Originally Published: July 18, 2011, 07:55 AM

Stack size dictates strategy in No Limit hold’em

Posted By Diego | Poker-Strategy News | July 18, 2011, 07:55 AM |

One of the key aspects of no limit Online Texas Hold em strategy is stack size. By stack size then I do not automatically mean your own stack size but also the stack size of your opponent. Let us look at an example here to highlight what I mean. You are playing in a NL200 full ring game and you have $235 on the table. A player who you know to be a skilled minimum stack player limps in UTG for $2 and another middle position player also limps. It is folded around to you on the button and you look down and see the 10d-9d.

Now you are clearly going to play the hand but one question remains unanswered and it is a vital one. This is how big the stacks of your opponents are? We already know that your stack is $235 which is a deep stack. The UTG player has $35 in their stack while the middle position player has $209. You know a fair bit about the UTG player and you also know that he makes money as a minimum stack regular on the site. His method of operation is to limp-raise trying to catch dead money in the middle with premium hands or overzealous late position stealers.

So here then in this instance then the stack size of the UTG limper could change your play from a raise (if you were thinking about raising) to a call. You would like to play your suited connector in position against another deep stack but what you don’t want is to raise and then the original limper come over the top with a re-raise and shove all in. This would fold out the other limper who potentially could have lost a big pot to you and you would need to fold also.
Calling in this instance denies the short stack player the opportunity to use his strategy perfectly. However let us look at another example to see how your stack size affects your strategy and look at things from the perspective of the short stacker. Let us say that you bought in for the minimum $40 in this NL200 ring game. Clearly in this instance then you are playing hand strength. Let us say that someone open raised to $7 and your stack was only $37 and you see a hand like 10-9s.

Clearly here you cannot call because your implied odds are poor. If you call with the suited connector looking to hit a big flop then you would only have $30 left in your stack and so the payoff should you make your hand would only be another 15bb if the hand were heads up. You have a clear fold here and it is your stack size that is making it a clear fold. Whenever you play a hand in no limit hold’em then you need to pay careful attention to stack size as it is this part of the game that is perhaps one of the biggest factors in how you play the game.

Embed One of the key aspects of no limit Online Texas Hold em strategy is stack size. By stack size then I do not automatically mean your own stack size but also the stack size of your opponent. Let us look at an example here to highlight what I mean. You are playing in a NL200 full ring game and you have $235 on the table. A player who you know to be a skilled minimum stack player limps in UTG for $2 and another middle position player also limps. It is folded around to you on the button and you look down and see the 10d-9d. <br><br> Now you are clearly going to play the hand but one question remains unanswered and it is a vital one. This is how big the stacks of your opponents are? We already know that your stack is $235 which is a deep stack. The UTG player has $35 in their stack while the middle position player has $209. You know a fair bit about the UTG player and you also know that he makes money as a minimum stack regular on the site. His method of operation is to limp-raise trying to catch dead money in the middle with premium hands or overzealous late position stealers. <br><br> So here then in this instance then the stack size of the UTG limper could change your play from a raise (if you were thinking about raising) to a call. You would like to play your suited connector in position against another deep stack but what you don’t want is to raise and then the original limper come over the top with a re-raise and shove all in. This would fold out the other limper who potentially could have lost a big pot to you and you would need to fold also.<br> Calling in this instance denies the short stack player the opportunity to use his strategy perfectly. However let us look at another example to see how your stack size affects your strategy and look at things from the perspective of the short stacker. Let us say that you bought in for the minimum $40 in this NL200 ring game. Clearly in this instance then you are playing hand strength. Let us say that someone open raised to $7 and your stack was only $37 and you see a hand like 10-9s. <br><br> Clearly here you cannot call because your implied odds are poor. If you call with the suited connector looking to hit a big flop then you would only have $30 left in your stack and so the payoff should you make your hand would only be another 15bb if the hand were heads up. You have a clear fold here and it is your stack size that is making it a clear fold. Whenever you play a hand in no limit hold’em then you need to pay careful attention to stack size as it is this part of the game that is perhaps one of the biggest factors in how you play the game. <br /><a href='http://www.poker-playing.org'>Poker</a> | <a href='http://www.poker-playing.org/Poker-Strategy/Stack-size-dictates-strategy-in-No-Limit-holdem'>Stack size dictates strategy in No Limit hold’em</a>