Length of a stack and what style of game to choose in poker

Often enough beginners in poker ask a following question – what stack to play better, short or long. The question not so is simple, as it seems at first sight.

The matter is that the answer on it depends on set of factors. In particular one of the major factors is in what actually style you are going to play.

If you are new player, but thus intended to win, entering on a way of professional game, but thus yet do not possess sufficient experience is better to you to play tight-aggressive style of game. In this case you try to play only on the strong hands having a positive probability, and play as much as possible aggressively, doing bets at each stage of trade. It looks reasonably enough. If you play only on strong hands on the average your cards are stronger, than at opponents. Hence, more often you will win distribution and take away the pot. But, in that case, you are interested in that in pot there was as much as possible money. And to achieve this is the most easier, doing bets independently. If your opponents not too tight (then you simply do not play behind such tight table) you will be called, and reach the purpose.

This strategy is simple enough and obviously positive. Certainly, it not the unique style of game which gives positive edge. With achieving of experience you can master and more complex) strategy. But at the initial stage it is the optimal and clear system of game. Its huge plus that game preflop and on flop can be formalized completely. It is possible to make some table (like the multiplication table or Blackjacke Base strategy) in which it will be precisely specified how you should play any possible situation. Depending on various parameters, such as, for example, your position, quantity of callers, presence or absence of raise up to you, force of your hand, you choose a concrete course – a pass, call, raise or reraise. Thus it is not necessary to you at all about what to think – at you there is a Base strategy in which it is precisely told that it is necessary to do.

Unfortunately, on a turn and river construct such table is practically impossible. Variants becomes too much, and at the given stage game gets in to formalization ever less. Here you already should think independently. Certainly, there are some reasons and helps and in this situation, but basically, certainly, here everything solve experience of game and your poker skill. While your experience is insignificant, you will inevitably make mistakes both on a turn, and on river. A problem that the price of these mistakes (especially on river) is very high. By this moment the pot is already grown (have certain amount of money), and for one round you can lose everything, that have earned before. All your efforts can ruin, in spite of the fact that you correctly played preflop and on flop. Thus, game from positive turns in negative. For example, at you АА, you have given raise preflop, has left flop with two cards of one suit. You have given bet on flop, being called, and there was a third card of this suit – what now to do? Quite probably, what the opponent has caught flush(more opponents more chances on this) but how to find out it? And how now to play – the check or bet? Also what to do, if the opponent will bet. Fold? But in fact it can simply bluff, simulating flush and then we make very serious mistake, when folding. On the other hand, if it have valid flush, and we have decided to not flod we shall lose very much for a greater sum – as a rule, all stack.

Practically unique way to correct a situation is to play a short stack. The stack from 40 up to 60 big blinds is recommended. Let's look, that will occur, if to you two ace will come at such stack. We shall tell, blinds 1–2 dollars, at you accordingly 80 dollars. Preflop you make raise at a rate of pot – 7 dollars. You called by one player, and in pot now 17 dollars. On flop you make the bet in the size of pot – 17 dollars. The opponent call you , in pot now 51 dollar. On a turn you put all the remained money – 56 dollars, that is actually make the standard bet in the size of pot. Thus, your stack has sufficed exactly on three bets. Now you do not need to worry about how to play a case of raise from the opponent. Also you are relieved of necessity to make complex and expensive decisions on river.

At such size of a stack most later, you will enter in allin on a turn or even on flop. Thus, you do not need to reflect on what card at the opponent and to make any difficult decisions. In a similar way I played in the beginning the career. I put on a table only 30 Big bets and waited for a good hand. When it comes, i made bets up to flop, on flop and sometimes on a turn. It is natural, that my ace appeared the senior combination on a table more often. Playing in a similar way, I presumed luxury to not reflect to myself at all on what card at the opponent. Thus, my opponents have been very limited in a choice of means. Beat me they could in the unique way – to collect stronger combination. And, considering, that I played only on strong hands, such happened seldom enough. Bluff me they could not in any way. Even if on river or on a turn the card dangerous to me came, i could not leave in a fold all my money were already in the pot. If sometimes they really bought a strong combination could not receive from me a single cent more. Thus, they have been deprived potential chances of the dro-combinations and played obviously minus game.

Besides, when at you a short stack, with you more often and likely go in allin as possible loss for your opponent is not so great. Thus, you win, there can be not too greater pot, but do it much more often. As a rule, on a good hand you simply double the stack – will agree, that it is quite good.

It is the quiet and profitable style of game which are not demanding from you big efforts, enabling to play plus and gradually to be collected experience for more complex games. Its main minus that you too are limited in ways of draw of the cards. For example, you cannot win very big pot, having bought the monster. Also you, as a rule, cannot provoke very large bluff from the opponent. Besides there is a set of difficult and profitable receptions of draw which are possible only at a long stack. Thus, your income will be not such big as it would be desirable. Simplifying game and doing by its more safe, you inevitably reduce the population mean.

