big stack early...strategy tips?

[Greg Kelley 0]

I'm on break right now in the UB 6pm $40+4. There were 160 entries, currently 80 remaining. I am in second place...up to 9850 from the starting 1500. The chip leader is at my table with just about 700 more in chips.What's the best strategy here? With 160 entries, there are 240,000 chips in play. 240,000 / 10 = 24,000 to be averge chip stacked by the final table. Blinds will be 50-100 after the break. Should I sit on it, or try to buy pots (avoiding the chip leader) and continue to build the stack?I am interested to hear the different views on this.Thanks,Greg

[Wingmaster05 0]

take advantage and chip away at the tight blinds. try to take the pots that people dont want. Depending on how close you are to the money...you have to step it up a notch before the bubble. Agressive is good. other than that, dont stray too much from your game.

[PrtyPSux 0]

play tight imo, no need to risk your chips with 80 left.by tight i mean TAG,pick up all the dead money, be aggro if you sense weakness, but protect ur stack and dont let it go in the wrong direction.wait till the bubble and then play a do or die style. after the bubble tighten up again. you should be able to final table.

[AlanBostick 0]

You don't say how many places pay. I'm guessing, with 160 entrants, it's 16, and you're a long ways away from the bubble.You almost certainly can't coast through the bubble with the chips you have. You need to continue accumulating chips.This far from the bubble, chip value is still quite linear, and so it's worth risking chips in your stack to win more chips, as long as you have an edge.You've got a great big stack, so, assuming you don't go head-up against the other big stack, you aren't in danger of going broke any time soon, even if you do play a lot.This is a situation where you can afford to play more like you would in a cash game, look for more opportunities to push edges, play implied-odds hands for cheap, etc. Bear in mind that your opponents won't be playing like this. This means that you can push them around more. If someone opens for a raise ahead of you, you don't need as much of a gap in hand strength to play with her as you would if your stacks were similarly sized. (You still need some gap, but not as much.)Another approach: As long as you continue to have more than an average size stack of chips you are in great shape. At this stage, average is about 3K and you've got more than 9K. This means that you have 6K of chips that you can use to mess with people's heads, get out of line, push them around, make yourself dangerous.Hope this helps. Good luck and good hunting.

[Greg Kelley 0]

I have been heeding it. I havent added many chips (about 1300) but I certainly havent lost any.44 left. 3rd place.100-200...antes coming soon...

[Greg Kelley 0]

lost half my stack with 88. ouch

[zimmer4141 0]

With the chipleader at my table, I might be cautious when playing with him, but other than that, I go into super LAG mode. Man big stacks are fun.

[Greg Kelley 0]

thanks everyone...i basically played tight agressive...unti lI got beaten by AA...ouch.There are 27 left now. 20 pay.I am in 22nd place. Push and pray time!

[flyingmoose 0]

lost half my stack with 88. ouch

My advice would pretty much be avoid doing that. Putting a lot of chips at risk with a marginal hand is a mistake, whether you're bigstack or not. You really don't have much power with a stack when you're this far away from the money. You should generally just play the same game that got you those chips. Focus on making good, +EV plays. You shouldn't feel compelled to constantly steal and resteal until you get close enough to the money that weaker players will slow down to ensure a cash.

[radar37 0]

dont know if this is still even going on but I find the best thing about getting chips early is just being able to see some flops without hurting your stack much. I love deep stack tourny poker. When your short stacked and you start with so few chips its tough to raise with suited connectors, but if you have a big stack you can come in raising from late position, and that just puts you in a great spot. Also you can call small raises from people with decent sized stacks with small pairs looking to catch a set. I like these hands much more than say kq off suit just because if I hit I hit and if I dont I'm gone, or if I came in raising with 67 suited and an ace hits I can throw in a bet. The chips you get early, even if you are the chip leader, are rarely enough to sit on. But it does put you in a great spot because you can wait for hands and see flops and if your getting garbage you can wait it out. apoligize for drunken rambling. gl.