How to Play Deep Stacked
Introduction
In this article
- Variance increases with stack size
- Pot control > Protection
- New possibilities when playing with a large stack
A lot of your moves (especially all-ins before the flop, bet sizes, bluff induces and value bets) have become standard over time. Your goal is to be all-in by the river and to take your opponent's entire stack when you have a very good hand.
The basic concepts (which you should have mastered by now) focus on playing with a 100 BB stack, the usual maximum buy-in. This article will show you how the conditions change when you have a stack that is significantly larger than 100 BBs.
Being deep stacked means that both you and your opponent have significantly more than 100 BBs in your stacks. The game starts changing significantly once 150 BB stacks come in to play. The variance connected to all of your individual decisions increases as stacks deepen.
We will use 200 BBs as a standard deep stack size in this article and the examples.
Basic principles of deep stack play
Your game depends on a number of factors, including your hole cards, your opponents, hand history and, in hands when you make it to the flop, the board. A glance at the stack sizes (yours and your opponent's) is also just as important.
You know that you have to play differently against short stacks than against full stacks. The same counts for mid stacks, as well. You don't have great implied odds, which means you can't call for set value or play draws profitably. You can also easily go broke with top pair top kicker, since you have less reverse implied odds, as well.
Playing bet/fold on the turn is usually no longer an option. A small stack will probably go all-in after a bet the turn; and you would be pot committed against a mid stack.
Of course, things can always go the other way. You're in a completely different game when you and your opponent both have very large stacks.
A few thoughts on the key points:
The type of opponent you are facing is always a key factor. You should be aware that your implied odds increase with the size of the stacks, which means you can call in position with hands that you would fold with a normal size stack.
Don't change your basic game against decent opponents like TAGs and LAGs. If you start playing marginal hands more offensively and making looser 3-bets, you can expect to face more 4-bets from opponents in return.
4-bet/fold, which would rarely come into question with a 100 BB stack (pure bluffs), is another option with deep stacks; just be careful when doing so (see below).
Doing so would either have you playing for pots too large for your hand, or simply folding in the end. Furthermore, you can assume that your opponent is a relatively good player, since he has no problem sitting and the table with two stacks.
You want to play more offensively against calling stations and poor/weak opponents. Your goal against such players is to get involved in large pots and to then force your weak opponent to make difficult a decision.
You're hoping to either outplay your opponents, or make other deep stacks worry about their money at the table and scare them into folding good hands. Put the pressure on.
As we said above, your implied odds increase with the stack sizes. This makes it possible to call 3-bets for set value, which you normally wouldn't be able to do with a regular size stack.
This principle applies to weaker starting hands, such as suited connectors, suited one gappers, suited aces, etc., as well. You usually wouldn't directly call a pre-flop raise with these hands unless you were sure to have a good read on your opponent. You can often make a profitable call in position after another opponent cold calls; however, it is rarely profitable to do so out of position.
3-betting is an option when you are in position, but this decision should ultimately depend on your opponent. These are drawing hands and you will often have to win without hitting, meaning you can take down the pot with the the pre-flop 3-bet, or with a continuation bet on the flop.
You normally won't hit the board often enough to justify such a call. The reason you can do so: your very high implied odds. You can obviously expect to win more from an opponent with a deep stack. Taking a look at the flop is more profitable than when playing with normal size stacks.
If, however, you have a strong starting hand, you will have to be cautious. Be aware that you are playing for significantly larger pots than usual. With a 100 BB stack you could go all-in with pocket kings on principle.
The same generally counts with AK and QQ when facing very aggressive opponents. The real question, though, is if you really want to go all-in on a coin flip with such a hand. Be aware that you are not the only one risking a lot more on a single hand than usual, your opponent is doing the same, as well, which should lead him to play with a more narrow range of starting hands.
An aggressive player might go all-in before the flop with QQ or JJ for 100 BBs; this, however, is something he definitely should not do with a 200 BB stack. You should wonder what a tight opponent, who rarely raises before the flop and is now 5-betting after you 4-bet with pocket kings, could have. Whereas this would probably be a standard all-in with a 100 BB stack, you could actually find a fold with a 200 BB stack. You will almost always be running into aces.
Variance touches up on our last point. You might normally look for coin flips, but be aware that you will encounter greater variance when playing deep stacked. The player with the best hand won't be collecting two stacks; 4-6 stacks (+) will be making their way to him.
As we said, your opponent will only be willing to invest this much money when he has a really good hand. You should therefore re-think your standard moves. Don't automatically go all-in like you would with 100 BBs when you have an over-pair or perhaps even a set after the flop in a 3-bet pot.
