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My favorite thing about short-handed play is that it makes me pay attention right from the start. Many times in a ten-handed NLHE tourney I play the beginning of the tournament on autopilot. I play my cards and let the cards dictate my play. Boring. Short-handed tournaments are not boring.

Most of the fun in the game for me lies in the psychology of poker. Outthinking my opponents and manipulating their actions to my ends is my favorite thing in the game. Short-handed play gives me a lot more opportunity to do this.

Anyone can tell you that fewer players at the table means you play more hands. However, having only six players at the table concentrates the game even more than most people think. Nine or ten players at the table means you can effectively be “invisible.” Short-handed gives you nowhere to hide.

Most players loosen up their game a bit when short-handed. Many also think that you will be loosening up your game as well, so more raises get called and more blinds defended. This means you will be playing hands against all your opponents more often. They will be watching you and trying to figure you out.

So what do you do? First I like to follow one of the oldest tactics in any war – disinformation. If people are paying attention to what I am doing, I want to give them a false impression. Sometimes I start off playing a few hands fast and loose just to make my opponents think this is my style, only to switch to a tight aggressive style a little later. Mostly I just start off even tighter than usual and raise openly with my good hands. Once they start thinking I am playing honestly, I will start restealing a bit more.

Small semi-bluffs work great for me when I play short-handed. Once I have my opponents convinced I am playing tight aggressively, they will often fold to my bets. If I get called and hit, then I can sometimes get paid off at the end where a looser player might not have gotten a call. Of course, once I show that former bluff, I have to switch my style again.

One other change I often make is not passively playing my small to medium pairs and set mining. Playing ten-handed, you can sometimes find somebody who hits at least a pair against your set and pays you off. I’ll usually raise with any pair short-handed and try to take the pot down early.

There is also the opportunity to profitably slow play your sets in a short-handed game. With the odds against a big draw significantly cut down, you can more easily afford to give one or two opponents a free card. I will even sometimes slow play two pair or worse if I think I may be able to use the deception later on.

Short-handed play is all about deceptive play and switching gears faster and more often than usual. This faster and more personal version of NLHE is exciting and fun to play. Remember to always think about how your past actions will affect your opponents’ future thinking. Change your next move accordingly, and you too will enjoy success at short-handed poker. With any luck you might even make some money while you’re at it.