Effective Stack
3 minutes
Last Updated: February 26, 2022
Effective Stack Meaning – The Smallest of the Two Stacks in a Poker Hand
An effective stack is the maximum amount of chips that is potentially in play between the two players. This is a term mostly present in poker.
For example, let’s say that you’re playing a poker game against one opponent. You have 52,000 chips, and they have 37,000 chips.
In this scenario, the effective stack is your opponent’s 37,000 chips. This is because this is the maximum amount you can win in this situation.
The additional amount of chips that come over the 37,000 is irrelevant when discussing effective stacks. Understanding effective stacks and knowing how to calculate them is key for properly calculating pot odds when playing poker.