Every decision can end up being twice as expensive. If you're not a big fan of variance and are not absolutely certain that you have the best hand, you can afford to fold and save yourself the headache.
Pot control is more important than protection when you get involved in such pots. You don't want to go broke with top pair top kicker or an over pair on the flop when you're deep stacked. As an emergency measure you can always give free cards and/or fold to scare cards on the turn or river instead of going all-in.
You also have to modify your range and the range of your opponents. An aggressive player might normally raise with a draw, but it's also quite possible that he will only call (and continue playing if he improves) when deep stacked. 200 BB is a lot to risk on a draw (although it can be done).
Most players are less willing to bluff as stack sizes increase. Your opponents' ranges are tighter; they don't want to squander their hard earned stack with a mistimed move.
You won't find a lot of bluffs in such large pots, especially when you're on the turn and the pot has reached substantial size (the usual bluff raises will still be made on the flop, since most players are making standard moves up to this point).
Be careful when trying to induce bluffs. There are a lot of situations, in which you check behind on the turn to induce a bluff and call any bet on the river. Be twice as careful doing so when you are deep stacked.
On one hand, the bets are probably of considerable size by now, and your opponents are less likely to make a large bluff bet on the other. Variance also comes into play again. You may think your opponent will make an all-in bluff on the river, since you showed weakness with your check behind on the turn, but do you really want to risk another 100 BBs to find out if it was a bluff when he does?
You can also consider using aggression to take advantage of opponents' weakness. We aren't taking about an all-in bluff on the river - that would be too expensive. Try bluffing before or on the flop.
Your opponent will probably be thinking about variance, pot control, protection, ect., as well. He is likely to be more cautious when involved in a pot with you. This opens the door for a bluff check/raise, since your opponent won't want to play for a big pot with a marginal hand.
You have better chances at getting a good hand to fold than when playing with 100 BB stacks.
You want to take advantage of the fact that your opponent is scared and knows you could force him to play for a big pot. You also want to avoid a tough decision on the turn with a marginal hand.
Aside from showing aggression on the flop, you can also 4-bet with a weak hand - this won't make you pot committed when you're deep stacked. You can 4-bet/fold against a LAGs that like to raise and 3-bet before the flop.
Your opponents will lay down a lot of hands that are better than yours. You can even 4-bet with 56s if you have a good read and know your opponent likes to 3-bet. If he does decide to push with 200+ BBs, you'll have an easy fold.
Your opponent will only push with a very strong hand, thus your fold equity increases immensely. Since your opponent won't be able to push with many of the hands that he 3-bets with, he will rarely be able to call.
Be careful when you and your opponent are both deep stacked. Reads become a very important part of your game. You should know exactly what kind of opponent you are facing. You have higher implied pot odds before the flop, but also higher reverse implied odds after the flop. You will often find yourself in much too big pots with marginal hands. Expect variance to increase, as you are no longer playing for 2 stacks, but rather for 4 (or more).
Try to get to the river without investing too heavily when you have showdown value. Pot control is now more important than protection; you're better off giving away a free card and/or folding to a scare card than defending a marginal hand at all costs.
Bluffs on the turn are rare, the bets and raises are generally of substantial size by this point. Take advantage of opponents' weakness and be aggressive; 4-bet before the flop and bluff check/raise when you have a read. Throw your weight around and force your opponents to fold.
Remember, folding is always more profitable than going all-in with 2 stacks when in doubt.
How to play before the flop
Let's take a look at a few examples of what we've discussed put to practice.
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
MP ($32)
CO ($28)
UTG ($33)
BB ($28)
SB ($67) (16/13/2.1/26/1012) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
Hero ($73)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K
, K
3 folds, Hero raises to $1.00, SB raises to $4.00, BB folds, Hero raises to $13.00, SB raises to $36.00, Hero...
You make a standard raise with pocket kings from the BU position. The small blind 3-bets, you naturally respond with a 4-bet. Yet since you are both deep stacked, the SB is able to answer with a 5-bet.
This would be an easy all-in in a 100 BB game, even if you know he is tight. Right now, however, you are so deep stacked, that you can still lay down your hand after 4-betting.
The SB, a TAG, will defend his blinds with a relatively wide range of hands. A 5-bet with your stacks sizes, however, shows your opponent is willing to play for more than 2,5 normal stacks - a sign of a very, very strong hand.
You have no real reason to believe he is bluffing. He also has to realize that you have a strong hand; it's unlikely that he will try to make you fold a hand like KK or QQ with a bluff 5-bet.
