Short Stack
A short stack is a stack with relatively few chips compared with the blinds, usually fewer than 20 big blinds. It also means the player with the fewest chips at the table.
The simple explanation
With a short stack, you cannot make many small bets. You usually have to push all in or fold. Because you risk a lot of your stack with every bet, you must choose your hands carefully.
A closer look
Short stack play centers on push-or-fold decisions. When the stack is less than about 10 big blinds, a raise commits you to the pot, so all-in shoves are often best. Short stacks have high fold equity before the flop, but they cannot play after the flop. In tournaments, ICM and the M-ratio help to choose ranges. Playing against short stacks means calling wider, since the risk is smaller. A deep stack is the opposite.
A practical example
A player has 1,500 chips and the blinds are 100/200. That is a short stack of 7.5 big blinds.
Full explanation
A short stack is a stack with relatively few chips compared with the blinds, usually fewer than 20 big blinds. It also means the player with the fewest chips at the table.
A short stack is a small stack compared with the blinds.
Under about 20 big blinds is short.
It often means push or fold.
The opposite is a deep stack.
Alternative spelling: shortstack, short-stack
A 15-big-blind starting stack
No-limit Hold’em · Blinds 1/2 chips · No rake
Player A started with 30 chips at a big blind of 2: 15 big blinds, a short stack. A’s 29 chips behind plus the posted small blind of 1 make the original 30. Stack depth depends on the blinds, not on the strength of the cards.
Read the example transcript
Player A has the button (BTN) and posts the 1-chip small blind (SB). Player B posts the 2-chip big blind (BB).
- Preflop · Pot: 3 chips
Player A started with 30 chips at a big blind of 2: 15 big blinds, a short stack. A’s 29 chips behind plus the posted small blind of 1 make the original 30. Stack depth depends on the blinds, not on the strength of the cards.
- Player A BTN / SB AAce of clubs (Ac)KKing of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 29 · In this round 1
- Player B BB QQueen of hearts (Qh)QQueen of diamonds (Qd) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
Cards are shown for learning; totals are displayed before pot collection.