Understanding how stack size influences your decisions is a fundamental part of winning poker. Whether you’re playing cash free poker games or tournaments, your chip count dictates how aggressive you can be, what hands you should play, and how much pressure you can apply to your opponents. Adapting your strategy based on your current stack size is essential for long-term success.

Deep Stack Strategy

When you’re playing with a deep stack—typically 100 big blinds or more—you have the flexibility to play a wider range of hands, especially in position. Deep stacks allow for more post-flop maneuvering and creative plays, such as set mining or floating flops. You can apply pressure on later streets and represent a wider range of strong hands.

However, with more chips behind, you also need to be more cautious. Mistakes in deep stack play can be more costly, so hand reading, pot control, and planning ahead become increasingly important. Focus on extracting maximum value when you’re ahead and minimizing losses when you’re behind.

Medium Stack Strategy

Medium stacks, generally ranging from 30 to 70 big blinds, require a balanced approach. You can still make moves post-flop, but you must be more selective with speculative hands since you don’t have the implied odds of deep stacks. Pre-flop aggression becomes more common, and you’ll often need to think about committing to the pot earlier in the hand.

In tournaments, this stack size is considered dangerous for opponents because it allows you to 3-bet shove and apply pressure. Use this range to steal blinds, pick good re-shove spots, and keep your stack from falling into the short zone.

Short Stack Strategy

When your stack is under 25 big blinds, your options become limited, and efficiency becomes key. You can no longer afford to open small and fold to aggression. Instead, you’ll be using a push-or-fold strategy based on your position and opponents’ tendencies.

Understanding push/fold charts and ranges is crucial at this level. Aim to make your moves before your stack gets critically low. Shoving with fold equity gives you a better chance of survival than waiting until you’re desperate.

Micro Stack Strategy

With fewer than 10 big blinds, your only realistic play is going all-in or folding. Every chip counts, and timing is everything. Identify situations where you have enough fold equity to make your shove effective. Avoid letting your stack dwindle too far—once you drop below 5 big blinds, your options shrink drastically.

Playing from early position becomes extremely tight at this stage, while late position shoves are more frequent with slightly weaker hands. The key is maximizing your double-up opportunities while still having the chance to make others fold.

Stack Sizes of Opponents

Your own stack isn’t the only one that matters. Pay attention to the stack sizes of players around you. You can pressure short stacks who are trying to ladder up in tournaments or avoid deep stacks who can put your entire stack at risk. Identifying who you can exploit based on their chip count helps you make more informed and profitable plays.

Adjusting by Position

Your position at the table also impacts how you should adjust your strategy based on your stack. For example, with a 20 big blind stack, you may fold a marginal hand from early position but shove it from the button. Always consider how stack size and position interact when forming your plan for a hand.