He probably would have called your 4-bet with AK to see the flop; with a hand like pocket queens he would also have other options than 5-betting. His play indicates aces so strongly, that you can make an exception and fold your kings before the flop.
You can question the sense of playing 4-bet/fold with KK. You could theoretically call the 3-bet and see what decide after the flop. There are, however, reasons not to do so:
- You are usually ahead and want to protect your hand (against smaller pocket pairs, for example).
- You want to bluff 4-bet at times, which means you have to 4-bet with strong hands, too.
- With such large stacks, playing after the flop won't be comfortable any more .
- Your call doesn't change much if he really does have aces, although you could control the size of the pot somewhat and limit your losses. On the other hand, you aren't going broke with a 4-bet fold, either.
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
MP ($17)
CO ($12)
UTG ($57) (50/44/4.5/24/43) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
BB ($32)
SB ($26) (42/2/0.2/34/325) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
Hero ($59)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with 3
, 5
UTG raises to $1.25, 2 folds,Hero calls $1.25, SB calls $1.15, BB folds
Flop: ($4.25) J, J, T (3 players)
SB checks, UTG bets $4.00, 2 folds
Once again you are on the button, this time with suited one gappers. This isn't really a very strong hand, but that could change on the flop.
Usually you would fold to an UTG raise; you don't need to get involved, even if another player cold calls. There are, however, a few particularities of deep stack play to consider.
UTG hasn't been at the table long and has already won a full stack by raising with every second hand. the SB behind you is a loose calling station.
UTG raises, as always, and you cold call. You could theoretically consider a bluff 3-bet in such a situation, but you haven't seen this opponent fold often enough to consider bluffing. You call for one single reason: your implied odds.
You and UTG are both deep stacked. Judging by the way he has been playing, you could probably stack him if you hit (flush or straight (draw), two pair, trips...). The SB, who likes to see flops, is also likely to enter the hand, but probably won't raise.
You call based on your implied odds (you would not have high enough implied odds to call with a 100 BB stack).
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
BU ($23)
CO ($65)
UTG ($34)
BB ($67) (29/27/3.9/24/651) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
SB ($25)
Hero ($61)
Pre-flop: Hero is MP with 7
, 8
UTG calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.25, 2 folds, BB raises to $4.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $13.00
Here you see an example of a bluff 4-bet. You make a standard raise with suited connectors in middle position. The BB, an aggressive LAG, 3-bets. You have three choices: fold, call or 4-bet.
You could fold, of course, but don't necessarily have to against such an aggressive opponent. You could also call, since you have position on the BB. The question is, do you have the right implied odds to stay in the hand if you hit a draw on the flop?
It's not a matter of your opponent's stack size, but rather the wide range of hands he plays. He will 3-bet a lot of hands in this situation. If you aren't sure that you have the right implied odds you can easily play 4-bet/fold. Your stacks are so big that you have enormous fold equity.
As we said, you can expect your aggressive opponent to 3-bet and defend his blind, but now you're making him call a 4-bet out of position. Your opponent, aggressive as he is, really only has two options: raise or fold. Raising would make him pot committed and the range of hands he would play for two stacks is much smaller than the range of hands he would re-steal with.
If he doesn't fold, he will push and you have an easy lay down. And even if he does call, you can still hit with 87s. With a hand like ATo on the other hand there won't be many flops that you actually want to see (other than ATT, AAT or KQJ).
How to play after the flop
Once you reach the flop it's time decide if you want to play for a big pot or concentrate on pot control.
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
MP ($25)
CO ($33)
UTG ($35)
BB ($24)
SB ($67) (16/13/2.1/26/1012) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
Hero ($73)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K , K
3 folds, Hero raises to $1.00, SB calls $0.90, BB folds
Flop: ($2.25) 5, 6, 7 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.00, SB raises to $7.00, Hero...
You have pocket kings and get one pre-flop caller. Then you see an ugly board and your opponent does what you didn't want him to do: he check raises the flop. You have three choices, as always: fold, call or 3-bet.
You have to be willing to broke with your hand if you 3-bet. (a 3-bet/fold would be a pure bluff otherwise; you can do this kind of move with a hand that completely missed the flop).
All-in would be a tough decision with well over 200 BBs. You could be ahead against a draw or a weak overpair. But what kind of hand is your opponent, who has been very cautious so far, willing to go broke on?
He can check/raise with a lot of hands, but what does he have to have before he risks it all? He'll be able to lay down a weak overpair or draw, and will obviously fold if it was a bluff. He's likely to have a hand like 55/66/77, or a strong draw like A 8. You don't want to go all-in against any of these hands.
