Opponents’ Chip Stacks
By now you should know that being oblivious to anything is a bad idea when you play poker online. A good player (that is, a winning player) will pick up every nuance about each and every one of her opponents. Despite all of the subtle details that players will observe, there is one glaring omission to many players detailed analyses-their opponents chip stacks.
People always notice their opponents chips stacks (chip envy is a part of every good player’s psyche), but many players will overlook the poker strategy that is involved in playing with opponents of different chip counts.
Players with large stacks have a tendency to play online poker more aggressively, and often will attempt to bully a table. If you sit to the right of the big stack, be more selective about our starting hands as the big stack is likely to raise the blinds. Only play hands that you are comfortable raising with. They are also less likely to fold to a bluff, as they have more chips to lose, and can afford the risk.
The small stack is in a different situation-he will often lock down and play only premium hands, going all in frequently. Inversely, the small stack can also get desperate and go all in with hands like K-7 unsuited, so get to know your players to get a grip on how they’ll act when their backs are against he wall.
