How Do You Play Small-ball At Lower Levels?

[chipnut 0]

Small ball, and all of this other theory may be fine when your opponents are skilled players, but DN has noted, and written about the difficulty of playing against beginners. So what are those of us who are stuck, for financial reasons, at the .50/$1 tables or below supposed to do? Small raises down there do not thin the field at all. It's only another buck, what the heck. So you see the flop with six or seven donkeys, one of whom will likely outdraw you. Every low level table also has several Gus wannabes who go all in with every pair, draw or naked ace. You can't fold to this garbage every time, but playing with them is certainly NOT small-ball. It appears, sitting at the micro tables, that playing very loose and reckless is the best strategy. Isn't there some way to beat these sraps shooters consistantly without becoming one of them?

[Flack_attack 0]

No, man. Absolutely not. There is no way to beat horrible players.It's much much easier to win money off good, skilled players.

[combuboom 0]

It appears, sitting at the micro tables, that playing very loose and reckless is the best strategy.

That sounds opposite. Then you're doing just what they're doing. If everyone is playing recklessly and loose, you should play really tight and bust them with your big ammo, no?. If a 3 BB raise doesn't thin the field, figure out what does. Just adjust to the table.

[11 to 1 0]

Small ball, and all of this other theory may be fine when your opponents are skilled players, but DN has noted, and written about the difficulty of playing against beginners. So what are those of us who are stuck, for financial reasons, at the .50/$1 tables or below supposed to do? Small raises down there do not thin the field at all. It's only another buck, what the heck. So you see the flop with six or seven donkeys, one of whom will likely outdraw you. Every low level table also has several Gus wannabes who go all in with every pair, draw or naked ace. You can't fold to this garbage every time, but playing with them is certainly NOT small-ball. It appears, sitting at the micro tables, that playing very loose and reckless is the best strategy. Isn't there some way to beat these sraps shooters consistantly without becoming one of them?

Don't play ring games, play single table sit n gos. The level of play even at low buy-in is higher, and you can take your winnings and create a bankroll to play higher limit ring games.

[chipnut 0]

If a 3 BB raise doesn't thin the field, figure out what does. Just adjust to the table.

RIGHT! That is my point and my question. If I have to raise to 8 or 10 times the bb to thin the field down to 2 or 3 players - how do I play small ball at that table? Do I not even try at a table like this? Is there some way to keep the pots small at a table like this?

[bengy3 0]

Isn't DN's smallball strategy just a tourney,strategy? Deep stack tourney to be more specific.

[EvilGN 0]

RIGHT! That is my point and my question. If I have to raise to 8 or 10 times the bb to thin the field down to 2 or 3 players - how do I play small ball at that table? Do I not even try at a table like this? Is there some way to keep the pots small at a table like this?

that is correct, you generally can not play small ball at the lower limits of poker, you have to fire off 20-30 bucks at some micro limit tables to thin a field...

[aasurfer 0]

Yeah at the low stakes you're playing cards... not poker. playing small ball in a tournament is playing poker. in a tournament you have leverage to threaten your foes with... their tournament life. in a .25/.50 cash game you can't threaten them with anything, they'll just put another 20 bucks in to throw around. In my early days of online play i ran into a pro named Noah Boeken who cleaned my clock heads up and decided since i gave him upwards of a grand in half an hour he should at least give me some advice... stick to tournaments until your bankroll and skills have improved, its the cheapest way to improve and like i said there are some strategies in tournament play that are deemed as "correct". make these plays often enough in a tournament and you'll find yourself making it to the end of some of them, while at a cash game its a bottomless pit with no definitive start or end and any donkey can win one session.Phil

[Altruist 0]

Don't play ring games, play single table sit n gos. The level of play even at low buy-in is higher, and you can take your winnings and create a bankroll to play higher limit ring games.

True story. Plus you risk less in the process and see more flops than you will in a ring game. I do the SnG's at the Hard Rock and it's very profitable. The rings there are 1/2, full of the fish you're talking about. They're already spending $350 on the room, what's another $4 to see a flop with 7,3? They frustrate me so I just stay away....

[alabamaJammer 0]

Poker is a game of making fewer mistakes than your opponent. Since the level of mistakes is high amongst the donkeys you play with, why not tighten up and grind them down?