This leaves you with two choices, folding or calling. You could easy fold, but you can't just always let your opponents steal the pot so easily. You also are in position, which gives you another reason not to fold.
This process of elimination leaves you with one option: calling. You're obviously not thrilled about giving away free cards, especially since there are a number of scare cards that could show up on the turn. On the other hand, it will be a lot easier for you to fold if one of them does.
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
BU ($24)
CO ($25)
UTG ($61) (15/13/1.2/22/734) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
BB ($32)
SB ($26)
Hero ($54)
Pre-flop: Hero is MP with 3 , 3
UTG raises to $1.25, Hero calls $1.25, 4 folds
Flop: ($2.85) 2, 7, 8 (2 players)
UTG bets $2.25, Hero raises to $7.00
You call with a small pocket pair from middle position after a very tight opponent raises before the flop. You miss the flop, but are in position. Your opponent makes a standard contibet.
Now you take advantage of the same problems we discussed in the last hand; you raise and force your opponent to make a difficult decision on the flop.
As we said, your opponent is a very tight and aggressive player. He won't be able to call your raise for the same reason that you were only able to call at most one raise in the previous hand. The board is too draw heavy. He has to decide whether to 3-bet or to fold. He would need a very strong hand to 3-bet, since he knows how large the pot might become. You can force him to fold a hand like overpairs (and any bluff, of course) often enough to justify a raise.
You could try to float against a passive player (an AF of 1.2 isn't particularly high). Such an opponent could easily have second barreled on the turn with a weak overpair like TT or JJ, however. You would have to bluff raise to win, which could also be expensive. Still, floating would be a good alternative in such a scenario.
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
BU ($59) (22/8/3.4/25/831) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
CO ($32)
UTG ($12)
BB ($63)
SB ($24)
Hero ($71)
Pre-flop: Hero is MP with A , K
1 fold, Hero raises to $1.00, 3 folds, BB calls $0.75
Flop: ($2.10) 3, 4, 9 (2 players)
BB bets $2.10, Hero raises to $9.00
You face a donk bet after raising with AK before the flop. Your reaction to a donk bet in a heads up situation should depend on your opponent and the situation at hand. This time your opponent is a very aggressive post flop player, which means his donk bet doesn't mean much.
You take advantage of the stack sizes. You raise the donk bet and force your opponent to fold in most cases. He will usually call or raise with a set, your sign to give up the hand.
If you assume (which you must, given his stats) that he will often make a bluff or semi-bluff in this situation, a (semi) bluff raise is a good option. He won't be able to continue on a bluff for the price of two stacks.
You decide on the flop if you want to play for a big pot or avoid taking any large risks. Fold equity increases with stack size. A 3-bet creates such a large pot, that players can expect to have to go all-in before they can get to the showdown.
Avoid risks against tight players; fold when in doubt. The last thing you want is to be in a 400+ BB pot with a marginal hand.
On the other hand, the increased fold equity allows you to profitably make more bluffs. The important thing is to know who you are playing against. Avoid large pots against unknown players when you don't have a big hand.
How to play on the turn and the river
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
MP ($32)
CO ($23)
UTG ($21)
BB ($12)
SB ($54) (23/12/1.1/25/321) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
Hero ($53)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with A , K
2 folds, MP calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, SB raises to $3.00, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.75
Flop: ($6.50) A, 9, T (2 players)
SB bets $5.00 Hero calls $5.00
Turn: ($16.60) 8 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks
River: ($16.60) Q (2 players)
SB bets $30.00, Hero folds
You face a 3-bet from the SB after raising from the button before the flop. You could 4-bet, but if he pushes with over 100 BBs you'll have a tough decision to make. You decide to call, since you have position on your opponent.
You see a beautiful flop and hold top pair top kicker; there aren't many hands that could have you beat. You choose pot control over protection and play way ahead / way behind.
You could bet for protection on the turn, since a jack would now have an OESD. However, whereas you could go broke with 100 BBs on this board, playing bet/call on the turn with these stack sizes would be a borderline decision. Bet/fold would be another option, and not a bad one at that, given your opponent's very low AF.
You stick to your "way ahead / way behind" line and play check turn / call river hoping to induce a bluff.
The river card completes two possible backdoor draws. Any J now has a straight, any a flush, and your opponent's bet is nearly twice the size of the pot. You checked the turn with the intent of calling a bet on the river, but now you're facing a bet larger than a normal 100 BB stack.
