Poker stack size matters a lot in online poker games. Most of the players underrate the importance of their own poker stack and that of their opponents. But stack sizes play an important role in making your decisions during the game. Let us see how poker stack sizes affect your game.
Starting Poker Stack Size
Starting stack size tells a lot about a poker player. If a player is joining a cash game with a small stack like 20 Big Blinds (bb), you can easily tell that he is a casual player who is not going to play for a long session. He is most likely to be a loose player who is looking to double his chips. On the other hand, if a player is entering with a 100 bb stack, you can easily guess that he is a serious player who is looking to play for a long time. So, the starting poker stack size reveals a lot about the type of player.
Types of Stack Size
There are three types of stack sizes in poker:
Small Stack: Less than 40 bb
Medium Stack: 40 to 90 bb
Big Stack: More than 91 bb
Most of the online poker tables have a minimum buy-in of 20 bb and a maximum of 100 bb. If a player enters with 100 bb and doubles up to 200 bb, then he has a deep stack. A deep stack is defined as having more than 200 bb.
How Do Poker Stack Sizes Affect Your Game?
Your stack size affects your decisions while playing cash games. You may join with a small stack and double your chips; alternatively, you may lose a lot from your big starting and end up with a short stack. Your current stack size has both mathematical and psychological implications that affect your game in many ways.
Short Stack
You feel handicapped while playing with a short stack as you won’t be able to execute effective bluffs. You can raise a limited amount of chips, which will not be scary enough for your opponent to fold. You will be limited to going all-in preflop to double your chips, and the post-flop board texture will decide your fate. Even if you decide to go all-in, you will have to wait for really strong hands and end up losing a lot of blinds. If you are playing cash games and end up with a short stack, it is better to reload and get more chips to play poker efficiently.
Big Stack
With a big stack, you can bluff better as you can raise more to scare your opponents to fold. You can play tight and wait for strong hands. Also, you can fold weak hands more often, and losing blinds will not bother you much. You will be able to compete efficiently against both small and big stack players, as you can make advanced plays with your big stack.
Big Stack Vs Short Stack
There will be many situations when big stacks and short stacks collide. Both the sides have their own advantages when facing a stack size different than theirs. If it is a war, a big stack is the one holding a machine gun with lots of bullets, and a short stack is the one holding a sniper gun. A big stack can fire a lot of bullets to get a kill, while a short stack needs only one bullet to kill.
A Big Stack Against a Short Stack
Big stacks have an advantage when they are in position against a small stack, especially during post-flop. A big stack can use his stack size to bully short stacks with huge raises after seeing the board. Also, it is not possible for a big stack to lose more than what a small stack has.
A Short Stack Against a Big Stack
Small stacks have an advantage when they are in position against a big stack, especially during preflop. If a big stack limps in on the preflop, a small stack can go all-in to force a big stack to fold. Limping suggests a marginal hand, which can be exploited by a small stack by going all-in. Also, it is very difficult for a big stack to bluff against a small stack as they can call with whatever little chips they have left.
Big Stack Vs Big Stack
This is where the game gets tricky. When a big stack collides with another big stack, any of them can lose all of their chips in just one hand. A big stack is more worried about playing against another big stack.
Whenever two big stacks compete, they don’t play with marginal hands like a pair. They usually go heads-up with flushes, straights, full houses or quads. Things can get really tricky when they go deep till the river. Also, they have good implied odds when any one of them have drawing hands. So, if you are a big stack playing against another big stack, play with caution and engage with very strong poker hands.
Also Read: What is Effective Stack Size in Poker?
Conclusion
As you can see, poker stack sizes play an important role in making your decisions. It is advised to join cash games with a big stack of 100 bb to play poker efficiently. If you are joining with a small stack, try to go all-in preflop with the best starting hands to double up.
Also Read: Why Poker Position Matters Before Betting?
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. We will be happy to answer!
