Coverage of the poker series CPPT IX - DeepStack Extravaganza I, including results, chip counts, poker videos, and photos. Deep Stack Poker & Card Room September 1, 2020 Happy to announce that we will be opening our doors on Friday, September 18th 2020! Doors open at 12pm for cash games followed by a special grand opening tournament starting at 4pm.

1. Deep Stack Poker Tournaments
2. Deep Stack Poker Club Hilliard Ohio
3. Deep Stack Poker Strategy Cash Game
4. Deep Stack Poker Austin

Deep stack tournaments allow for the most actual play of all forms of poker, with the exception of no blind increase events. The entire premise of a deep stack tournament is for players to really let their skills do the talking and to eliminate as much luck as possible. Wiping out all luck is an impossible task when it comes to poker tournaments, but deep stack players are able to capitalize on the skill factor much more than regular tournament players.

With this advantage comes a noticeable tradeoff. Deep stack tournaments take a lot longer to complete than any other game. As a result of this increase in playing time, player stamina will be of the utmost importance. Stamina is always something that matters in poker, but it never matters more than when in an enduro tournament. This is one of the facets of play that a lot of players tend to completely discount. No one, even poker players, really considers poker to be a game where physical performance or condition actually matters.

The truth is, however, that it can be the difference between a solid play and a big slip up. There is a reason that savvy poker players try to target the guys who have been playing all night in a brick and mortar casino. The more tired you are, the more likely it is that you will donate some or all of your chips.

Deep stack play is all about picking your spots and taking your time. You are given a lot of chips so that you can pass up on your weak hands and get in the middle when you have something to actually work with. Luckily for you, this is a foreign concept to a lot of players. There will always be those players who think that a deep stack tournament is just like every other event, but the truth is that deep stacks are very different.

Try to spot the players who are playing way too fast and are clearly not in it for the long haul. Unless you are truly prepared for what’s in store, deep stack evens can be incredibly grueling and even quite boring.

Again, this is where endurance comes into play. If you can mentally outlast the players who don’t have the patience to play with restraint, you will find that a lot of pots fall right into your lap. Deep stack play is not about creating opportunities, but instead allowing the opportunities to fall into your lap. This is the exact opposite advice of what you would expect, but it is the absolute truth. The later stages of a deep stack tournament will call for more decisive action, but you won’t need to worry about that for awhile after the first hand is dealt.

Profiting from Passiveness

You just read about how a passive approach is the road to riches in deep stack tournament poker. So, how are you going to profit from the passiveness of other players? When the other players stay in slow mode, it will be your chance to crank up the aggression. The pitfall that many players fall into is misidentifying exactly when that stage of the game has arrived. You won’t be working with a short stack and big blinds for a long time, so don’t even worry about changing gears for at least a few hours (depending on the size of the field).

Eventually, though, you will start to run out of chips and it will be time to make moves. You can profit from this by putting the pressure on before your opponents have even considered possible adjustments to their strategy.

Small Edges and Consistent Play

Even the final tables of deep stacks will allow for a moderate amount of post flop play. Unless you have a fair amount of experience with this type of event, it will be awkward to try and play post flop poker with just a few players left. The natural inclination for a tournament player is to pick up the pace and push/fold when the final table is assembled. This will be necessary eventually , but it will be a detrimental strategy if you implement it too early.

The end goal in a deep stack is the same as in any type of tournament. You need to be able to make constant changes that will put you in a position to win. These changes will be much more mild in their implementation in a deep stack tournament, but they will exist nonetheless. You need to be able to do what everyone else is doing, but slightly better. This is why skills are so valuable and the entire basis of all success in deep stack play.

The last bunch of players will probably be very good at what they do, so your edge is not going to be significant. It is unusual for tournaments, but a deep stack is going to allow skill to prevail all the way to the end. If you don’t think you have the patience to sit and remain focused for hours on end, you will probably be better suited in a tournament with regular stack sizes. Deep stack tournaments are profitable, but only for a certain breed of players.

What is Deep Stack Poker?

Deep stack poker means having a big stack relative to the big blind, typically around 150-200 bb or more. In tournaments that you start with a deep stack, celled deep stack tournaments, deep stack poker strategy also applies.

What changes in strategy in Deep Stack Poker?

When you are playing deep stack poker, there is room for more betting rounds, notably on the turn and river. Rarely, will you commit most of your chips on the flop, so you have to be prepared to play all the way through.