Even if you're willing to go broke with top pair top kicker in a 3-bet pot, you can hardly call this unusually large river bet given your opponent's relatively tight stats and the range of hands he could beat you with (aside from a straight or a flush he could have AQ or a set).
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
BU ($21)
CO ($13)
UTG ($64) (15/5/2.1/27/325) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
BB ($52) (23/2/1.5/32/712) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
SB ($32)
Hero ($61)
Pre-flop: Hero is MP with 2 , 2
UTG calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, 1 fold, BU calls $0.25, SB calls $0.15, BB checks
Flop: ($1.25) 2, 3, 4 (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $1.25, 2 folds, BB calls $1.25, UTG calls $1.25
Turn: ($5) A (3 players)
BB bets $3.00, UTG raises to $10.00, Hero folds
The table seems to be pretty loose and you overlimp behind UTG with a small pocket pair. This isn't necessarily the ideal move to make, but you've seen too many raises and 3-bets get called in previous rounds. All of your opponents like to see the flop.
You hit a set on a draw heavy board in a 5 handed pot and make a pot size bet to protect your hand and get money into the pot. You get two calls.
The turn shows a nasty card and both of your opponents (usually very tight) start the action. Now you're looking at a very dangerous board, any five now has a straight and a flush is possible, as well. Of course they could also both be playing an ace.
Pushing for maximum protection is not an option. You could consider pushing for 100 BBs, but even then it would be a borderline decision. You do have 10 outs on the river, but you're way behind against pocket threes or pocket fours. Both of your opponents are deep stacked; pushing doesn't really come into question.
You could also consider calling, but you have bad reverse implied odds on the river. Your call would be OK based on odds if the BB calls and there would be more than $35 in the pot on the river. The question is, can you fold to a 1/2 pot size bet if you hit a blank on the river?
It's also quite possible that the BB will 3-bet behind you. Your best choice in this example is to fold and save yourself a difficult and expensive decision on the river.
PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6 handed)
Stacks & Stats
MP ($55) (13/11/2.3/18/1041) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS/Hands]
CO ($11)
UTG ($24)
BB ($63)
SB ($17)
Hero ($51)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with 4 , 4
2 folds, MP raises $1.00, Hero calls $1.00, 2 folds
Flop: ($2.35) 9, 9, 3 (2 players)
MP bets $1.75 Hero calls $1.75
Turn: ($5.85) 5 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $4.25, MP folds
You call a very tight opponent's raise for set value before the flop. You miss and your opponent makes a continuation bet. You have a few choices. Folding would hardly be a bad decision, but you decide to try a float.
You take advantage of your opponent's low WTS and the large stack sizes. Your opponent won't call you down on this board; if he checks on the turn you can expect a float to be more effective than if you had normal size stacks.
Now for another scenario:
Turn: ($5.85) 5 (2 players)
MP bets $4.00, Hero raises to $13.00
This time your opponent doesn't give you the chance to float and bets himself. You bluff raise to $13.
The math is easy for you. You invest $13 to win app. $10. You would need 60% fold equity, you're getting quite a bit more.
Now your opponent has to make a very tough decision. It's unlikely that he will continue to play anything from AA-TT given his stats. He would have to be willing to invest more than two stacks to play an overpair. His stats say he won't take this risk. He will usually just call or 3-bet if he has a 9 (very unlikely) or 33/55.
This bluff raise would not be possible with 100 BB stacks. You made a sensible bluff that is likely to work and that will be profitable often enough to have +EV, but this is only possible due to the large stack sizes.
You generally have several options on the turn and the river. Your fold equity increases immensely allowing you to make more bluffs. As always, look for the right opponents and the right board before you bluff.
However, your reverse implied odds increase as well. Pot control is more important than protection when you have a marginal hand. Avoid tough and expensive decisions by folding when in doubt.
The bluff induce effect also plays a special role, as you will often face river bets larger than a normal stack. The question is if you really want to find out if he is bluffing for another 100+ BBs.
Conclusion
Deep stack play is a thrill for some, and uncomfortable territory for others. Your goal should to play as deep as possible against as many weak players as possible - and as always you prefer to play in position.
As you have seen, you have a lot of possibilities when playing with a deep stack that you don't have with a normal size stack, such as: folding AK before the flop, folding a set on the turn, and calling in position with weak draws. These are all things you would have a hard time doing with a 100 BB stack.
You've also seen which weapons you can use against other deep stacks, such as: bluff raising on the turn, 4-betting more often before the flop, and better chances to try a float.
If you do get a chance to play deep stacked, try it out and see what you learn. After all, you won't always be able to avoid deep stack play; you can't leave the table every single time you double up.
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