Part: Part Eleven - Short Tables

A fold full-ring is a raise short

Pre-flop
5-handed • Blinds 400 / 800Pot 1,200 (1.5 BB)COQ♣7♦● 20,000 (25 BB)YOUfolded to youSB● 20,000 (25 BB)posts 400 (0.5 BB)BB● 20,000 (25 BB)posts 800 (1 BB)D

Five-handed. It folds to you on the cutoff with Q♣7♦ - a hand you'd fold without thinking at a full table.

The same Q♣7♦ you'd muck full-ring, now five-handed on the cutoff. Best?

WhyFull-ring you'd fold Q-7o without a thought, but that instinct is calibrated for a UTG seat with eight opponents, not a cutoff with just three players left to act. Five-handed, faster blinds and fewer hands that beat you flip it into a profitable open - recalibrate to the table you're at and raise.
What happensIt folds and you win the blinds. Same two cards, opposite decision - the only variable that moved was how many players sit behind you.
A hand is only as weak as the table makes it. Q-7o mucks full-ring and opens five-handed - always recount the players before deciding a hand's worth.

Re-evaluate every hand against the current table size - a clear full-ring fold can be a clear short-handed raise.