Ed Hill Poker - Poker Articles

Small Pot Poker

You'll be seeing Gavin Smith on next year's World Poker Tour broadcasts. So far this season, he has made three final tables. You may be asking yourself, "Why the heck is that guy playing those cards?"

There is a great deal of logic to his apparent lunacy. Plus, it is Fun! You get to play a lot of hands, and smile when they call you an idiot…as you rake in their chips!

"Small-pot poker." May be a style that you can appreciate for yourself, but for sure you want to understand and recognize it when you see it. Using this approach, you look to pick up a lot of small pots by applying a constant pressure to your opponents. Pre-flop, you raise often, when in position. The raises are small, usually a bit less than the customary three or four times the big blind. You can raise with a huge variety of hands

The criterion should be:

· Can I win a pot with this hand if I hit or if I miss?

· Can I win a big pot if everyone calls me?

· Can I steal the pot if it gets head up or three way and we all miss?

· Will I get pot stuck if they don’t fold?

If you don’t make the pot too big, players are able to give up on the flop when they miss, and you win lots of small pots! If the pot is huge, you just need to hit it! If you miss, and they don’t fold, you have to decide if you are going to die on this hill, or surrender, but hopefully it won’t cost you too much of your stack!

Usually, you will miss the flop when you raise with junk, but even though you won’t make a pair 2/3 of the time, if the flop comes rags, anyone who called a raise with a good hand has missed it too, unless they have a pocket pair! When we both miss, the player with position has a distinct advantage. Usually if you raise pre-flop, players will “check to the raiser” and he will have control of the hand. If you bet the flop most of the time, the bet will win the small pot, and you have an opportunity to show a bluff occasionally!

Put yourself in this position: you are in the big blind and pick up a quality hand and you have to call one and a half blinds to see the flop. You don’t want to re-raise out of position, but if you don’t hit the flop, you are in a terrible position. Even if you hit the flop too hard, you are not likely to get a big pot.

A word of warning: If you play this style, you must be aware of your opponents’ abilities. You can be the victim of players who have deciphered your style. They will bet out when they miss on a flop with big cards, and let you bet the hand for them when they call with suited connectors that hit, or a pair that stands up.

If they have realized you will fold if they come over the top…it is time to change gears!

One major benefit to this style is it really protects your good starting hands. No one ever puts you on a big hand pre-flop…. If someone does flop top pair, when you hold an overpair, it's likely that you are going to get all or most of his stack.

The other great benefit comes when you raised with junk and hit the flop hard.

Is it the right method for you? That's something you'll have to find out for yourself.

If you are a beginner, exercise caution, since style as it requires a lot of difficult decisions …it is easier for more experienced players who have developed a feel for the game. Players in your “how much to me, dealer?” game will just not fold even for all their stack!

Still, you can give small-pot poker a shot. If a few small buy-in tournaments don’t work well, you won’t be out your whole bankroll!

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