Playing with a Medium Stack in MTTs – Strengths and Weaknesses

[babyrosejr]

Hey everyone,

I wanted to bring up a topic that I think many of us can relate to: playing with a medium stack in tournaments (around 25–40bb).

Personally, I find this stage pretty tricky. On one hand, the stack is still comfortable for making moves, but at the same time you need to pay more attention to ICM and carefully choose the right spots for aggression. I often notice that I play a bit too tight here and miss good opportunities for shoves or 3-bets.

I’d love to hear from you:

What strategies or adjustments do you make when playing a medium stack?

What do you find the most challenging in this zone?

Do you have any general tips that help you consistently reach ITM and go deeper?


I think sharing different approaches could really help all of us improve in this important part of MTTs.

 

[anasslaaleg]

In tournaments, having a medium stack (usually between 20–40 BBs) is one of the trickiest spots. You’re not desperate, but you’re not comfortable either you’re in the zone where every decision matters.
Strengths of a Medium Stack:
You still have fold equity, so shoves can be powerful.
Enough chips to apply pressure on short stacks.
Flexible: you can open, 3-bet shove, or defend blinds depending on the spot.
Weaknesses of a Medium Stack:
You can’t afford to take too many marginal spots.
Risk of getting squeezed by big stacks.
A couple of bad plays and suddenly you’re short stacked.
Personally, I think medium stacks require the most discipline you need to pick your spots wisely while avoiding clashes with chip leaders unless you have strong holdings.