playing short-handed is one of the most powerful tools for game preservation that you have at your disposal. If can literally save a game. Be willing, as well, to help start games by playing short-handed until they fill up. You will have no game to play in until someone starts it. Furthermore, you will find that often a game fills quickly once other players see that they do not have to play short-handed to start it. Incidentally, feeling comfortable with short-handed play carries other benefits too. It gives you more playing time, adds variety to your poker experience, and is one of the more lucrative areas of poker play.
"The Best Player I' ve Ever Seen " / The Hit and Run Follies / An Illusory Winner /
On Randomness, Rushes, Hot Seats, and Bad Luck Dealers / Bad Beat? Think Again
Why Learn to Beat Tougher Games? / Practicing Game Preservation
Short-Handed Play: Don’t Miss out / How I Learned Poker: Part I
How I Learned Poker : Part II