should the Big stack Be the bully?

[j1a1m1]

SO now comes the question how to play the big stack?
I have been going tinto final tables that pay 3 or maybe 5 ppl with the chip lead several days in a row now, and only made the money once out of 5 times in this situation. The problem has been the same in almost every case in fact i was beat by the same situation 3 times in a row, bad play or just unlucky? I was Chip leader as i said going into final table. I almost always play a little cautiously even in this situation. Well i finally got some cards A face or something with only 5 or 6 ppl at table, I raised i was called, i flopped an A i bet the pot i was called, on the turn i got 2 p, i bet the pot, again i was called, after the river showed no reaL possibilities for my opponent i put them all in and on three occasions in a row they had gotten trips with a small pp on the river after calling all my bets with many overcards on board. Should I have put them all in on the flop? Or did i play right and they just got lucky?
Should the big stack always be the bully or are those small pairs gonna call no matter what u do?

 

[t1riel]

When you get to the final table, some players are going to raise with mariganl hands and bluff as well becuase they need to get some chips fast to have a shot at winning the tournament. The short stacks will wait for a decent hand to go all in. At the final table, I would play a little more conservatively and bully some players once in a while.

 

[twizzybop]

Depends with position and your read on your opponents.. take a stab now and then with a marginal hand on pre-flop raises.. Smaller stacks tend to fold more when they are short stacked. However though they also like to come over the top of you with any 2 cards in hopes of getting some extra chips from you, Also if there is 1-2 other big stacks at the table with you.. don't get into a pissing contest with them.

 

[titans4ever]

Should you bully? Yes and no. There is a fine line between making the small stacks sweat by leaning on them and playing stupidly. You need them to make tough decisions. The problem is when a small stack commits to a hand, they are very hard to push off on the turn and river even if they are not all in. Your best time to get them to fold is preflop or after the flop. If they have played through t othe turn, they are most likely commited to the hand to the end.

If you have had three seperate players pull off hitting one of thier two outs on the river, that is truely bad luck my friend.

 

[just_blaze]

when i reach the final table at a multitable and i have chips to play with i will usually play really tight and aggresive till we rich the final 6 or 7.hats when i loosen up and really get involved and try to win the turney

 

[LuckyLuciano]

there is a way...

You know i almost like a bully at the table the reason being is that i can use his baligerance aagainst him but only if im sure his eyes being the hollowest i can reraise him and win pots even if i have nothing which will eventuall throw him off his game and make him an easy fountain...

 

[tucum]

the nice thing about having the big stack is you can afford to have the patience to see when to be aggresive and when to be tight but you do need to keep playing like you were when you got to the final table with the big stack

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

Depends on the situation. If you've built a stack early on in a tourney it may be best to sit on it and play very tight for a while before pouncing when the blinds get larger. With a big stack close to the money, you want to be picking on the tight shortstacks and generally staying away from confrontations with other big stacks without a premium hand.

 

[~~Shelynn~~]

OK I'm at the final table 4th in chips and you have 2 idiots going after all they can,if you call time it gets to them they raise and re-raise with nothing. I want to pinch their heads off but find it's better if I sit back and watch their stack go down and weakens the other players, then when I get a good hand and have hit the jackpot I like to go for the kill. LOL Guess it's a sneaky way but a girl has to do what she has to do. Think this is the wrong way or what do you do in this situation?

 

[beatrix]

The great thing about being chip leader is that you can decide what to do and not feel pressured into going into big pots in order to build up your stack.
Trying to bully everyone all the time will mean that you're eventually going to get beaten in an all-in situation, and the last thing you want is to go all in and lose.

Also since it's the last table, anyone with a decent stack (compared to the size of the big blind) stands a good chance of winning. The short stack can become chip leader after just two all-ins, and the old chip leader could be crippled in that time, I've seen it happen.

The most important thing in poker, especially when chip leader, is to be feared, respected and not obvious in your play. Pushing everyone around every hand means you're now predictable, pick your moments. If you think your opponents have rubbish, push them off the hand. You can afford to play the man not the cards. But if you're betting big and one of the small stacks is calling you all the way he must have something good, those are the hands you can throw away. He's hoping you'll try and protect your hand and take you down a peg for your arrogance.

Bullying people like you described is actually a very good strategy, if done effectively. But you must realise that it's primarily for stealing the blinds. If you've a reputation now as a bully, you won't get called without some decent cards. Always remember that some hands are just unwinnable.

Play it cool, mix it up and maybe you'll do better next time.

 

[JeeDub84]

If you have the chip lead in the final tabel, i find that you should only play premium hands with the lower stacks because they are trying to double through and are willing to take bigger risks with more marginal hands. You shouldnt really make plays at the lower stacks, instead make plays at the average stacks. They are more likely to fold to your bluff because they dont want to cripple thier stack

 

[JRskatr]

The thing you should think about is how much you are raising. With a nice chip lead you should raise more than you would normally raise, just based on the fact that you have more chips. For example if you have A 10 suited in middle position and would normally raise to 3x the BB preflop, you should consider raising to 4 or 5x the BB so you have a better chance of taking the pot right there. people will be more reluctant to call you becuase they are scared of being knocked out, but you have to GIVE them the fear by being aggressive. If they see that you are still playing tight as a chip leader they will not hesitate to call you and bluff you out of pots. you should watch deznuts play sometime, he makes many final tables and wins a lot of tournaments, and is one of the most aggressive players ive seen.