Playing deep stack poker can be extremely uncomfortable for most cash game players and
tournament specialists. The biggest reason for ⚽️ this is that they spend most of their
time playing with stacks of 100 big blinds or less, and they ⚽️ are not familiar with deep
stack poker strategy.
If you belong to this group of players but want to expand your
⚽️ knowledge about deep stack games, you have come to the right place.
This article
explains deepstack poker's challenges and the best ⚽️ ways to prepare and master deepstack
play.
What Is Deep Stack Poker?
Like everything else in poker, the deep stack is a
⚽️ relative term and is completely situational. Generally speaking, poker players use this
term when they want to describe hands, situations, ⚽️ or formats in which players have
stacks of 150 big blinds or more. However, depending on circumstances, players can
refer ⚽️ to stacks being deep if they have anywhere from 50 big blinds to 1,000 big
blinds.
Here are a couple of ⚽️ examples to give you a better idea of what we refer
to.
Imagine a situation in which there are nine players ⚽️ at the final table. Most of the
players at the table have stacks of 20bb or less, while two players ⚽️ have 70bb or
more.
In this situation, players will refer to the two players with 70bb as having deep
stacks, although ⚽️ they both have less than 100bb. This is because they are deep-stacked
in relation to the other seven players at ⚽️ the table.
So if one of the players with 70bb
makes a raise into the other player with a similar stack ⚽️ size, the other player will
often use the term “we are both deep” to explain the spot. We will later ⚽️ discuss why
players refer to these spots the way they do and what this means from a strategic
standpoint.
Now, imagine ⚽️ a situation where there are 6 players at a cash game table,
each with around 200 big blinds, and the ⚽️ game is played with antes and
straddles.
Although players in this scenario have a lot more big blinds, 200bb stacks
in ⚽️ this scenario are not considered deep stacks. This is because all of the players at
the table have similar stacks, ⚽️ and most importantly, the antes and the straddles make
stacks much shallower in practice because they increase the size of ⚽️ the pot and an
effective big blind.
A big tournament poker stack
What Makes Deep Stack Poker Strategy
So Important?
How important deep ⚽️ stack strategy is depends on each individual player
and the games they play. For some players, it might be essential ⚽️ for their poker
success, while for others, it might not have any impact.
With this said, deep stacks
impact the game ⚽️ dynamics in several ways, and this is why players approach some of the
spots in deep stack play differently than ⚽️ in situations where they have shallow stacks.
The thing that drives almost all of the adjustments in situations where players ⚽️ have
deep stacks is the pot-to-stack ratio.
For this reason, mistakes that might seem
marginal in 100bb play can be devastating ⚽️ when you have 300bb or more.
For example, you
are playing in a cash game, and you raise 2.5 bb Ac ⚽️ 7c from the SB, and the BB calls
you with the effective stacks being 20BB.
The pot is 5bb, and the ⚽️ flop comes As 5h 9h.
You bet 3bb, and the BB goes all in.
In this situation, the pot is 25.5 ⚽️ bb (5bb in the
pot + your 3 bb + 17.5 bb that the BB went all in with.
This means ⚽️ that you need to
call an additional 14.5 bb (you already put 3 bb into the pot, so you need ⚽️ to put 14.5
bb more to match the BBs all in) to win 40 bb (25.5 bb already in the ⚽️ pot + the
additional 14.5 bb you need to put to put into the pot to make the call).
Your pot ⚽️ odds
in this situation are around 36%, meaning you have to be right one in three times to
make a ⚽️ profitable call, which significantly impacts your calling range.
Now let’s use
the same situation but with deeper effective stacks.
You are playing ⚽️ in a cash game,
and you raise 2.5 bb Ac 7c from the SB, and the BB calls you with ⚽️ the effective stacks
being 200 bb.
The pot is 5bb, and the flop comes As 5h 9h. You bet 3bb, and ⚽️ the BB goes
all in.
In this situation, the pot is 205.5 bb (5bb in the pot + your 3 bb ⚽️ + 197.5 bb
that the BB went all in with.
This means that you need to call an additional 194.5 bb
⚽️ (you already put 3 bb into the pot, so you need to put 194.5 bb more to match the BBs
⚽️ all in) to win 400 bb (205.5 bb already in the pot + the additional 194.5 bb you need
to ⚽️ put into the pot to make the call)
Your pot odds are now around 48%, which means
that you have to ⚽️ be right one in two times to make a breakeven call. And another
important thing to remember is that a ⚽️ wrong call will cost you 194.5 bb instead of 14.5
bb. Although the second example is quite extreme and you ⚽️ won’t encounter it often, we
used it on purpose to clearly show how stack sizes impact the pot odds. To ⚽️ help you
create the best possible deep stack poker strategy, we discuss how to adjust your play
in deep stack ⚽️ games below.
Life can be tough when you a big stack to your
right
Adjusting Strategy in Deep Stack Games - Preflop ⚽️ Bet Sizings
There is no strict
rule in deep stack games when it comes to preflop bet sizings, and how players ⚽️ approach
different spots depends on the format and their opponents.
In deep stack cash games,
players will usually not make huge ⚽️ adjustments in single raised pots. For example, they
might increase their preflop raising size from 2.5 bb to 3.5 bb ⚽️ against capable
opponents but will not go crazy with the sizings.
Although, it is important to note
that when playing deep ⚽️ stack poker against recreational players, regulars will often
increase their preflop raising size too. For example, 8bb or whatever they ⚽️ think the
opponent is willing to call, to try and maximize their edge and put as much money into
the ⚽️ pot before the flop as possible.