Also, as the bet sizes gradually increase, if the hand is bet all the way through, you will have to face huge bets and make big decisions by the turn or river.

Playing with a Deep Stack is tricky

When you play with an average stack, you will often be facing all-in bets on the flop or turn. Deciding how to respond is a relatively simple exercise of putting your opponent on a range and comparing the pot odds to your hand’s equity against that range.

However, when facing a big bet on the flop, with a deep stack allowing for two or three more bets, decisions are much more difficult. You now have to consider implied odds, protecting your hand.

So, it is best for beginner players to avoid playing with a deep stack until they gain some experience to allow them to navigate through difficult decisions.

As the decisions you get to face when you are playing deep stack poker are more complex, having a good position becomes even more critical. When you have to decide for 100bb or more, you want to have the maximum amount of information, and position can give you just that. This is the opposite of short stack poker where decisions are more trivial, and position is not a big concern.

Deep Stack Poker Tournaments

What hands should you play?

Remember the saying, “small hand small pot, big hand big pot”? Well, with a deep stack, the pot can potentially become very big!

As simple as it may seem, this aspect changes the dynamics and value of starting hands drastically.
Hands that play well short stack, like AJ or KQ, go down in value in deep stack poker. These hands can make a lot of top pair, top kicker type of hands, and win many small pots. However, in deep stack poker, there is the risk that the betting gets out of hands and ends up too big for only a top pair. So, you can win a few small pots but potentially lose some big ones!

When you play these hands, be sure to try to control the betting and not let the pot get out of hand.
On the contrary, drawing hands, like suited aces, suited connectors, and one-gappers, and small pairs, become more valuable. These hands can make strong hands that are somehow concealed and win big pots. You want to make hands like a set, a flush, or a straight, that you can value bet with all the way through!

To sum up, big broadway hands can win many small pots, and speculative hands can win a few huge pots. In a way, when the stacks are deep, hand value normalizes.

This means that you should play them both, and keep your opponents guessing. With top-pair type of hands, you should exercise pot control.

In deep stack poker, there is also more room for creative plays, like floating or three barrelling bluffs.

An example

You have an effective stack of 200bb and open-raise under the gun with A♥Q♠. You get called by a player in middle position and by the button. The flop comes A♣J♦7♠. There are about 10bb in the pot. You decide to make a c-bet of 7.5bb and the first player calls, while the button folds.

The turn is a blank, the 4♣, and with 25bb in the pot, you decide to bet 20bb. Your opponent raises you to 60bb. What should you do?
Well, you got yourself into a mess! Playing AQo type of hands out of position in deep stack poker is tricky and requires careful play and pot control.

In this scenario, your flop bet is ok, but your turn c-bet is questionable, as you start building a big pot. If you call in this spot, the pot will be 145bb, and you will possibly face a bet on the river for the remaining of your chips, not a good situation for just a pair!
Unless you have a read on your opponent, fold and cut your losses to a minimum.

An example

You are on the button with T♥8♥ and a deep stack. A player raises from early position and gets called by a player in middle position and the cutoff. You decide to play by calling.

The flop comes A♥J♦7♦. Your opponent makes a standard c-bet. The first player folds, the cutoff calls, and with an inside straight draw and a backdoor flush draw, you also call.

The turn is the 9♣, and you make your straight! The first player bets again, and the cutoff folds. You raise, and your opponent calls.

The river is a blank, the 4♣, and your opponent checks. There are about 150 bb in the pot, and you have 150bb more. What should you do?

You have the nuts, so there is no question whether you should bet or not. As your opponent has shown strength, this is an excellent spot to go all-in. You have position, and he may well put you on a missed diamond flush draw.

You go all-in and your opponent calls, showing AJ for top two pair.

Deep Stack Poker Club Hilliard Ohio

This example demonstrates how with position and a deceptive hand, you picked-up a huge pot.

Keep in mind that you should not stick to optimal betting patterns, but mix in some bluffs or thin value bets to keep your opponents guessing.

In a nutshell

Deep Stack Poker Strategy Cash Game

In deep stack poker, there is room for a lot of betting. Deep stack strategy requires adjusting your starting hands, valuing position, and employing pot control.

This was the last tutorial of the Advanced Poker Strategy Course. Congratulations on completing the course! You can test the skills that you learned by Passing the Quiz

Deep Stack Poker Austin

If you feel ready, you can try out your skills for play or real money to one of our Recommended Online Poker Sites 🙂