Double-Up Secrets #2

Double-Up Secret #2: The big stack is not your enemy.

Remember, your goal is not to finish with the biggest stack. Your goal is to finish in the top five. This means your enemy, or at least the one you should be focusing on, is the small stack. If you are the small stack, then it's the player with the next bigger stack. Early on this isn't particularly relevant, but when you're down to seven players -- only two eliminations left -- the focus of your aggression should be the two smallest stacks. If there are several stacks all in the same range, all of them should be your target.

These are the guys you want to see lose chips. If you're in the top five, then it doesn't even matter if you're the one winning the chips. You just want to see the small stacks get smaller.

Conversely, these are the stacks you don't want to see get bigger. It's sometimes painful to see these guys take the blinds, but it would be even worse to limp with a marginal hand only to have the shortie go all-in from one of the blinds with just enough that you have to fold. Now you've made his stack just that much larger.

Hurt the small stacks whenever you can, but don't give them chips. Just like in any other tournament, somebody who's in trouble stack-wise is likely to push all-in with anything they think has a chance of winning. You don't want to go up against a small stack with anything you wouldn't be willing to call his all-in with. If he's a smart player he'll read a limp as weakness and an opportunity to pick up some badly needed chips. Be sure you aren't just donating when you call.

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