Shortstack-Strategy: Sklansky-Chubukov numbers and preflop pushes
by jjacky
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Introduction
In this article:- You will learn what the Sklansky-Chubukov push is
- Two charts and modified ranges.
The original idea behind the Shortstack Strategy (SSS) was to make it possible for beginners to make some profit, even without a lot of knowledge or poker experience.
This was why the first version of SSS was very simple, making it possible to quickly learn the theory and -especially on the lower limits- exploit your opponents weaknesses and loose play. Playing with less than 40 BB has become very popular for poker players ranging from beginners to experienced and even amongst some pro's. On the mid-stakes, there are many players who make a solid profit, with a lot less variance compared to players who play with a big stack. Yet the original Shortstack Strategy isn't sufficient for staying successful on these limits and we therefore need to adapt and expand our strategy.
In this article we will introduce one of the most important concepts for being successful beyond the lower limits; The Sklansky-Chubukov push.
We will start by defining the Sklansky-Chubukov numbers and pushes and will also explain the concept behind them as well as their basic characteristics.Next, we will show you which hands can be pushed profitably, based on the Sklansky-Chubukov numbers.
We'll conclude by showing you some more hands which can be pushed under normal circumstances. Next to that we'll explain what the criteria are needed to determine whether a hand is eligible for a direct push or a normal raise.
The definition and original idea of the Sklansky-Chubukov numbers were invented by poker author David Sklansky and were first introduced in „No Limit Hold’em in Theory and Practice“ by David Sklansky and Ed Miller.
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#1
purplefizz, 23 Mar 09 12:34
great article! is this true? well then that's just amazing.#2
adeiush, 05 Jun 09 14:02
amazing :)#3
Smileyphil, 28 Jun 09 17:49
"Premium hands obviously shouldn't be pushed directly, but raised normally."Isn't this very obvious though? I would imagine it would be quite easy to exploit this.
Also regarding the rule of thumb for other positions could we continue the chart all the way around the table to early position and play a mathematically unexploitable game by pushing every time?
#4
Smileyphil, 28 Jun 09 17:55
Actually now I think about it it wouldn't be exploitable. If they notice that you are normal raising the top hands it would still be profitable to push the others - that is the basis of the numbers. An observant player may note we are normal raising with strong hands and then not give us action with them however.#5
sp00nman, 18 Aug 09 12:34
Say, you have 8 BB left and was dealt with KK. Everyone folded to you in CO. Do we have to go all-in now that we are raising half of our stack? Or is it still more profitable to do a standard 4 BB raise?#6
excelgeo, 14 Sep 09 09:27
sp00n go all in. even without sklansky saying so#7
xero100, 18 Sep 09 20:02
I need gold status to read this :(or I need to buy that book :D
#8
sp00nman, 22 Sep 09 16:42
Thanks excelgeo. Anyway, at what limit is it advisable to start incorporating this strategy to our game?#9
knb22, 24 Dec 09 12:35
Nice article! I have the same question as sp00nman, is these moves also profitable at NL25/50?#10
antonin87, 26 Jan 10 11:14
exactly man...is it ok to start on NL25???or are players there still too loose and therefore is no profit from this??#11
knb22, 19 Feb 10 00:03
I asked the SSS silver coach Gerv about this, and he considered these moves to cause too high variance for it to be profitable.