Deep Stacks

Deep stack tournaments are always worth a look and they are a good example of the online game changing the way poker is played in casinos. If you have time to invest in a Deep Stack, they can reward patience and knowledgeable betting. It can also be relatively easy to capitalise on the mistakes of the rookies.

Take betting. A lot of players forget that it so much harder to take a person's whole stack in the early parts of the tournament. Others over play their hands and find themselves against a more patient player who is sitting on a monster.

Here's a hand to illustrate the importance of adapting your betting – you are dealt aces or kings in early position. The tournament has just started, the blinds are 25-50 and the stacks stand at 10k.

How much do you raise?

If you said 150-200, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. If the player behind you calls, there could be plenty of others willing to punt a tiny part of their stack on the chance of landing a decent multi-way pot.

It is usually better to raise 8-10x the big blind and protect your hand. You might see a mass folding but there is plenty of time due to the slow clock and you haven't found yourself in a tricky situation.

It was a such a sense of timing that enabled Ali Salem to pocket $14,270 in the recent $550 Deep Stack at the Concord Card Casino, Austria.

Deep Stack Tournament – Concord Card Casino – June 7

1. Ali Salem – $14,270
2. Peter Muhlbeck – $8,540
3. Florian Schleps - $5,690
4. Bodi Badic – $4,740
5. Arpad Bihary - $3,370
6. Jurgen Molnar – $3,320
7. Eike Stoll – $2,840
8. Carlo Schindlauer – $2,370
9. Norian Ashkan – $1,890