[diebitter]

These are sort of obvious, but I hope they prove useful to some, and get some deeper conversation on this going.


Cliff Notes: The smaller the stacks, the more the winning game is about playing big cards and dumping cards that benefit from implied odds - and playing ABC. Conversely, the bigger the stacks, the more then winning game is about cards with implied odds' value, not top pair value - and more deceptive play becomes significant. Also, the bigger the stacks, the greater importance position plays.

You should adjust to this when considering effective stacks.
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20BB shortstack: This requires you play an effective shortstack strategy. This can be as tight as jamming preflop w/AA-QQ, AK or a little more like Miller's guidelines on loosening this range depending on position, and using standard raises preflop to potbuild with the knowledge you usually will have the best of it. It can be even more refined, like spotting table looseys who love stealing, and jamming with any PP if they raise, knowing you most likely are a little ahead in a race if he calls. Or, for example, there's ranges of hands you can always profitably push against a lone player if you're 20BB or less that are mathematically impossible to beat long-term: some good SSers would know this range (I do [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]).

Position doesn't really matter that much. And most of the play if preflop and flop, so it's usually a 2 street game.

30-50BB stacks: Here, big cards are still what it's about, but here you can start using SPR theory, as it's very easy to hit a target SPR (say 4 against your average player) at this size stack, with the intention of getting it in by the end when you have TP or overpair. You can also limp PP late, and maybe even other speculative hands if the table is loose-passive. You can't profitably take any preflop heat with these though. Position is more important, but still not THAT important, card strength is still the more significant issue in the main (IMO). These are usually 3 or 4-street games.


50-70BB: This is the size I find most tricky. You can still hit SPR's okay if the table is loose and takes stiffer raises, but it can also mean standard raises get you intomultiways, which makes your big cards suffer from reverse implied odds. Also if you're playing speculative cards like SC and Axs, you're not gonna profit by a full stack if you hit. This is compensated somewhat by people being more willing to get it in when it's not that deep, but I'm not sure the benefits outweigh what you're potentially leaving at the table. Position becomes way more significant here. Most often 4 street games.

100BB: Well, play big cards early, speculative late is the usual TAG mantra, but this standard buyin allows good LAGS to really play hard at a table, winning lots of small pots and setting up an image that allows a TAG to get stacked against the 'maniac'. AA is still solid, but must be played with some care. Deceptive play becomes much more profitable here, both in pushing people off, wrong-footing people, or scaring them early (say at the flop) and making them (consciously or subconsciously) play ABC in the later rounds. Position is significant, but decent lags are way less worried about it than TAGs, and usually have enough in their arsenal to counteract this somewhat (frequent use of checkraise, using minraise etc).

Also, this level works against big pairs somewhat OOP because of SPRs and triskadekaphobia (read PNL if this makes no sense to you), so that is a consideration.

150BB+: Aces are no longer the fantastic hands they appear, but still reasonable.


200BB+: Bad news for big cards - you're playing them for set value mostly, and won't get action back the times you hit your set unless someone is drawing to a set-beating hand. Almost, ATC can be called profitably here by good postflop players, as they got odds to flop 2 pair or trips, never mind about the assorted straight and flush draws you can get with any two reasonably wired cards. And frankly, out of position == out of the action for most good players here (but not for REALLY good players, it should be noted).

One final note. The only really good hand at all levels is AKs. AA is pretty good most of the time though.

Like I say, these are somewhat random thoughts, wondered if you guys have any comments?