Small ball play

I think we should start a thread based on the small ball style of playing poker. I personal dont know much about small ball but i know that you try to play a lot of pots and when you hit a big hand you usually get paid off because you have been giving others a lot of action. However i was wondering is small ball play better for FR or 6max? it also seems really risky to me. I personaly like a mix of small ball and playing power cards.

I just started experimenting with this type of play, and I love it. Of course I havent mastered it or anything. And I have ways to go, but I'm starting to get the hang of things. Only thing that sucks though is playing micro stakes and freerolls you are playing with way too many ding dongs and at least for me I always start off good then when everyone starts tilting after seeing how they were outplayed, they just call ya donkey constantly cause they have no concept of whats going on. Then it always seems to be an all in fest, then I get pissed and end up making stupid plays(i think it rubs off, stupidity that is). If you want to learn more about it check out Negreanu's Power Holdem strategy book. His section is the only one worth reading though, imo. And definately mixing you're style up is the way to go.

The small ball style of play will not be affective in freerolls and microstakes. The small ball style tends to only be worth using in deeper staked poker. The problem in microstakes and freerolls is raising 2.5BB's pre-flop will get 4-6 callers more often than not.

Freerolls and microstakes u just have to play TAG. It's tuff watching everyone around you get big stakes and winning big hands with things such as 6h4h, but those meatheads quickly loose those stakes as well.

I would have to say that small ball is the ideal style when playing deep. The affect of this style allows you to see a lot of cheap flops. You also keep the pot to stack ratio large which is also ideal for good post flop players. Be careful - if you can't get away from AA or KK post flop small ball is not for you.

Purchase Daniel's book it's a worth wild investment.

Well small-ball strategy is pretty wierd , it advocates checking at one point in a tourney so that you can get ahead of your opponents in some way or the other. How does it exactly work , i consider it to be beginners strategy . Isn't it ? If some1 cud highlight the main pts it wud be gr8!
Thanx

Yea i was also wondering what type of hands are you looking to play? Are you looking to play in position almost all of the time and with suited connectors and the bigger hands. how about any suited cards that have st8 potential? also how much do you want to raise preflop? 2.5 on average like Brent said? and is the point to get a lot of callers or just one? Also, is small ball better with 6max or full ring games?

Small ball is based on your ability to read other players and your discipline not to get too involved in shaky pots. You play a lot more pots so you have to be able to handle really big swings in your stack. Daniel has video that shows you how to play small ball. Its really good you might want to go buy it.

Small ball means keeping the pots small, making small raises in position and continuation. Playing and taking lots of small pots, as opposed to waiting for the all-in doubleup long ball. Baseball terms. That is all essentially. After that it gets complex.

Actually small ball is considered a very advanced style of play. Because if you play it wrong you can get in alot of trouble. One of the big points in small ball is knowing when to get out of a hand. If you start playing small ball and costantly chasing to the river you're gonna get hurt, although there are some situations when it is worth it. In small ball straights and flushes are mainly what you're shooting for. The basis is raising smaller to control the size of the pot, and calling raises(as long as theyre not ridiculous stack crippling raises) with things like suited connectors and suited gapped connectors etc, and catching the people who overplay their high cards/pairs. The main thing is since you're raising everything you play no on can get a read on your hand. If you don't hit...get out unless your opponent slips and gives you a decent chance at improving. A perfect...extreme example of small ball would be opponent raises 3-5x bb with AA you smooth call with 45s floop comes 3 7 6, opponent bets pot, you call. Ace hit on the turn opponent goes all in you call and crush him. then he screams how youre a donk and how do you call a raise w/45 (alot of players think they're hellmuth). But thats the point, if the flopp would have been AKJ you fold and looseminimum, but when you hit you can devastate your opponent. then once you do have a good hand like Aces etc you play them the same and you get more action. but same as with speculative hands you have to know when to get out of it. there are alot of swings with this style of play but the rewards are greater. THE MAIN THING IS KNOWING WHEN TO FOLD. Bluffing isnt easy since alot of people think that since you play below average cards they are inclined to call with anything too, thats when donks get lucky. By no means have I even come close to being good with this style and there is alot more to learn, but I do recommend Negreanus booh Power Holdem Strategy, if you're interested in learning this style. And Yes I have had some success with freerolls and micros with this style, you just have to change things around a bit, limp more instead of raise, cause when you raise all the time, the freeroll donks start the all in every play, but as long as you dont tilt and start calling these stupid bets you can make it work. Any questions and i will try to research and get answers so ask away.

Small ball is not a begginers stategy, just the opposite actually. You'll have to be better at reading players, reading board textures, ect. You'll be playing a lot more pots, but not in the LAGTARD sense. Read up on Shaun Deeb's 180 man SNG stagedy. It's a small ball stragedy...

Alot of people need a big stack in order to be effective. This style allows you to pick-up a lot of small pots, not risking a lot of chips. You will also gain a lot more value from your monster hands. You'll be playing so many hands that the other players will be looking to reraise you more than normal, this is when you can win someones stack if you hold AA vs. their KQs kind of hands.

If you go to pokervt.com I believe Daniel has a sample video with some info on the stragedy. Personally I think this stragedy is only good for deeper stacked play.

You don't have to be deep stacked but you definately want to be above average. If you get blasted down you definately have to play more straight forward ABC poker.

i agree with rich in that with small ball, you have to let hands go easily if yr strategy is not working. Keep it small and bet the board, basically, and if the water gets too deep, bail out!

What I should say is this technic is typically used in tournaments where you start off pretty deep. The typical SNG on pokerstars isn't suited for small ball.

i won a full tilt freeroll using small ball but i was hitting well and my post flop play was awesome.. I am successful in AC at cash games only when the table is ultra tight other than that i play TAG.

Where can i find Shaun Deeb's 180 man SNG strategy???

Small ball is supposed to seem risky, while actually its not. You try to see many hands at a small cost, dont play hands that dont have ANY potential though or soon your small ball strategy is just loose. Hands like 75s 68s 34s small pairs are perfect. You want to be playing these hands in unopened pots, and try to come in for a raise most times (2.5 BB or 3 BB every time). With premium hands raise same amount. You are risking little trying to win alot. When you finally do get a hand you are more likely to get paid off with your "loose" image.

to play the small ball stratery you have to have good reading skills and the ability to take constant re raises because people will always think your bluffing. to learn more read power hold em statergys or register to pokervt (very good)