Poker Big Stack
How to Leverage a Big Stack for Poker Tournament Success
- Psychological aspects are also involved with stack sizes in poker. If you have a big stack and you are up against an opponent with an equally big stack, then there is the possibility that you could lose all your chips in this one particular hand. Alternatively, if you are up against an opponent that has a small stack, it is not possible for you to lose more than the amount your opponent has in front of them. This means that players will have a greater concern when playing against big stacks.
- Playing with big stacks opens up your range, but knowing when to get out Fold is equally important. I personally like big stack games, Allows more aggressive play and when holding the nuts allows.
- Playing smart throughout while maintaining a large stack is an intimidating image to carry across to other players. You have what they don’t – a hefty amount of chips between you and the point you’re knocked out. Make it clear you’ve built it up through skill, rather than playing in an aggressive manner.
Compared with many poker tournament situations, knowing how best to play a big stack is a nice problem to have. Many players make mistakes with their big stack. Letting the field catch up is the single biggest one. With a big stack you need to be ruthless. After all, you don’t win a tournament until you have every chip!
This guide to big stack tournament strategy covers this topic in depth. Here is what you will find below:
- Defining a Big Stack: Not all big stacks are equal, here I cover 3 different scenarios.
- Early Level Play: How to use a big stack while the blinds are small and antes not yet in play.
- Middle Level Play: With a diverse range of stack sizes on the table, you’ll have some extra options to consider.
- Leveraging a Big Stack at the Bubble: You can take advantage of scared money at the bubble, though there are some danger signs to look out for.
- In the Money / Final Table Big Stack Strategy: What adjustments to make when the money bubble has burst.
- Satellite Qualifier Tournaments: Special strategy notes for playing a big chip stack in a satellite qualifier.
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Three Types of Big Stack for Poker Tournament Players
Not all tournament big stacks are equal. Here are three scenarios, each involving a huge stack of chips, which have different strategy considerations:
- Deep Starting Stacks: Some tournaments start everyone off with a big stack of chips in relation to the blinds. For example, if you start with 15,000 chips at 25 / 50, you have a huge stack of 300x the big blind. Here, everyone else does too. You have plenty of ‘play’ in your stack – and can play some post-flop poker. Getting all-in and putting people under pressure are both risky in this spot.
- Early Double Up: Sometimes you will take the stack of another player early, and maybe even use this stack to win some more pots. For example, the blinds are small, and you grow your stack to 7000 chips from your initial 2500. Here, you have a cushion, though your opponents have a lot of flexibility – with between 50x and 75x the big blind in the average stack. While you are in a great situation, you do not have a free reign, losing a big pot would quickly bring you closer to the average.
- Dominant Big Stack: This spot can occur in the middle to later stages. Here you go on a tear, perhaps parlaying your early lead into a dominant position. The blinds have got big, many stacks are under pressure, and you have 150x to play with. Strategy here is different, you can play pots without the risk of busting – while your opponent’s cant!
There are other scenarios to consider. Sometimes you will be the only big stack in the game, while other times one or more of your opponents will have a big stack too. Sometimes, you will be the 2nd or 3rd biggest stack at the table. The situation also changes when there are 1 or 2 ‘micro-stacks’ (players on life-support) in the game. Here, those with mid-sized stacks will be reluctant to commit their chips before the extra short stacks bust.
Keep in mind when you read the strategy advice below that there are a huge number of permutations. You not only need to adjust to the other stacks, you also need to adjust to the tendencies you have spotted from individual players.
Early Level Tournament Strategy with a Big Chip Stack
You can’t win a tournament until you have all the chips. A common mistake among new players is to take the foot off the gas after a double, waiting for favourable spots. This allows one or more opponents to catch you up – denting the effectiveness of your chip lead. Instead, your approach should be to keep accumulating. You should look to put opponent’s under pressure and win more than your fair share of pots.
If you double-up in the early stages, you can take advantage of the bad players who usually don’t last long in tournaments. It will be much harder to take the chips from the good players later on.
