+1 to this and masa's post above

Just play your normal game against "short" stacks. Adjust your game when involved against another deepstack (I would lean towards nut peddling before putting any significant BBs into the pot, which of course is highly exploitable by good players, but hopefully we don't get in too many spots like this).

Being deepstacked, wouldn't it be ok to take a fairly cheap flyer on these hands, and see if we can flop the nuts / draw to the nuts with these type hands? Or do we potentially dribble off too many chips by check/calling TP on the flop and maybe check/folding on the turn? Of course, if we're uncomfortable playing OOP deep, then it's probably fine to pass.

No it's not a good idea to play these hands OOP.

It's more of a general rule and not just for deep stacked play, but it's more important because you'll have more decisions and it's more money if you make mistakes.

IMO you never want to play a hand OOP hoping to flop something. You play a hand because it makes strategic sense in that moment vs that specific opponent(s). Most of the time you want to play your hands in position.

Went back and found this thread because I was in another uncomfortable situation Thursday.

Was up over $1K at a $1/$3 game that was extremely juicy. I didn't mind playing that deep because I felt like I had an edge on the table.

A young kid sat down and eventually built up a stack of $1K+.

cAmmAndo sat down and had a stack of $1K+.

And then we played 3-handed for a couple of hours. Which sucked, because I felt like I was the weakest of the three players and wasn't going to 'risk' my stack against these guys.

Didn't stop me from making a raise here or there with air or playing back at the kid, but it was for small pots.

Actually had a friend who was playing another game walk over and ask why I was sitting at the game with a friend and just one other player while we were all so deep.

Here's a hand cAmmAndo and I played that illustrated why it was stupid:

I'm in SB with AKo.

cAmmAndo makes it $10 from the button. i make it $36 from SB. he makes it $110 and I call. flop K and two low cards; two hearts. i check. he bets $120 IIRC. i call. we then both check it down and we each have AK.

pot control? scared? i think it was a little of both.

i left a little later as it was obvious we weren't getting any 'fish' to sit at our table.

but it was a good portion of my bankroll sitting there in front of me and - lesson learned - i'm getting up and leaving in that situation next time.

Out of curiosity: OP, it's been two years since you created this thread. Do you feel like your deepstacked game has improved substantially since then? If so, what kind of changes have you made?

I don't, which is why I posted the update ... I went back to reread the thread and see if I could figure out why I was 'scared' Thursday.

I will probably continue to limit by win rate as I learn to improve here.

Wasn't mentioned earlier in the thread, but quitting once you get deep and its a big enough % of your BR is absolutely the right thing to do.

If you have a 20 BI BR for 1/2 and run your stack up to 1k (500 bb) you've got almost 20% of your BR on the tabke and should almost certainly quit, unless the gane is just too good to leave.

yo OP do you have a job? Is poker your living? The answers to these questions are important IMO. I think it's mainly a bankroll problem

and dude that AK hand is fine

yes, i have a job/career. poker is part-time, a hobby to make extra $$. i don't really keep a true poker bankroll because of that. probably usually have about 5 buyins; goal is to work on that in the next few months.

i agree that i think it's a bankroll thing and as stinkbus said, with that % of the roll on the table i should just get up.

So you are essentially sitting 500+ Bb deep with 50% of your immediate bankroll on the table short handed in a game with people making 100 BB flop raises or shoves with TP no kicker or underpairs.

Legit nervousness IMO. Mostly bankroll related.

I like what Tommy Angelo said. Listen to your "quitting voice". If it seems your quitting voice is unprofitable work on why it's yacking to you away from the table. But in the short term listen to it.

Obv games like that don't happen like that every day but they can be profitable and a lot if fun IMO if we are prepared.

Some thoughts regarding deepstackplay and getting comfortable with having several hundred BB in front of you:


For me this has pretty much everything to do with growing as a player, and develope trust in your decisions. Its about be able to not instacall off 200 BB bet on the river with trips no kicker, or with a small flush when its very possible you are beat. You just have to be capable of folding your KK or AA on the flop, and not autostackoff like many players do with smaller stacks. Having the bet/fold line in your head is one of the keys deepstack i believe.

Its also about to play more in flow, less mechanic (as you can do with 100 BB in many spots), you have to learn planning your hand in a new way.

For example if i sit with 400 BB, QQ is not an auto 3 bet like usual, neither is AK. I for sure often do it, but what i mean its like a lot of other factors play a big part of how i choose to play a hand very deep.Often its not about stacking off anymore, but to extract value over several streets.

The confidence i got with my game and my decisions (and hand reading) after playing deep regurarly the last year cannot be put in words. It have been a big eye opener in many ways, especially how position is everything playing deepstack poker.

Call is ok, but depending on dynamics i might put in a 4bet/fold here to $250.

Sounds like a bankroll issue to me. Seperate your poker account.