Therefore, getting some experience of draw of complex situations and starting better to understand logic of poker, you should increase the stack gradually.

In an ideal your stack should be more, than at any of players. You should have a theoretical opportunity for one distribution to take away all of money from any player behind a table. If you play most strongly players on the given table it is quite reasonable.

Here now you presume to yourselves much more. You now do not have necessity to play very much tight. Frequently, to change the opponent, you should not have a hand at all. Your stack is so great, that you often enough can bluff your opponents. Hardly they will want to expose all stack in a complex and dangerous situation. You can enter into game on rather weak card and for other reason. The matter is that now you have potential chances. If you suddenly buy very strong combination can entice at the opponent weigh its stack (especially if at him a strong hand, and he cannot fold). Thus, even the input in game on not so strong card can appear positive action. But remember to realize all these opportunities, you should be very skilled and strong player. In fact to receive a positive edge mean from a weak hand, it is necessary to play very precisely at all stages of trade. Here you simply have no right to a mistake.

Besides it is impossible to forget and about minuses of a long stack – they also are significant.

Now to you will uneasy double the stack on two aces. As the opponent knows, that you, as a rule, play on a strong hand it not begins to risk all stack on an average combination. When it was a question of a short stack you received all-in from set of not strong hands, and won more often. But so occured because the sums of all-in were not so great. In case of a long stack the opponent will go with you in all-in as a rule, on a combination from two pairs and above. Thus, if on a turn or on river struggle more often your aces will be weaker, and, basically, will be fastened you should fold. But to throw out in a fold of two aces on safe flop is very difficult – very few people will be solved on it. Most likely, not skilled player will go in all-in and will lose for very big stack. Thus, game becomes strongly negative. If you are not capable to throw out in a fold of two aces – you categorically cannot play a long stack!

At a short stack it was not so important, as the sum of loss was not so great. But now it becomes extremely important. You should watch closely game and if it is necessary, to fold and stronger combinations, than two aces. If the opponent will have weaker combination he will leave in a fold on flop or on a turn, and you besides cannot win all of his money. It turns out what many(a lot of,much) win you cannot, and here to lose much is possible without ceremony.

Leaves, that at a long stack, we practically cannot double the stack on the supreme pair. But in fact it made the basic part of our income at game by a short stack. What to do?

It is necessary to play aces more artfully and non-standardly. Besides it demands the big skill and experience of game. The same concerns and to any other hands. We should apply more complex and unevident strategy and very precisely and strongly to play at all stages of trade.

This game, certainly, very effective and favourable but to conduct such game hardly.

So, after we have cleared some moments, we can define now short and long stacks. As we have found out, main here is a quantity of bets, which is necessary for you to go all-in. We have told, that in 40 BB we consider a stack short. We established the opinion that our stack suffices a maximum on three bets. We shall take now a standard stack in 100 ББ – such size of a stack is standard and in alive game, and on the Internet. At such stack it is necessary for us to make not less than 4 rounds to enter in all-in. It turns out, you should do the bet on each round of trade! In this case this parameter is for us the major. Hence, we accept this size of a stack for a certain reference point – we shall consider a similar stack standard. If we need to make less than 4 rounds for all-in we consider) such stack short and if we need to make more than 4 rounds for all-in such stack is long. You not always can keep within an integer of rounds. For example, if your stack 60 BB after the third bet on a turn at you still remains a few money. But it is the sum it is so insignificant, that does not influence in any way a course of draw. All of you cannot equally fold any more, therefore actually you are in all-in. Therefore we also speak, that we consider) short has flown down from 40 up to 60 BB. All of us we recommend to play in this case a stack in 40, a maximum in 50 BB as these figures are closer to optimum.

If you put on a table 20 BB it is a ultrashort stack, and, as a rule, you enter in all-in for 2 rounds. Exist strategies, adapted to such length of a stack. This game is very simple and positive, but its profitableness is insignificant. We do not recommend to play so primitively.

But also it yet all. Generally the choice of length of a stack depends not only on style of your game. An important role the quantity of opponents behind a table plays also, and also features of their game. It is important to define, style of play of your opponents. This theme is extremely important and deserves separate conversation.

In brief the conclusion is those:

Define, what style of game is most comfortable and favourable to you. Weigh all pluss and minuses of long and short stacks. Solve, what of them for you are represented important, and what not so, considering a concrete situation. Soberly estimate the experience of game in poker. Estimate amount of you bankroll. As a result you will find for yourselve any optimum decision. Apparently, eventually your stack it will be inevitable to increase, also as well as the income.

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