Opening more pots is a positive move, though the types of hand you do this with don’t change too much. With deep stacks at the start of a tournament, implied odds hands go up in value. Unsuited ace-x or 2 picture card hands go down. Small pairs, suited aces and suited connectors can all make monsters on the flop.
If you see loose opponents enter too many pots, your big chip stack gives you the flexibility to isolate them. By reraising, you will usually get everyone else to fold – giving you a better shot at winning the chips from the loose opponent. If you do get a raise behind, you can comfortably fold (or call with the correct odds). 3-betting loose players is very effective when you find opponents that play ‘fit or fold’ on the flop – folding to continuation bets too often.
There is plenty of opportunity for post flop play and hand-reading during the early stages. If you have a big stack, you can put some pressure on opponents. This does not mean you should take bad odds on a call. What it does mean is that you should play positive and aggressive poker – making your opponents wary of bluffing you.
Mid-Level Tournament Strategy with a Big Chip Stack
As the blinds go up, there will be a mix of chip stacks at the tables. Some players will already be in the danger-zone, others will be comfortable (though not yet in a position to win), and still others might have a big stack like you.
With antes in play, stealing your fair share of the pots pre-flop becomes an objective.
If another player with a decent sized stack enters the pot, you need to consider the types of hands to call with. Before you decide to call light, make sure that losing a pot against this player would not stop you from dominating the mid-sized stacks around the table.
At this point in the game you need to be wary of accidentally committing yourself to a pot against a smaller stack. If someone with a small stack raises and you 3-bet, the pot might be so big that you have the odds to call with any reasonable hand post-flop – even though you will lose more often than not. Mid-sized stacks are the best targets. These players will be reluctant to play big pots without a monster hand. They have enough chips to wait for a better spot.
I recommend attacking limped pots and continuing to isolate the weakest / most straight-forward players. Beware of small stacks still to act in these spots. You could isolate a fish, only to find a shove all-in from someone with 10 to 15 big blinds.
Whatever the dynamic of your table, it is vital that your play focuses on accumulating more chips. It only takes a couple of other players to double up, and your big chip stack is not so far ahead any more.
Later Stages / Bubble Play with a Big Chip Stack
Your big chip stack comes into its own at the tournament bubble. This does not have to be the exact bubble (one player to go before the money). You should start to accumulate chips from players looking to make the money before they risk their stacks much earlier than this.
In many tournaments, players who were once loose will tighten up massively when the money paying places approach. They are looking to get the min-cash before taking any risks. You can use your big stack to steal multiple pots at this stage – and I advise being ruthless about it.
Any player with a comfortable stack (which can be as small as 8x the big blind or so) should become a target. Raise with any 2 cards if you are folded to in one of the later positions. Attack limpers and 3-bet those rare players who you think would raise light in this spot.
If a mid-stack reraises you (especially if they have not got out of line before), then they likely have a strong hand. You can safely fold – and continue stealing pots right away.
I recommend avoiding other big stacks at the bubble. If someone with a lot of chips raises every time, you might find a favourable spot to resteal. Unless you make a big hand, this is not the time for daring bluffs against someone that can bust you. Avoid raising players that are truly desperate. A micro-stack might just think their hand is good enough to go for it. Not only will you double them up, your strategy of raising any-2 (or close) could be revealed.
An advanced strategy that works in smaller tournaments is to keep a tiny stack alive, by folding your blind to them. While there is a tiny stack in play, players with mid-sized stacks will be super-reluctant to bust out.
In the Money / Final Table Big Stack Strategy
You’ll find a period just after the money bubble bursts where those players who tightened up will suddenly go crazy. They will be loose, wild and sometimes desperate to get a stack big enough to be in contention for the later stages.
This can present you with many +ev opportunities. If you have enough chips, you can find spots where you have a range advantage – and can reraise to push other players behind you out of the pot. Remember, you need to keep accumulating chips. The way to win with a big stack is always to make it even bigger.
When the final table approaches, the same scenario described for the bubble happens again. Players tighten up to try and make the final 9. If you avoid the other big stacks and focus on those with a comfortable number of chips, you can use this spot to grow your stack even more.
