DeepStack TOURNAMENTS

What does the term deep stack tournament mean in the world of poker? What is meant by a deep stack tournament? In poker, a deep stack tournament is a tournament where players start off with a large amount of chips relative to the size of the blinds.
For instance, in a traditional tournament, players might start off with 5,000 chips and blinds may begin at 25/50, with antes being added later in the tournament.
In a deep stack tournament, players might start with 30,000 chips and blinds of 50/100. So, instead of starting the tournament with 100 big blinds, players might start the tournament with 300 big blinds.
Deep stack tournaments favour better players as there is more "play" due to the larger stacks. Hyper turbo tournaments, for instance, essentially become push-fests immediately after the start of play, while deep stack tournaments allow good players to patiently accumulate stacks while exploiting less talented players. They are also at risk much less, as the deeper structure means that they are not all-in nearly as much.
Good players tend to favour deep stack tournaments, though this can result in tournaments that are heavy on regulars and light on casual players, so the quality of play can be quite a bit higher.

Why Play Deepstack Tournaments?

PROS:

• Less luck and variance with this tournament type because players are more deep-stacked throughout each level of the tournament.
• This is the perfect tournament type for cash game players as play is very similar to what they’re normally used to. You get to use your chips with a lot more aggression.
• If you're looking for a place to try out new plays and develop your poker skills, then this is it. More than enough time to spin that check-raise-all-in bluff!

CONS:

• As the blind levels are quite lengthy, these tournaments take a lot longer to play than other tournaments.
• These tournaments usually need more skill to win, making it very difficult outlast some of the better (and luckier) players.

Is this Tournament Type for You?

If you usually play cash games, this tournament type is your cup of tea! You’ll be used to the deep-stack play. If you end up doing well in a deep-stack Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT), your payout will be much better than in a typical cash game grind.

If you find that you have a good amount of poker skill and knowledge, Deepstack Tournaments will work in your favour, too. Better post-flop play is needed to come put on top. Chip stacks are deeper, making it easier to mix up your play and really get to know your opponents' weaknesses.

If your goal is to get better at poker with the added bonus of a bigger payout from an MTT, add some of these tournaments to your schedule. Just be certain that you have the time and the focus for these extra-long tournaments.