From the mind of Daniel N.

There is nothing more exciting than having a monster-sized stack in a No Limit Hold'em tournament. With a big pile of chips, there are so many ways you can use them to gather even more. Sheer brute aggression is one, but that approach can also jeopardize your stack too, if you aren't being careful.

You see, while you want to use a big stack to bully the table, it's equally important to protect your chips so that you can continue to be the dominant force. If you’re reckless with your chips and lose a big pot, it will greatly limit the weapons that you have in your arsenal.

Here are six things to think about the next time you’re sitting on a big stack in a
tournament.

Attack the short stacks. When players are down to very few chips, their options are severely limited. They’re forced to wait for any decent hand and then move all-in.

In the meantime, push them around with your big stack, since, even if they do play with you, the damage to your chip fortress would be minimal.

When there are short stacks in the blinds, be very aggressive and raise with a wide variety of hands. Understand, it's not really all that important how strong your cards are. What matters is whether or not your opponents can find a hand strong enough to stand up to yours.

Avoid the big stacks. The last thing you want to do is tangle with another player who also has a monster stack, unless of course you have a premium hand. The targets that you should be bluffing at are the chip-challenged opponents that can't hurt you too badly. Remember, you always want to protect your big stack, so when you’re up against a player that could cripple your stack, proceed with caution. Don't get involved unless you have a quality hand.

Don't play big pots. One way to protect your stack is to avoid playing big pots in marginal situations. Your goal is to increase your chip count slowly by avoiding major risks. So, in situations where you aren't totally sure that you have the best hand, play cautiously. Continue to stay aggressive in small pots, but don't risk a large percentage of your chips unless you have the nuts or close to it.

Be creative. One of the luxuries of having a big stack is that you can use every poker trick in the book: slow playing, trapping, bluffing, semi-bluffing and a host of others. While you want to be aggressive throughout, having a big stack affords you opportunities to mix it up, try out new tactics, and play hands deceptively.

When your opponents think they have you all figured out, it’s time to throw them a curveball and play a hand in an uncharacteristic style. This will be great for your table image as it makes you an unpredictable player that is tough to put on a hand.

Strike fear in your opponents. You want to be an imposing figure at the table when you’re a big stack. Your opponents should fear you whether you’re betting, sitting in the big blind or haven't even acted yet. When they’re afraid to play with you, you’ll control the table.