Not only do you need to play against the players at the internet poker table, but you also need to play against the chip stacks on the table. Your chip stack and your opponents chip stacks are going to be huge deciding factors during a lot of tough plays in Holdem. We’re going to look at why the stack size is so important when you’re playing in single table sit and go tournaments for this guide.

Big Stack

There will usually be one or two players in a single table sit and go tournament that have big stacks compared to the rest of the table. If you end up as one of the big stacks while playing in a tournament then you need to make sure that you play your cards accordingly. You don’t always need a good hand as the chip leader because most players aren’t going to want to play against you. As the chip leader you can raise the pot a lot and try stealing as many pots as you possibly can. The only time you shouldn’t raise is when the big blind is the short stack because they are more likely to go all-in.

Short Stack

The short stack is always the worst position to be in and most of us always want to just go all-in with any hand at this point. This is a mistake though and good poker players will ensure they don’t let there emotions get the better of them. You can’t sit and wait forever for a hand, but you’re going to need to wait for at least a marginal hand before pushing your chips in. As a short stack your only moves basically in a hand is to fold preflop or go all-in preflop. You can’t afford to make any flat calls as the short stack typically so you need to wait for a hand to go all-in with. A lot of the time you will be able to steal the blinds, but eventually you’re going to run into a hand which is why you shouldn’t just go all-in every hand.

Typically after the pkr short stack and the one or two big stacks the rest of the players are usually pretty close together in chip count. There isn’t really anything you can’t do while a middle stack, but you should try to avoid the big stack as much as possible unless you have a real hand. You also should slow down on the amount of hands you’re playing as a middle stack until you can get a hand and win some chips to put your above the average.

All players on the table should be careful about raising the short stack because often short stacks are prone to go all-in with anything. You don’t want to waste any chips so you’re better off not raising the big blind of the short stack. You should also be weary of raising the big stack when the blinds are up because often the big stack is just looking for players to knock out of the tournament. Try targeting players who have a middle sized stack in the tournaments and when you have monster hands then work on targeting the big stacks.

Every PokerStars poker player is always trying to become a better poker player so that they can make more money at the poker tables. If you’re a new poker player and you’re looking to become a better poker player then follow the simple tips below which have been proven to help new players. It can be very frustrating for poker players to lose money when they play and noone ever like losing, but if you learn from your mistakes then you’re taking the first step to becoming a better player. Now you just need to make sure you don’t allow yourself to make the same mistake again, because trust me the second time it happens is much worse. We’re now going to look at some more simple tips to help new poker players become better players.

* Always make sure you do your job to make sure you’re ready to play poker when you plan on playing. You should make sure you get lots of sleep the night before playing and then also make sure you eat a meal before playing. You won’t be able to think straight if you’re playing on an empty stomach so do yourself a favour and ensure your body is prepared to play poker.

* Always play at the right limits for the size of your bankroll. Too often I see Full Tilt Poker players who should be playing at a $1/$2 game up on the $5/$10 tables trying to make back money they lost or trying to make more money. Whenever you play stakes you aren’t comfortable with playing you’re not going to see the same results as when you’re comfortable. You also risk going broke a lot quicker on the higher limit tables without giving you much of a shot to make your money back if you encounter a bad beat or something.

* Play the different poker games that are available in casinos and online poker rooms and find out which game you excel at. Most players like playing Texas Holdem, but if you make more money at the Omaha tables or Five Card Draw tables then you should focus on playing those games. You never know how good or bad you’ll be at a game until you give it a shot so make sure as a new player you try out each of the different poker games to find your forte.

* Whenever you play poker make sure that you always watch your opponents and become familiar with the habits of poker players. The more you can read into the minds of other players the more money you’ll be able to make. On the same note you should keep in mind that other players are going to be watching you so don’t give them any information which could give them a lead on how you’re playing.

* When you’ve lost a hand you need to make sure you just fold your hand before getting yourself into more trouble. Often players will try to bluff and steal the pot when they miss a draw or something and end up getting called. They then wonder why the other player called, but they shouldn’t have bluffed in the first place. Don’t get me wrong you need to bluff occasionally in poker, but don’t do it in the most predictable circumstances or you’re bound to have someone call you sooner or later.

A lot of people will play there pocket aces like any other hand and other people will play pocket aces slowly. Sometimes it’s beneficial to slow play pocket aces whereas other times it isn’t going to be so you need to make the decision when it arises as to whether you should slow play them or play them strongly. There are several factors you should consider before making the decision and we’re going to look at those now so that next time you play poker you’re prepared.

• Before the flop is the most crucial decision you need to make throughout the hand because you need to decide whether to limp or raise the pot. If you limp into the pot then you’re going to risk any two cards going against you, but if you raise the pot you might not get any action. You should consider if there are any opponents playing after you that are loose/aggressive because chances are they might raise if you just limp. If you’re late to act in the pot then you need to almost raise the pot so you don’t get any two cards calling you.

• After the flop you’ll have an idea of where you stand now because the three community cards are now out. If there are straight and flush draws then you might need to start watching out for your opponents raising you. If you see any draws at all developing you need to begin betting and you can’t really slow play anymore. If the flop comes and there are three duds out there then the only thing you need to worry about is trips or two pairs which is usually unlikely. In this situation you’ll be able to slow play at your own risk, but you want to remain cautious.

• As you get to the turn and the river then you need to consider betting now because slow playing isn’t going to make you any money if anyone hasn’t bet yet. You also don’t want allow your opponents to see if every card for free because if they don’t hit something they’ll fold and if they do they’ll beat your pocket aces.

The most ideal time to bet your pocket aces if you’re trying to slow play your opponent’s is either after the flop or turn. If there are any draws out there then you’ll be better off betting the pot after the flop because if your opponent does have a draw they will most likely call. If the draw hits on the turn you could be in trouble so you should slow down betting at this point, but if the draw doesn’t hit I would increase the amount you bet on the turn to make your opponent think about chasing the draw.

With pocket aces they look really good when you see them, but in all seriousness they can be beaten very easily and you don’t have many options to improve your hand. You want to make sure you win some money on your pocket aces, but don’t consider them to be your all-in hand when you sit down at the poker table.