Short-handed poker requires some adjustment. You have to become more aggressive in many of the situations you’ll find yourself in. Fewer players at the table means fewer cards in play. That makes the hands that you do have more valuable than they would normally be.

You want to make raises when you’re in late positions, and don’t get pushed off your big blind every time the button player raises you. Hands like A-rag or K-Q become very strong at a table with three players or less. Don’t be afraid to make sizable raises with these types of hands. Also, betting at flops that have an ace in it, when no one raised pre-flop, is another high percentage play at a short table.

With so much aggression around a short-handed table it’s a good strategy to slow play big hands until an opponent commits some chips to the pot.