Stack
A stack is the total amount of chips a player has in play at a given time. The size of your stack decides how much you can bet and how you should play.
The simple explanation
If you have 200 chips on the table, your stack is 200. In a tournament, the stack is often measured in big blinds, such as 40 big blinds.
A closer look
The size of the stack changes strategy: short stacks push or fold, and deep stacks have room for postflop play. 'Effective stack' is the smaller of two stacks in a hand, since you can only lose that much. To 'stack' an opponent means to win all of his chips. Always know your stack in big blinds.
A practical example
A player has $300 in front of him in a $1/$2 game. His stack is 150 big blinds.
Full explanation
A stack is the total amount of chips a player has in play at a given time. The size of your stack decides how much you can bet and how you should play.
A stack is the chips a player has in play.
It is often measured in big blinds.
Short stacks and deep stacks play differently.
To stack someone is to win all his chips.
A 15-big-blind starting stack
No-limit Hold’em · Blinds 1/2 chips · No rake
Player A started with 30 chips at a big blind of 2: 15 big blinds, a short stack. A’s 29 chips behind plus the posted small blind of 1 make the original 30. Stack depth depends on the blinds, not on the strength of the cards.
Read the example transcript
Player A has the button (BTN) and posts the 1-chip small blind (SB). Player B posts the 2-chip big blind (BB).
- Preflop · Pot: 3 chips
Player A started with 30 chips at a big blind of 2: 15 big blinds, a short stack. A’s 29 chips behind plus the posted small blind of 1 make the original 30. Stack depth depends on the blinds, not on the strength of the cards.
- Player A BTN / SB AAce of clubs (Ac)KKing of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 29 · In this round 1
- Player B BB QQueen of hearts (Qh)QQueen of diamonds (Qd) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
Cards are shown for learning; totals are displayed before pot collection.