How to defend your chip stack when you're Bigstack Bully?

Murasaki

Murasaki

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 7, 2022
Total posts
176
GB
Chips
75
Sometimes I win a big pot and become a Bigstack Bully on a table, but the hardest thing for me in general is defending my chips, most of the time I end up losing them. Mainly from playing hands too often or calling bets when I have a 2nd best pair on the flop, or any kind of draw in general. Is it better to just wait for a very strong hand like AK or a Pocket Pair like 88 and higher, or just play with hands that aren't strong but try to bluff your opponents to give up their hand?

Also, does having suited or off suit hands such as 5,7 or 10,9 make it worth calling/raising pre flop or just fold the hand?
 
F

fundiver199

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Total posts
13,524
Awards
1
Chips
308
With a big stack you can apply pressure to other players, but mainly when there is risk aversion like on the bubble or final table. So at other times you should just continue to play your normal game and not change much. Also even when there is risk aversion, the way to use that is to bet or raise with a wider range, but not call. It sounds like, you find yourself making looser calls, when you have a big stack, and this is definitely a leak, you want to clean up. Just because you can "afford" to lose some chips without busting right now or the next hand, does not make a bad call profitable.
 
Rob Hobson

Rob Hobson

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Total posts
4,479
Awards
2
BR
Chips
148
Attacking the weakers, seeing more flops preferably at late positivos...are in the basic but still good strateggy package for a bigstacker. How I see it.
 
christovam

christovam

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
May 7, 2022
Total posts
820
Awards
3
BR
Chips
134
I also have trouble with this, because when I try to pressure weaker opponents I end up losing a lot of chips. On the other hand, if I wait for big hands, I lose a lot of blinds and stop getting big. In tournaments with bounty I even get good results, because many shorts want to fold and think I'm light and end up losing.
 
Risto234

Risto234

põrandaalune pokkerimängija
Loyaler
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Total posts
17,075
Awards
4
EE
Chips
434
Well it probably depends when you will become "big stack bully" - if it's before paid places then :sleep: (sitting out) isn't such a bad idea i'd imagine ...
 
eetenor

eetenor

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Total posts
2,187
Awards
2
Chips
192
Sometimes I win a big pot and become a Bigstack Bully on a table, but the hardest thing for me in general is defending my chips, most of the time I end up losing them. Mainly from playing hands too often or calling bets when I have a 2nd best pair on the flop, or any kind of draw in general. Is it better to just wait for a very strong hand like AK or a Pocket Pair like 88 and higher, or just play with hands that aren't strong but try to bluff your opponents to give up their hand?

Also, does having suited or off suit hands such as 5,7 or 10,9 make it worth calling/raising pre flop or just fold the hand?
When we become the big stack bully it means we are now playing a LAG-Loose Aggressive-- style of poker
To be good at LAG play you have to be very good at post flop play-

You state---- calling bets when I have a 2nd best pair on the flop, or any kind of draw ----Bully poker is not calling poker it is raising poker-why raising? We are trying to get more folds than normal because we can knock the Villain out easily so they adjust to folding----if by the way you are in a game where they make 0 adjustments Bully style does not work

So with second pair or draw we will raise the flop or turn not call if we think we can get folds---that requires us to be very good at hand reading
If you can review your hands when in Bully mode look at the boards to get a feel for when attacking them is reasonable and when it is not

The questions you are asking suggest that you are not LAG capable yet-therefore you do not want to change from your normal game style to Bully style- (y)
 
F

Ff123

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Jan 19, 2023
Total posts
21
HR
Chips
0
You basically. Have to chill out and chase short stacks.. But you can't really know
 
Gallarado777

Gallarado777

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 19, 2022
Total posts
5,465
Awards
3
KZ
Chips
262
like a shark, you have to run after fish and try to catch them and eat them with medium whales, you must play carefully and try not to make too mistakes
 
lukaszkrzi

lukaszkrzi

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 6, 2015
Total posts
331
Awards
1
Chips
1
Defending your chips is an important aspect of poker, especially when you are in a position of power as a big stack bully at the table. There are a few strategies you can use to improve your chip defense.

One strategy is to be more selective with the hands you play. Waiting for a very strong hand like AK or a pocket pair like 88 and higher is one way to do this. Playing only strong hands will reduce the chances of losing a big pot to an inferior hand. However, this strategy can also make you predictable and easy to play against.

Another strategy is to use your big stack to your advantage by applying pressure to your opponents. You can do this by raising more often, especially in position, and by making larger bets and raises. This will make it harder for your opponents to call or raise with weaker hands, and can force them to fold more often.

Another strategy is to play a more balanced range of hands, including some weaker hands that you can use to bluff your opponents into giving up their hand. This can add an element of unpredictability to your game, making it harder for your opponents to read your hand.

Regarding suited or offsuit hands such as 5,7 or 10,9, it's generally considered that these hands are not strong enough to call or raise pre-flop, unless you're in a position to do so. These hands have a low chance of winning, and will often result in a loss of chips.

It's also important to consider the current dynamics of the table, position, the players at the table, their tendencies and the stack size, etc. It's all about finding the right balance between playing tight and aggressive, and using your position and stack size to your advantage.

In summary, defending your chips in poker requires a mix of patience and aggression. Being selective with the hands you play, applying pressure with your big stack, and playing a balanced range of hands can all help you to defend your chips more effectively.
 
J

James2023

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 10, 2022
Total posts
157
CA
Chips
0
All in when you have solid hands and learn the power of the button... the button will always be the last to call on the table. If the person on the button or closest behind them bullys you... just call, connect on the flop.. slow call it... and let them try to steal it.. Then either call and let them keep dumping or all in on the flop to prevent that player from connecting on the river. Treat it like head hunting... information is your best friend take notes on everyone.
 
Top