Everybody's an F**king Expert

[PokerDeath]

I just read this article on Pokerroomreview.com about small pot poker.

http://www.pokerroomreview.com/small...ker-part1.aspx

I think this guy is full of horse excrement.
He takes all the fun out of the game by turning it into a grinding experience.
What do you think, instinct and guts, or playing like you work for H&R Block?

[MrX]

I think you may need to re-read the article. What he's describing is a more creative style than a typical winning no-limit style. Playing more hands, raising more, but doing it into smaller pots. You can afford to be more creative in smaller pots, because you and your opponents are less likely to be pot-commited. It's a more interesting game when folding is an option for all players.

Many (most) small limit NL players have become afraid to actually play poker. They raise and reraise so large so early that they either pick up the pot or make everyone pot-comitted. It's easy to fall into this pattern, and you can make money this way, but if you become comfortable in NL pots that are small enough to maneuver, you will have a dimension to your game that many of your opponents don't. You can absolutely own some tables by getting involved in tons of small pots and playing aggressively.

Don't be turned off just because the author described it as "grinding", it's really not.

[QuickLearner]

Okay, I read the article. I disagree with 2 pieces of advice that I read.

First, I've got to admit that I'm not a fan of the min-raise, which seems to be the lynch pin of the small pot article. It just doesn't work. It's a tool used by players who really hope you all fold...but aren't confident enough to put out the 3X BB raise needed to thin the field. It's a standard raise for a reason. The min-raise is just a pot sweetener.

Second, he tells us to always "throw out a bet on the flop," since we've shown aggression preflop. Continuation bets are fine, but not always. Would you C-bet if all the calling stations weren't scared off by your min-raise? No, I didn't think so. Especially since he also tells you to dump the hand if anyone plays back...even if you've caught a draw on the flop. It's way too formulaic. Anybody who pays attention will beat your brains in.

"Horse excrement" may be a little strong, but there's a whole lot more to learning how to splash around than is in this article. Maybe the secrets will be in part 2.