Stack-Size Strategy Question

[pokerzen]

Okay so here's my normal line:

I buyin for max (obv. still 20 at my level) ... and I play my normal game. Now, when I lose a good pot or something, and I'm down to 50% or even 30% of my original stack I alternate between reloading and switching to LAG game. If I reload I obv just keep playing normally.

Switching to the LAG game produces mixed results ... sometimes I bust out ... sometimes I regain my stack and then reswitch to to a normal ... as my stack size grows ... I tend to tighten up ... except for some extreme situations where I'm against a lagtard with a 3+ buyin stack himself.

So anyway ... what do you guys think about stack size in relation to playing styles ... and 1 particular question for me is should I always reload (I remember Monk saying that he reloads even down to something like 80%) or should I employ this style switch?

[Ojingo]

[Aisthesis]

I'm fairly flexible with online stack-sizes. At the $20, probably about everyone is a target, so I'm less sure. At the $100, there are usually quite a few familiar faces, though, and usually on Stars quite a few tight players.

What I generally try to do is make sure I cover loose idiots on whom I have position, and if half a stack is all it takes, then that's fine with me. I'll just play half-stacked for a stretch. The other thing, though, is who has position on me, since I could also rebuy for full stack and still have those guys covered. If it's more of a dangerous type LAG who's going to make for difficult decisions on later streets, then I don't really even want to have a full stack.

And I'm not talking here about someone who'll try to take just anything away from you: Against that guy, I'll still want to be full-stacked but try to let him hang himself by check-raising or check-calling. But there are also difficult players against whom I don't like to be full-stacked OOP. That's the main time when I don't mind staying short, if I still cover the targeted stacks on whom I have position.

Also, short-stacked play (one lesson to be learned from Rolf) generally means playing tighter rather than looser. Admittedly, even 100 BB isn't a huge stack by PLO standards. What you gain mainly are some re-raises PF without a big risk when you're hopefully marginally ahead and then the ability to push immediately on the flop and not have to worry about later streets. But there's not enough stack-depth to make it worthwhile to pursue something like half-ass draw with nut runner-runner or something like that--which can sometimes be profitable with very deep stacks, since runner-runner has a very high payoff potential.

[GooperMC]

Like Ojingo I rebuy to full whenever I drop even a little. On most of the tables I play I believe that I am the best player at the table, so having more money on the table benefits me.

The only time I buy in short or allow my stack to drop is when I am moving up and am uncomfortable with the amount of money on the table. Even then I only do it for a few sessions.

For you at the $20 tables I think not buying in full is a bad choice. When I played those level I would slowly lose money as I check-folded when I missed, then I would stack someone most of the time I hit. Buying in short wouldn’t do anything about slowly bleeding money, but it would reduce the amount I won when I finally hit.

[Felonius_Monk]