This time, I would like to summarize how to play with deep stacks, which are often played in the early stages of tournaments and cash games.
◆Deep stack play◆
Playing with a deep stack tends to require more skill and be more difficult than playing with a short or middle stack.
This is simply because it is less likely to go all-in in the middle of the street, so you have more opportunities to make decisions about your actions.
The pot gets bigger as you move from the flop to the turn and from the turn to the river, and the difficulty increases as you progress through the street.
Understanding your opponent’s playing tendencies becomes more important, and the metagame becomes a stronger factor.
The risks are greater, but so are the rewards, so deep stack tactics become an important skill.
◆Key Points for Deep Stack Play◆
Now let’s look at some important points in deep stack play.
●Changes in hand value
Hands like AKo and AQo are premium hands in short stacks, but you need to think differently in deep stacks.
These hands, which can become strong top pairs, are difficult to escape from strong action from your opponent and have large reverse implied odds.
Rather than such hands, Axes and KTs, which can aim for a flush or straight, are more suitable for deep stack play.
This is strongly related to implied odds.
In deep stacks, the value of hands with high implied odds increases. Hands that can aim for
great value, such as a set-mine with a pocket pair or a flush or straight with a suited connector, also increase in value. Hands that
are difficult for your opponent to understand, such as a gutshot straight draw or a two pair with cards that appear to be lag, tend to have higher implied odds.
Position
Position is an important factor in all poker situations, but it’s especially important when playing with a deep stack.
If you have a marginal hand in a deep stack situation, it’s easier to control the pot in position, and if you have a top-of-the-range hand, you can aim for maximum value on three streets.
This means your advantage in position is greater, and your disadvantage out of position is greater.
Therefore, when playing with a deep stack, try to avoid playing out-of-position and instead play more inside-position.
