The difference is you're going to have to tighten up your game with a short stack...
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puzzlefish
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With deep stacks there's a longer period where you are able to outplay opponents post-flop. With short stacks it quickly devolves into all-in pushes and there's not much poker left to play.
With deep stacks you need a stronger hand to play for all the chips. If you are 300BB deep, even KK can become a fold preflop, or you dont put in the extra raise to keep the pot smaller and see a flop. Like maybe you 3-bet and face a 4-bet, and then you just call that 4-bet to keep your opponents range wider.
If on the other hand you are 10BB deep on the bubble of the tournament, you can usually open shove any two cards from SB, or at least any two but junk. So its not really true, that you play tighter with a short stack. But there is less room to try to hit something or outplay the opponent. So typically you are looking to either play for all the chips or get out early.
If on the other hand you are 10BB deep on the bubble of the tournament, you can usually open shove any two cards from SB, or at least any two but junk. So its not really true, that you play tighter with a short stack. But there is less room to try to hit something or outplay the opponent. So typically you are looking to either play for all the chips or get out early.
The biggest difference between the stacks is that you will have to have all street skills to play deep stacks. You will need to learn "range refining" (knowing how both ranges change on each street) not just preflop ranges. Reading board textures and card removal (counting combos) and blockers and bet size combo strategies (small flop -over pot turn) and understanding range vs range equities to determine thin value turn or river bets or checks?
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In tournaments, playing with a deep stack means you get to play more hands with wider ranges. You have more chips, so you can afford to see more flops and use your stack to put pressure on smaller stacks, especially when they are trying to survive.
When you are short stacked, the game becomes much more simple. Most decisions are all in or fold, usually before the flop.
Deep stack play is about controlling the table and using your chip advantage, while short stack play is about waiting for the right moment and staying alive
When you are short stacked, the game becomes much more simple. Most decisions are all in or fold, usually before the flop.
Deep stack play is about controlling the table and using your chip advantage, while short stack play is about waiting for the right moment and staying alive
The dynamic shifts completely when you move from a short stack to deep stack play. When you're short, it’s mostly about pre-flop math and finding the right spot to shove for 15-20 big blinds. But once you get deep, like 150-200bb, the game becomes much more about post-flop skill and 'implied odds
The strategy difference is huge. When I'm deep stacked, I like to play more speculative hands like suited connectors and small pocket pairs because the implied odds are great. You have plenty of room to make moves post-flop. On the other hand, when I'm short stacked (under 20 BBs), it becomes a strict math game. I tighten my range, focus on big broadway cards or pairs, and look for the right spots to shove pre-flop. You simply can't afford to call pre-flop and fold on the flop when you are short.
