Calculating stack size with BB ante
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,135
Strangely, I couldn't find any solid theory articles about this online, only old thread discussions where nobody seemed to know the answer. Simple question:
MTT, blind level is 200/500 with a 500 bb ante. Your stack is 10k. You have 20bb, but effectively half that since you also pay the bb ante on your bb. For the purpose of opening/jamming ranges and strategy, do you treat your stack as if it were 20bb, or 10bb?
I know Dan Harrington famously thinks about 'M' instead, which would be ~8 in this situation: 10k / (500+200+500)
should be called sevenfour
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 74,823
Well it wouldn't be 10bb, that's for sure
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,242
M = Stack/(Blinds + Antes)
BB ante doesn't change that, except that you pay all the antes for the orbit at once, which should have strategic implications as you get closer to the blinds.
So, in your example, assuming you have folded preflop every hand between your button and UTG, your M for all those hands was 10000/1200 or 8.3, in the BB, your M becomes 9000/1200 or 7.5.
In terms of BBs, UTG you have 10 BB 20k/500, in the BB, you have 18 (9k/500)
The only thing that changes with the BB ante is when your antes for the orbit are collected.
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 10,877
Typically I have some 'different' answers to some of these questions.
1) A BB is a BB no matter what position you sit in. Pot Odds change, yes, but shouldn't affect your opening ranges 'per position'.
2) From late position you can start to consider that since both SB and BB have chips invested that you modify the size of your open, but not the range associated with opening.
So I tend to agree that you can slip the word 'effective' into your strategy, but you should only do so when considering the Blind's defending range .. otherwise I just treat the Ante as if someone limped (and I know they're going to fold), so to speak. GL
