A deep stack or a deep stack tournament is quite simply a type of online poker tournament in which all players will start with a large amount of chips compared to that of the starting blinds or ante.
Deep stack tournaments can and often do last a lot longer than usual tourneys due to the fact that the blinds posted have very little impact on the amount of chips a player is holding. This means that many more hands are played, and because calling these small bets will again make little impact on stack sizes, more players tend to get involved in playing more hands. This in turn will lead to more flops being seen and more general betting rounds.
Why play deep stack tournaments?
Playing deep stack tournaments gives online poker players a lot more time at the tables and a relatively low buy in can provide hours of table time. This is great for newer players as large chips stacks enable you to make bets that maybe you wouldn’t normally make and help you learn from mistakes without it damaging your chip stack too much. In many ways, deep stack tournaments are the first step up from playing in freerolls, and while there is of course real money at stake you are allowed a few errors as part of the learning curve.
Where can I play deep stack tournaments?
Most US online poker rooms will provide a good selection of deep stack tournaments with varying buy ins and game types, and a good choice is Americas Cardroom Poker. ACR Poker is a great place for new players and also offers a great welcome bonus with plenty of freerolls available too.