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PLO 6: Stack Size Considerations And Multiway Action

 Your stack size at any given spot during the hand in turn might determine how you play pre-flop and post-flop. The deeper stacked you are, more important is the post flop play. Typically, a smaller stack size gives you less wiggle room to make post flop laydowns whereas a deep stack allows you to let go of hands if facing a strong villain play. SPR can be defined as the ratio of your stack to the size of the pot, and is a key variable to how you decide to play a given hand. When to know you are pot committed depends on several factors like the below:

• Stack size – yours and opponents
• Texture of board / flop
• Number of players left in the hand
• Action behind

 How playable your hand is at any spot depends on the size of your stack or opponent’s stack. To simplify things we can split this into three parts.

• Stack-to-pot ratio (SPR) < 1
• SPR greater than 1 but less than 4
• SPR greater than 4

One trick to play stronger than villain hands in a multi-way pot is to commit most of your stack to the middle BEFORE the flop runs. For example, if the SPR is below 0.7-1, you can shove your remaining chips in the middle on the flop.

When you are deeper stacked, you should not be playing your hand face up. If you are rarely a 3 or 4-better and suddenly you show massive strength being say 100 BBs deep, you 3-bet and get three callers, you are almost always playing your hand face up.

 To safeguard against this, you can mix in more 3-bets

• In position
• Top quartile hands (not just double suited aces)
• To isolate against some players

 Remember putting in light 3-bets is a strategy you can employ when playing deeper stacked (High SPR post 3-bet). Remember the trick is to pick up the hand BEFORE showdown particularly when you have a weaker hand, or are in position. Let’s take a brief example. You are dealt Kings and Broadway cards.

ALSO READ: Storytelling In PLO! What’s That?

Your Hand For Example: A ♠ K ♠ K ♦ Q ♦ J ♠ T ♣

Cutoff opens the pot, the button flats and it is over to you on the small blind

 Case 1- Easy (Deep stacked SPR 4 and above)

 Deep Stacked: 60 BBs and more. You can put a 3-bet from the small blind. The good thing about these kings is you are blocking an ace and also have a nut flush draw. Some Kings are weak as you aren’t having the ace or the nut flush redraw. Some equity added with that ace and definitely a candidate for a 3-bet given that action. 

SPR > 4. You are called by two players. Post-flop action: Be ready to fold your hand, when you do not connect, as you are not pot committed with an SPR of 4 and above. You can choose to play the boards that you connect like set, broadway straight draws, either nut flush draw, or pairs blocking potential villain sets.

If you are up against say four players and you completely whiff the flop say with low undercards or a paired board that does not give you trips, you get away. If you were up against one player only, you can consider stabbing at the flop on a complete miss two, as you are up against one player only and cannot relinquish your betting lead on the flop.

On the other hand when you are short stacked. Put in the 3-bet or use any other tactic to commit most of your chips preflop and shove post flop on most boards. Sure you will lose the pot say 3 to 4 times out of 10, should you get called or jammed, but this is how you make money in the longer run (concept of putting in more volumes comes in handy here).

Learnings:

•     Do consider simplifying your decisions post-flop by playing a select set of hands in the pre. Committing your stack with better holdings than your opponent (read up on ranges and player profiling).
•     Do not feel pot committed with premium pre-flop holdings that do not connect with high SPR, is something you need to add to your game.
•     Taking stabs at the flop short handed with pre-flop betting lead is key to win against one player. You cannot however use this strategy in multiway pots as you are likely beat when you do not connect with a board.

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