3 Ways to Build a HUGE Stack in Poker Tournaments

Do you often find yourself running deep in poker tournaments but unable to make the final table or win the whole thing?

Have you ever watched your stack slowly dissolve as the blinds go up? 

You find yourself in a tight spot where you can’t make any moves and you just have to play a short stack shove/fold strategy. That’s not much fun.

We’re here to fix that. Let’s build a huge stack that you can use to dominate the table and win that trophy.

Photo: iStock

1. Don’t be too tight pre-flop

If you’re focused on always being patient and think that playing good poker means being honest and straightforward, you’re never going to build a huge stack.

Not only do you need to get chips in the pot when you have good hands so that you can amass that huge stack, but you also need to keep your opponents guessing. They shouldn’t know that you’re holding a monster just because you shoved your stack into the middle!

What does this look like?It means 3-betting often, looking to steal pots, and fighting hard for pots pre-flop. Don’t just roll over and die.

Another strategy you should use is defending your big blind with a wide range. Lots of people will try to steal the blinds from late position, and they’re going to make a move with all sorts of junk. You can call them down with even marginal hands, and don’t be afraid to put in the raise either.

2. Prioritize position when you’re deep

If you’ve got a deep stack and want to hold onto it, position is everything. This gives you more information and lets you control the size of the pot.

Position is how you make moves on dead money and get out of the way when you’re drawing dead.

Use that deep stack to your advantage by playing a wide range from last position. Start getting those chips into the pot, and be willing to use large bet sizes to go for maximum value.

3. Don’t over-value a min-cash

“I’m just happy to be here.”Don’t ever say that again!

Too many people are just happy to be in the winner’s bracket, so they just sit there and watch as the levels increase and their stack goes poof.

The fear is especially gripping on the bubble. People will do all sorts of dumb stuff just so that they can get a min-cash. Instead of setting themselves up to win the whole thing, they play ultra-conservatively just to survive long enough, and in the process they destroy their chances at building a big stack that can take them to victory.

So instead of tightening up, gamble hard. That doesn’t mean going all in with seven-deuce. What it does mean is being willing to take a coin-flip because, if you do win it, you’ll get a big stack and can use it to run over the table in the coming rounds.

Go for it!