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No Limit Holdem Poker and Stack Size
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Stack sizes, compared to each other and the blinds, are a huge factor in deciding what to do in NL Texas Holdem. Let's explore some situations that make this clear. After looking at them, I think you will agree that you need to pay close attention to everyone's stack size.
Here is a simple hand situation showing how play varies due to stack size. You are in a NL Holdem game with $1/$2 blinds. You are in the small blind with no action yet. You have $500 and hold 4,4. The player that's the big blind has only $25, so you can simply go all in or make a bet and push after the flop. This should make you money.
Let's say the big blind has $500. Now, the all in play doesn't look so good. You will win the $3 a lot, but will get crushed when you are called. You don't make enough $3 hands to cover the $500 loss when it happens.
Let's look at it in an exaggerated way. How about having $100,000 all in for the $3. Your opponent calls with AA and nothing else, only a 1/220 chance. So in 220 tries you win three dollars 219 times. When AA hits he wins 80% and you win 20%. So on average you lose over $79,000 for every 220 tries.
If you could convince the guy with a $25 stack to only play A,A you can push all in and make money consistently. You will show a nice profit even without ever winning when he has A,A.
Now, you get 3,3 and have a $500 stack. The game is still $1/$2 and you just call. THe big blind chooses to raise to $10. His stack makes all the difference in what you will do.
Against his $15 chip stack you could argue for any option. So, now you go by what you know of this players game, to determine a move. With $40 you can fold pretty easily.
You only get your three of a kind 12.5% of the time and the max payout is only five times if you can even get an all in call. A $500 stack means you need to call or maybe even raise. With either play you can get enough value from the hand when it goes right.
6,7 suited is a hand that you should play when everyone has a lot of chips. There is plenty of money availiable to get big profits when you catch a monster. When no one has very many chips, you can't make enough money when you hit the hand.
With A,A or K,K you will find yourself in some difficult situations when players have lots of cash. It's very hard to know if these pairs are still good, so you will find yourself paying off people who hit the flop.
If we turn this around the A,A and K,K hands do great in the short stacked situations. With preflop betting and a good hand you will rarely fold. These are pretty routine conditions to play.
When everyone has radically different stack sizes this can get complex. Regardless, when you want to bet, you have to consider the stack size of each player involved.
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