i ended up winning a few big pots today and had a 4-buyin stack at one of the tables i was playing at. i've never really had more than 2 or 2.5 buy-ins at any table before, and i was kind of unsure what to do. what adjustments do you guys make to your game when you're sitting on a huge stack? it's pretty obvious to me that i should raise more and raise bigger when i choose to play hands. but what else? does overbetting the pot on the flop become a legitimate play? other tactics? thoughts + comments are appreciated...thanks.

jon

Being a big-stack in a cash game isn't even close to as valuable as being the big stack in a tournament. The benefits of being a big stack in a cash game aren't really all that great to be honest, since anyone can simply rebuy their stack at any time. There are pyschological advantages and it may grant you some extra folding equity, but against most decent players, there won't be any real advantage at all. It becomes interesting when you're playing against other big stacks. This is because you're then playing a much deeper game and "stacking" another big stack might be worth 200 - 300 BBs or even more, instead of the usual 100BBs. This being said, if you're playing against another big stack you should generally make larger bets - make them in proportion to stack sizes rather than in BBs, because while you may be giving your opponent unbelievably bad pot odds, the implied odds of them hitting a hand which they may stack you on are much greater. So basically, play your normal game against most people - when you're up against another big stack, you may be able to call larger bets if you think you can stack them and this gives you correct implied odds. But be careful, they'll be thinking the same, so make your bets bigger to run them out aswell.

I don't think there's necessarily any advantage in having a huge stack to intimidate in a cash game, though you do want to have the biggest stack at the table, purely so that when you do hit your monster, you can get all of another player's money. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where your winnings are limited by your stack size.

I love this question. It's like saying, "Hey guys, my girfriend is this incredibly hot, sex-starved kitten, and I'm dehydrated all the time. What should I do?" Just kidding.

I agree that it's not as big advantage as in a tourney. I think it also depends on level and site. Party guys will pretty much go allin if they feel bullied (which is great to get your nuts hands paid off).

Since you are up, I'd play a more variance style game. Call with 1 off suited connectors. Raise a bit more on hands you wouldn't. Against tight players, try raising the "stakes" to play (i.e., more expense bets). Try check raising a weak river bet by a bunch.

Tim