Holding on to your big stack

No one ever said poker was easy! When you do have that great run of cards and are playing well you will end up big stacked in the tournament. Sometimes it’s best to keep hold of your chips, rather than looking to gain more. I’m sure you have heard the question before “When do you fold pocket Aces”. The automatic answer most people say is, “When your on the bubble.” However, I once heard someone say, “When you don’t have to play them.” My first thought was, he was wrong. And today I still think he’s wrong, but after I thought more about it, I come to realize he has a have a valid point.

Don’t get involved unless needed

So here is a good example of a situation I got myself into when I was big stacked. After two really nice hands, I knocked out two players in each hand, I was sitting on 140,000 chips with 12 players left. The average at the time was about 45,000 chips, and the second chip leader at my table was on 36,000 chips. So it’s my big blind and I had been using my chip stack well. Being aggressive against the shorter stacks on their blinds and slowly increasing my chip stack without risking much of my own.

So it’s my Big Blind and the most aggressive player at the table moves all-in for 28,000 chips on the button. Blinds at the time where 1000 – 2000, so the all-in move wasn’t that unexpected. But when I look down to see A-Q, I instantly call knowing I have over 100,000 chips behind. He shows 6-6 which stands and I lose 28,000 chips and double him up to near 60,000.

Now I didn’t need to call, but when I saw A-Q I assumed I was in front against the loose aggressive player. I wasn’t and it cost me. That player at the final table actually took another large chunk of my chips, thanks to me doubling him up earlier. But it left me thinking. Did I really need to call. It may have been a small percentage of my chips. But I could have used those chips in much better situations. Even if he had moved all-in on my blind with nothing, I am still only a small favorite to take the hand. So was I right to call. Probably. Would I do it again with the same chip stack probably not.

Should I fold Pocket Aces

So what if I had pocket Aces and the smaller stack shoves all-in? The honest answer is I insta-call. But pocket Aces isn’t A-Q. The point I’m trying to make is, even if you have a big stack and a good hand, you still don’t have to risk a good percentage of your chips even with those big hands. And especially when you are big stacked. Remember A-Q is only about 60-40 against even 4-5. And he is the one looking for chips fast not you.

Related posts:

1. M-Ratio Tournament Strategy
2. A Few Advanced Poker Plays
3. Understanding the Gap Concept
4. Bankroll Management – Part I: Cash Games
5. Playing Small Ball Poker