Effective Stacks and Stack-to-Pot Ratio
Learning objectiveConstrain betting plans by the smaller remaining stack.
Understand the idea
The effective stack against one opponent is the smaller amount either of you can still commit. Stack-to-pot ratio (SPR) is effective stack divided by current pot at the start of a street. A low SPR can make top pair more committable; a high SPR leaves more room for later decisions and raises. Multiway pots may have different effective stacks against each opponent.
A bet target is a total seat bet, not extra chips to add. Compare proposed to with legal.minTo and legal.maxTo. Track your current bet and stack so you do not plan a future action that requires unavailable chips.
At the poker table
If your remaining stack is 500 and the opponent has 200 with a 100-chip pot, effective stack is 200 and SPR is 2. Against a second 900-chip opponent, the relevant effective stack differs.
Code and decision sketch
Pseudocodeeffective = min(my_stack, opponent_stack)
spr = effective / pot if pot > 0 else NoneCommon mistake
Do not confuse seasonal available bankroll with chips in the current table stack. Only table chips can be wagered in a hand.
Try it yourself
For a 120-chip pot and stacks of 240 and 900, compute SPR and discuss why a 500-chip bluff is impossible against the shorter stack.