Part: Part Eleven - Short Tables

No early position four-handed

Pre-flop
4-handed • Blinds 400 / 800Pot 1,200 (1.5 BB)UTGA♦5♦● 20,000 (25 BB)YOUfirst to actBTN● 20,000 (25 BB)ButtonSB● 20,000 (25 BB)posts 400 (0.5 BB)BB● 20,000 (25 BB)posts 800 (1 BB)D

Four-handed. You're under the gun - the first to act - with A♦5♦.

Four-handed, first to act (under the gun) with A♦5♦. Best?

WhyOpen-raise. Four-handed there is no real early position - even under the gun you have only three players behind. A-5 suited is an easy open; short-handed, 'first to act' isn't the constraint it is at a full table.
What happensYou raise; it folds around.  Short-handed, even UTG opens wide.
With only four players, 'early position' barely exists - the first seat still opens a wide range, because there are so few players left to act.

Short-handed, early-position caution disappears - even first-to-act seats open a wide range when only a few players remain.