Playing the BIG Stack
One of the best feelings in tournament poker is to look around the table and see that you have the biggest stack there. Playing the big stack effectively requires a couple of simple strategies. First, you should make yourself a constant presence, the short and medium stacks fear you, so keep them in fear. Pressure the small stacks, use every poker move you have. Make them play for all their chips or fold; make seeing a flop costly.
This does not mean you should be crazy. Avoid any other big stacks, just like they will avoid you. Don’t play a big pot with a marginal hand. Folding after your are reraised is fine; ego is not an issue, you can afford to lay some hands down, you are the Big Stack! The only wrong move with a big stack is to sit on it and let someone else catch you from behind.
Do keep on eye on the other tournament tables. Being the big stack at a table with little action might well mean there are many more much bigger stacks at other tables. If your table is playing very conservatively then you either need to stir up some action or take only what they give you and know that you are only the big fish in your little pond and once the tables start to break you will be a medium stack at best.
Big stack play can be a little tricky but isn’t it where you want to be? You win a lot more from the front of the pack then you ever will coming from behind.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #138
