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Deep Stack Strategy
Wishstar
Member Posts: 30
Hi guys,
I've been playing a few deep stacks lately and keep going out just before the cash bubble, I end up short stacked toward the end and forced out. I mostly play tight and fold an awful lot of hands, should I be playing more early on to build up a stack? Looking forward to the 2.20.
I've been playing a few deep stacks lately and keep going out just before the cash bubble, I end up short stacked toward the end and forced out. I mostly play tight and fold an awful lot of hands, should I be playing more early on to build up a stack? Looking forward to the 2.20.
Comments
I play tightish earlier which enable me to bluff at a later stage, just about changing the gears at the right time knowing when to shove etc. usually go in with enough chips on a few occasions then just get unlucky against the shorty so i know im due a win in one soon :P
Good luck matey
Hi Wishstar,
It depends what playing style you are comfortable with... I love deepstack mtts and have done well in them overall. But, i used to have the same problem of playing too tight at the critical times.
The style of play where you play tight and fold a lot is a very effective style in a deepstack tournament in the early to mid stages. Playing marginal hands early and losing big pots early is not good, it puts our tournament life at risk and we have plenty of time.
But, in the latter stages, with about 1/3 of the field left, it is necessary to become agro, picking spots, and building your stack by nicking blinds. As the bubble approaches many players start to tighten up, so this is a good time to become even more agro to ensure that you make the cash.
Playing loose early and building a stack is a style that i have flirted with, and it can be effective for some players, but in my opinion if you are not comfortable playing this way, don't. It has cost me money.
Best of luck, and see you at 2.20 for the £2.20!
Hoggers
Early on, for me up to the 30/60 blinds level, I'm happy to limp with suited connectors and very small pairs up to around 77/88. This is usuful as most people will be limping so if you hit a very good flop you will most likely have plenty of people who also ahve a bit of it but less than you, but most importantly with this style when you hit just top pair don't go crazy for me I would still just check/fold as it can get messy, and 2nd pair isn't even a hand. When you get hands like KJ+, A10+, 99+ I like to raise it up as you want to be heads up against one player, ideally in position so you can out-play them even if you miss. But once your C-bet is called I generally shut down unless I improve on turn as many will check-call off their stack with second pair in these things, but that is good as when you hit you win big time.
In the middle stages 50/100 to about 150/300 I try and cut limping out of my game completely and only ever raise, if you have done well in the first hour and have around 10-15k you could perhaps limp but it's better to apply pressure with a big stack.
In the late stages when you could often be short-stacked 200/400 onwards you will be just looking for the best spot to get your stack into the middle. For me I never like to let it go below 10 BB's as this amount will often make players fold marginal hands, but if you have 5 BB's etc they call a LOT wider. Another tactic that I have recently adopted is if your on 9-10 BB's but get dealt 3-2 UTG it's best to fold and then if it gets folded round just shove on the BB with an 2 this has more chance of getting thru against 1 player than possibly 5 when UTG.
Also if you do have a big stack try not to min-raise even at late levels as it will often get called just out of spite so at say 300/600 make it like 1400 so it looks more serious.
Finally if it gets to the bubble and your getting short even if you know you can go out, just keep thinking that by shoving here I'm making the correct move, if I get called by a better hand so be it, but it's the right move. There'll always be another deepy where that move goes right.
Good luck on the tables mate.
If you can see flops really cheap early on then do so but, I say again the main thing imo is early on dont get too attached to rubbish cards.
You may have to look at your game and be prepared to loosen up in the middle part of the tourney, so that you don't get in the short stack situation towards the end. You should NEVER be afraid to go out of the tourney and as long as you feel you are ahead then play with freedom.
I am a tight player but you must either get in first and put the pressure on others, or look for any weakness and pounce on it. Yes you may go out but at least your giving yourself a chance to be in better shape at the sharp end of the tourney.
Hope this can help, if not blame Greg lol
col
In an ideal world what you want to be doing for the first hour is slowly accumulating chips but by taking as few risks as possible(AIPF whilst racing is a definate no-no for me). Then when the blind levels pick up to a significant level you need to become more aggro and start hoovering up the dead chips in the pot but again not to be doing this with bad hands.
When you start to get to the business end of the tourny and you are firmly into shove or fold territory then you need to make sure you are the one making the shove and that you have enough fold equity to take down the pots uncontested, about 12-15 BB is an ideal stack size for this.Which will also increase your stack by 10% every time it gets through. If possible attack the middle sized stacks in this situation because they are much more likely to give up their BB than a large one, because they are protecting their stacks until the bubble bursts.
Hope this helps
early stages of deepstacks are essientially a cash game, so suited connectors, small pp, suited aces, connectin cards are the type of hands you want to try and play. if you can connect with one of these type of hands and up against the right player you could very possibly stack them. raising pre-flop or 3 betting with this type of hands is a sound strategy imo as if you can connect its harder for your opponents to put u on a hand. alot of players play far too tight at the start of these type of tourneys--exploit it.
as the blinds get bigger/middle stages and the field gets smaller these type of hands should go out of the window and your now essientially looking for premium hands or good spots to start stealing blinds./squeezin limpers. u should also be under less pressure to make moves now because if u have played the first part of the tourney correctly you should have a stack big enough to be able to chillout a bit, and can afford to be a bit more patient than others.
towards later stages aggression is the key attack middle/small stacks (be careful when shovin on short stacks if u have air & they only have few bb's because they will call u) attacking middle stacks is the best option imo. be as aggressive as u can/are allowed too, punish limpers, and attack tight players blinds at every opportunity. if you have a massive stack then obviously u can take it a bit easier. dont allow yourself to drop below 10bb's, its better to play to win rather than to cash. also around the cash bubble if your stack is healthy raise at every opportunity, this is the part of the tourney players tighten up to creep into the cash--spot these players and attack them. gl