Small Ball Poker Strategy

Small Ball Poker involves two inter-related adjustments in your poker strategy. Used alone each of these could easily lose you chips. However, combined successfully, the key concepts of a small-ball strategy can improve your success rate in both live and online poker games. This article shows you how to make the correct adjustments at the tables. Often credited to pro player Daniel Negreanu, the small ball style has actually been around the professional game for many years. The key elements are as follows: 1) Play lots of pots, especially from late position with speculative holdings. 2) Bet and raise small amounts, keeping the pot (reasonably) small. Key to this strategic adjustment is the fact that you are creating a 'loose' image for yourself at the table. Opponents will see you playing a wide number of pots, especially with a raise, and will be less likely to believe that you have a big hand on each occasion. By keeping the betting small you will be able to get away cheaply those times your opponents start to make big bets and raises. At the same time you will pick up enough medium sized pots to ensure you accumulate chips. The best aspect of all is that those times you hit a monster hand - for example trips on a 'safe looking' flop - your opponents are unlikely to give you credit for your raises. Nothing is more satisfying in poker than having an opponent come over the top of your bet with a giant re-raise at the wrong time. By the time the dust settles you will have all of their chips and they will be left wondering how someone who played so many starting hands can get so 'lucky'. Of course - you will know that luck had little to do with the result. That your small ball poker approach enabled you to get into the position where you were a huge favorite to win the hand when the big bets started coming in. To summarize, small ball poker strategy involves playing many starting hands for small bets and raises, especially from late position at the table. By raising you will win many pots, but can get away cheaply enough when the big bets start flying if you do not have a legitimate hand. The key advantage is that opponents will often 'not believe you' when you really do have a big hand, enabling you to win a significantly larger pots.

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