Tournament regulars implement this same deep stack
strategy as they will change their preflop sizes ⚽️ throughout the tournament in relation
to the size of the effective stacks. For example, in the early stages of the
⚽️ tournament, their raising size is usually much bigger than in the late
stages.
Adjusting Strategy in Deep Stack Games - Preflop ⚽️ 3 Bet Sizings
While in most
situations, you will want to keep the exact preflop raising sizes in single raised
pots, ⚽️ when it comes to 3betting, the situation is a bit different.
Because 3betting
creates a different dynamic since you are essentially ⚽️ saying that you have a premium
hand, you should increase your 3-betting size in accordance with the effective
stack.
The bigger ⚽️ the effective stack, the bigger your three-bet should be, and vice
versus. Remember to increase your size with both your ⚽️ premium hands that you are 3
betting for value and your weaker hands that you are 3 betting as a ⚽️ bluff.
Increasing
the size for one range but failing to increase the size for the other might result in
your opponents ⚽️ reading your range more effectively and outplaying you.
You don't go all
in as often with a deep stack as with ⚽️ a short stack
Adjusting Preflop Ranges When
Playing With Deep Stacks
One of the most important things about deep stack poker is
⚽️ realizing how the size of the stacks impacts the value of hands.
As you saw in the
example above, a hand ⚽️ such as a top pair is a fist bump call when your opponent has
around 20 bb in a cash ⚽️ game, but the situation is not that clear if effective stacks
are deeper or if you are playing in a ⚽️ tournament.
The main point of adjusting preflop
ranges in situations where players have deep stacks is to create ranges of hands ⚽️ that
are capable of flopping good hands or good draws and thus make good candidates call
down big bets.
For example, ⚽️ a hand such as A9 is extremely strong in situations where
the effective stacks are shallow but can become almost ⚽️ unplayable in situations where
the effective stacks are 200 bb deep.
On the other hand, combinations such as 76s are
almost ⚽️ worthless in situations where players have 20bb but become more valuable in deep
stack play.
This is not only because you ⚽️ will rarely make a top pair with 76 but also
because when stacks are shallow, bluffing becomes less effective, and ⚽️ this
significantly decreases the value of hands whose significant part of equity comes from
bluffs and semi-bluffs.
Ranges change when you ⚽️ have a deeper stack
Postflop Deep Stack
Strategy
If you are playing deep stack games with capable opponents, you should expect
to ⚽️ see much more raising and reraising after the flop compared to games with shallower
stacks.
One of the best examples is ⚽️ the high stake games you see on TV. Many of the
moves high-stakes pros make in front of the camera ⚽️ are only viable because they play
with 200 BB or more. This is why poker coaches will always tell you ⚽️ not to copy these
moves in your normal games where the effective stacks are 100 bb or even less.
The
biggest ⚽️ reason why raising and reraising after the flop is effective in deep stack
games is that the pot-to-stack ratio is ⚽️ much higher than in 100 bb games.
Because the
pot-to-stack ratio is higher, bluffs and semi-bluffs become much more effective as
⚽️ players have a lot more of their stack left, and they get a lot worse prices on
calls.
Deep Stack Poker ⚽️ Strategy Tips
One of the first things you need to learn about
deep stack poker strategy is knowing when to implement ⚽️ it.
What we mean by this is that
you need to learn to recognize when you are playing deep stack poker. ⚽️ As we mentioned
at the beginning of the article, only using big blinds to determine if the stacks are
deep ⚽️ will not be enough. You need to consider other factors like formats, the size of
other stacks, antes or straddles, ⚽️ average pot sizes, etc.
The second thing that will
increase your deep stack profitability is adjusting your preflop ranges. Adding more
⚽️ suited connectors is always a good idea because they give you the opportunity to make
both straight and flushes, combinations ⚽️ with which you can put a lot of money in the
pot.
Just remember to be cautious, and lean more towards ⚽️ playing suited connectors that
can make nut hands as your opponents will also look to play a lot of the ⚽️ same
combinations, and you want to avoid getting all the money in the pot with the
second-best hand.
Increase your checking ⚽️ frequency with marginal hands. This means
sometimes checking with hands that you would almost always bet with a stack of ⚽️ 100 bb
or less. By checking marginal hands, you allow yourself to control the size of the pot
and avoid ⚽️ getting raised, forcing you to fold solid holdings.
Avoid making light call
downs. Because they don't adjust to their opponents, this ⚽️ is one of the mistakes most
players make when playing deep stacks. The fact is that most players start playing
⚽️ tighter instead of the other way around. Their ranges will be much narrower, and their
bets will be much stronger ⚽️ as most of them only pay attention to their hand and don’t
think about the size of the stacks.
For this ⚽️ reason, you need to start reevaluating
hands that you normally use as call downs when playing with 100 bb or ⚽️ less.
These are
some general guidelines that will hopefully show you the right direction when thinking
about deep stack poker. Remember, ⚽️ each situation in poker is unique, and these
guidelines might not be the right answer every time.
Join for Free
If you ⚽️ have the
feeling you need to sharpen up your game then Pokercode is a great place to start. Sign
up ⚽️ for a free account and set your first steps towards becoming a better poker
player.
By signing up for a free ⚽️ account you will benefit from:
Access to a list of
curated study content, including one of Fedor’s study videos
Participate in our ⚽️ free
public coaching
An inside look at how the Pokercode community studies
Sign up now and
don’t miss out!
