Small ball

[pokerroomace]

Where can I read more about small ball? I've been playing a lot of small ball in the past few days and it's been working great.

I've played very aggressively recently at the low stakes ($0.10 or $0.15 blinds), short handed PL holdem games. I'm going into every hand and raising a lot of hands PF (even rubbish ones sometimes).

I started doing it because I was listening to a podcast with Phil Ivey and he said people should try bluffing every pot. I'm not bluffing every pot but I'm betting loads.

I want to learn more about playing like this. Very aggressively - like a lot of the top pros. eg. negreanu, ivey, hansen, farha, etc. etc. - it's brilliant. Normally I play quite a tight game but playing super agro is brilliant! I haven't read much about playing super agro tho. Can someone help me. Also, can you play like this at 8-10 handed tables?

A few days ago I was playing in a £10 (approx $19) rebuy. I finished with a bigger than average stack after the buyin period had ended and from there I started stealing a lot of pots and playing very aggressively. It worked brilliantly because I was paid off on my big hands and on my failed hands when I knew I was beat I just let the hand go. I wasn't playing supermaniac style in the tourney, but I was the most aggressive at each table.

I came onto the final table with a massive chip lead. My stack was over twice as big as 2nd place. I finished the tourney in third but only because my pocket queens lost to pocket 6s right at the end (preflop allin). That hand would have won it for me. And won me $430, but instead I went home with £130. (3rd was very short stacked when I went out).

Aggressive play seems like a brilliant way to play. Can anyone tell me more about it?

[Rondavu]

What happened here, is you discovered the natural style of play that fits you best. Nothing more. You'll learn more by doing, so just do it, because you're comfortable. In any style you're going to discover that it's exploitable. The real winners head off attempts to exploit their style, by recognizing it and countering.

[pokerroomace]

What happened here, is you discovered the natural style of play that fits you best. Nothing more. You'll learn more by doing, so just do it, because you're comfortable. In any style you're going to discover that it's exploitable. The real winners head off attempts to exploit their style, by recognizing it and countering.

Interesting. Sounds good. I'm the next Negreanu. I'm not sure if this is my natural style of play though. I've always been the tighest player at the table when I'm playing with friends. I'm not the loose maniac that will bluff every hand and call everyone down...
But maybe that's because I've always been a more educated poker player than my friends. And I had read a bit about it before the first time I played the game.
But still.. I see myself as more of a Dan Harrington sort of player. He's definitely capable of making a bluff and stealing pots - but in general he plays quite tight compared to some of the other pros.
I don't know if I can handle the inconsistency of playing like a maniac.

What do you think?
I'll continue to play like like a maniac at the short handed PL tables. But in SnGs (which is what I play most of the time). I'm going to continue to play how I always do: "Rock at the beginning. Maniac at the end."

[pokerroomace]

Come on... Are there no views on this? Should I be posting this somewhere else? A more advanced area of the site?

Does no one here play small ball because it's too advanced?

[bigspenda73]

What I don't get is the phrase "small ball" Does this mean taking down a bunch of small pots compared to playing larger pots. Maybe I have yet to come across it.
At the limits you are playing I generally do not like this style of play b/c your opponents are not good enough to fold mediocre hands, but hell if it's working for ya keep doing it.

[Tom42]

What is there to know really? Small ball is all about being able to read the board and your opponents. The more experienced you get to better you get at picking your spots.

I think every decent short handed player plays small ball on some level. It doesn't mean you have to play like a complete maniac though.