Description:
Very Good position to be in. You have managed to grow your stack beyond the initial 1500 you started with if you hit the late stage and have M > 10. Good job! In this position, you play very similar to the M:10-19+ middle section and even the M:20+ late section. More than likely you are the big stack still so if you are, play aggressive as you would in the previous section M:20+ late. The big diference between the two sections is that now, you have to be a little more carefull. You can’t wast your chips and you will be calling much less often. There are more stacks out there that can hurt you – against them you play your regular tight game.
Still look for easy opportunities to take out a small stack though.
Any two cards Call (your stack is huge compared to his 10X): Again, you are looking to grow your stack without risking much of it.
Raising 3BB or All-in?:
At this stage, you can still get away with raising 3BB. You don’t need to rush anything but will need to maintain your stack if possible. Don’t rush it however. You are in good position. You really shouldn’t worry until your stack gets to be around 1500 with the blinds at 200/100. At this point you need to make a move. With big M’s like you have, you are ok. Play solid and tight.
Another key thing to look out for here is the following: Many people with mediocre stacks (1500 – 2000) will reraise you all-in if you make a 3BB raise (600). They know you might be weak and in most acases are probably very weak themselves. YOU’ll start to see this move a lot (we don’t recommend it though – for us we do this move but only if we have a very good starting hand AK+,QQ+typically). So.. be careful of making 3BB raises. If someone comes over the top with all-in, you will be in a very tough spot. Pretty much having odds to call, but not really wanting to since if you miss, you are now in a just average situation or even worse since blinds will be increasing soon.
Pre-flop Starting Hands:
Same as M:20+ Late. Be more careful however. Its ok to pass up a hand that you’re not comfortable with. Your stack is big and the blinds won’t affect you for a while yet.
YOU Should be doing lots of the following plays: Blind Steal: 1.5 X BB . You can do this against a weak stack but beware against a bigger one. Also, this level you will be in for a while. If you do this 2x in a row, wait and don’t do it for a couple rounds (unless you have a pair or AT+). He will catch on and reraise all- in to defend. By the time he does this, hopefully you had a hand. Use this play to help grow your stack.
Post-flop Play (flop,turn,river):
Same as M: 20+ Rules
