When playing in a poker tournament you'll often find yourself in situations where you're short-stacked in relation to the blinds. This can happen for a number of reasons. Maybe you've lost a big hand, or perhaps the cards just haven't been coming for you.

Whatever the cause, you have limited options, but you do have options.

Too often I see players go all-in with garbage hands, essentially giving up, since they are short-stacked. Well, would you believe that World Series of Poker champion, Jack Strauss, actually came back to win the main event after being down to just one measly chip?

The old adage, "A chip and a chair," is a motto to live by.

Rather than just giving up and throwing your chips in foolishly, here are some strategies to get you back into the game and on the right track when you're short-stacked.

• Wait for a decent hand. Now is not the time to try and see a lot of flops with weak hands. You need to look for a hand that plays well, hot and cold, meaning, one that has a good chance of being the best hand before the flop. While hands like 5-6 suited are enticing, they obviously don't do very well hot and cold. However, hands like A-10 or K-Q would have a very good chance to win if you were lucky enough to hit a pair.

• Go all-in. When you're short-stacked you have limited weapons, so when you do decide to play a hand, go all or nothing and bet everything you have left. If nobody calls, you'll win the blinds and antes which will help you claw your way back to respectability. In fact, when playing short-stacked, your goal should be to win those blinds and antes.

• Be the first player to enter the pot. It's much better to be the first one into the pot when you play as a short stack. If someone has already raised in front of you, and then you go all-in, the chances that they'll call your bet increase. You simply wouldn't have enough chips to scare them off. Since your goal as a short stack is to attack the blinds and antes, logic dictates that if someone else has already shown interest in seeing the flop, it will be more difficult to get them to fold if you go all-in.

• Avoid the big stacks. Unless you have a premium starting hand, avoid going after the blind of a player who has a big stack of chips. He's more likely to defend his blind since your puny short stack won't do a lot of damage to him. Instead, you want to target other short stacks and average sized stacks. Players with average stacks can't be as careless with their chips, so it will be easier to take their blinds.

• Don't give up. Just remember Jack Strauss. He became a world champion when it looked like there was no way he could win another hand let alone the whole championship.

You have to stay positive, dig deep and try to claw your way back into the tournament. Too many players give up, inevitably saying something like, "I didn't have a choice. I had no chips anyway."

Well, you always have a choice, and the decisions you make as a short stack aren't insignificant at all. In fact, they are extremely crucial.

Here are a couple of final thoughts on the topic.

It's important to figure out just how short your stack is. If your stack is just below average and the blinds are relatively small, there is no real need for drastic adjustments to your strategy. However, if you find yourself with just one big blind left, you can't afford to wait too long for a hand to play. You'll have to lower your starting hand requirements significantly and hope for the best.

The last thing you want to do is ante yourself to death. When your stack becomes excessively short, hands like Q-7 suited or A-5 offsuit are clearly playable. Go ahead and toss all of your remaining chips into the pot.

And keep your fingers crossed.
By Daniel Negreanu