At the final table your first objective is to figure out which players are going for the win, and which are trying to fold their way up the prizes. A big stack can again be used as an effective weapon. If there are one or more ‘micro-stacks’ at the table, you should be relentless in putting pressure on everyone else. No player wants to bust in 9th when there are other players about to blind away.
A Special Note for Satellite Qualifiers
In satellites, a lot of players get the same prize – a ticket to a bigger poker tournament or even a live event package. If you have the biggest stack at the money bubble, you are in a really strong spot.
If there are a few players on life-support, the default strategy of anyone with a comfortable stack will be to fold every hand. They are not at risk, and even playing aces could put them in danger. Note that people usually will play those aces – whatever the equity maths shows!
Avoid other big stacks, and otherwise keep the pressure high in these spots. Even if you get the chips in behind against a micro-stack, the blinds and antes will usually make this a positive expectation play.
Stacks Poker Lubbock
Over the past two weeks, I've discussed how I play against both small stacks and medium stacks distributed around the table in a multi-table tournament. This week, I will wrap up this series by profiling the big stacks, discussing how best to approach them depending on where they are sitting.
Big Stacks On My Left
I will define a big stack as greater than 50 big blinds. These stack sizes are most prevalent in the early stages of a tournament. With this many chips, the average player is very hesitant to get it all in preflop without a premium hand. For this reason, I will focus primarily on postflop play.
Tight players with big stacks tend to loosen up a bit because they have 'gamblin' chips,' but at the end of the day, they are still tight players. They tend to gamble by calling lighter to see a flop and then playing fit or fold after flop.
Even when they hit the flop, they will likely fold to big bets on future streets if they don't improve enough to raise before the river. I open a wide range and triple-barrel bluff these players often if I can threaten their tournament life by doing so.
Loose players with big stacks on my left are the trickiest opponents I encounter. They fall into one of two groups.
The loose-passive ones will call me down with a wide range. This makes it tough to open and continuation bet light when they have position on me. In this case, I adjust by decreasing my bluffs and going for three streets of value.
The loose-aggressive ones put me in all kinds of tough spots with light three-bets and postflop raises when I open a wide range. I adjust to them by playing tighter and playing my hands more deceptively by using light four-bets and slow plays. If they are overly aggressive, I set traps for them and let them bluff off their chips to me.
If they are good and use a balanced strategy against me, there is no edge I can exploit to overcome their positional advantage and, therefore, I must play a balanced strategy as well. I cannot get out of line against them, so I have to wait for better spots. As long as I don't bust, the table will eventually change allowing me to regain the captain's chair.
Big Stacks On My Right
Tight big stacks on my right will play similarly to loose medium stacks. They will open a bit wider with their 'gambling' chips' and may call the three-bet to see a flop, but will fold at some point if they don't improve.
I mentioned how loose big stacks are tough to play against when they are on my left. However, they can be a gold mine when they are on my right because they will be opening light a ton. This gives me the option to three-bet them or flat them in position in order to take it away postflop.
I fully expect them to put more chips into the pot by aggressively four-betting light preflop or c-betting too much postflop. If I put up enough resistance, the observant ones may begin to adjust to me in the same ways I adjust to loose-aggressive big stacks on my left. If they realize that they cannot run over me, they will have to tighten up and defer to my positional advantage.
The more maniacal ones may be offended by my decision to fight back and decide to go to war with me. This will make for some huge pots, but in order to win tournaments, I need to be able to recognize when this is happening and be willing to accept the challenge while relying on my positional advantage to give me an edge in this fight.
Conclusion
Deep Stack Poker
Hopefully this three-part series helped you to think more about the table dynamics at play among the various stack sizes. As soon as you sit down at a new table in a poker tournament, your past experience and the stack distribution will give you clues as to how the action should go. Observing players' tendencies based on the decisions they are currently making will also give you clues as to how the action will actually play out going forward.
Only after you understand these two pieces of the puzzle — stack distribution and your opponents' tendencies — can you then craft the perfect strategy to maximize your expectation at the table.
Poker Big Stack Bully
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tournament strategyno-limit hold’emstack sizespositionpreflop strategypostflop strategy