Part: Part Nine - Inflection Points: M, Q & the Zones

Q: when you're short

Pre-flop
Blinds 400 / 800 (100 ante)Pot 2,100 (2.6 BB)Q = 0.4 • short - find a spotMPA♥J♣● 8,000 (10 BB)YOUQ = 0.4, well below averageSB● 20,000 (25 BB)posts 400 (0.5 BB)BB● 20,000 (25 BB)posts 800 (1 BB)D

Q = 0.4 (you have 8,000; the average stack is 20,000) - well below average, late in the event.

A small Q late, and you pick up A♥J♣. Best mindset?

WhySitting at 8,000 while the average is 20,000, folding preserves nothing - the blinds erode you every orbit and the field pulls further away. A-J is comfortably good enough to get in and try to double; the real mistake is waiting for a monster that never comes.
What happensYou look for the spot to commit instead of nursing a dying stack. A small Q forces action - the alternative is blinding out in last place.
Q measures how far behind the field you are, and a small one says you can't out-wait anyone. Take a reasonable double-up spot now, because the situation only gets worse if you don't.

When your stack is a fraction of the field average, patience is a slow death. A small Q means committing at the first reasonable spot rather than blinding away below the pack.