Winning big pots is every poker players dream. Of course, winning the small pots is profitable as well. In fact, if you were to only win small pots, and lots of them, you could be a very profitable player. The strategy of going after all of the small pots is one that Doyle Brunson spoke about in his book Super System. When you win lots of small pots, you don’t have to win the large pots.
See all those small pots on the table? Could make a nice stack.
Of course, you have to understand when to play at small pots. There are things to consider such as pot odds, player tendencies, and number of players involved in the hand. These are the same things you have to consider when playing any hand of poker; only there are a few different considerations when playing small pots.
If there is not much money in the pot, and you have a weak holding, then it is not normally worth trying to win the pot if you are facing aggression. Suppose you are in one of the blinds and hold something like Tc7d. This is a weak hand.
If someone makes a 3x raise, you should fold. Calling those extra bets is not worth it. You will be out of position and have a bad hand. Suppose you call and flop a pair. It is not going to be good enough of the time to warrant the call.
You also have to take into account reverse implied odds. Suppose the flop comes 2x5xTx rainbow. You now have top pair. However, you have a bad kicker. There are many hands with a Ten in them that might have raised that have you dominated. Also, the person might have an over pair, or sets. You are going to be putting yourself in a position to lose money.
One of the ways to win a small pot is to take advantage of position. Suppose there is a weak player in early position. You recognize that they are the type to either limp/fold to a raise, or else limp/call then check fold most hands.
If you are in late position, it is a good spot to iso-raise this player. You can probably do it with any two cards. However, you have to be aware of the players left to act. If there are aggressive players behind you then it is not a good spot to try this play.
If there is no interest in the pot, then you can try and take it down. If there is interest, then you have to consider your hand. Obviously with a premium hand you can raise even if there are several limpers. Pocket Aces/Kings/Queens is a hand you will want to make a raise with.
If, however, you have a pocket pair such as 33/44/55 then you should limp and try and hit a set. You can also limp with suited Aces and suited connectors. What you are looking to do is to see a cheap flop and then hit it. If the flop comes 4x8xJx and you have 4c4s then you can get value from a whole range of hands.
It is important to not chase out players. If you have a set, and there are only three players in the pot then you might consider checking the flop and try and let the other players improve. Suppose you have a set of 4’s and the flop is 4hAcTd. If the other two players check then you can check as well.
You want to play small pots when you have a speculative holding, and then once you improve your hand you can build the pot. Never call a big raise just to see a flop; this is the classic mistake. Look for spots where you can take down small pots pre flop or on the flop with marginal hands. Once you can figure out the right circumstances you will see a dramatic improvement in your winrate.
Winning a small pot might not seem like a big thrill. However, over the long run, it can drastically improve your hourly win rate. Learning how to maneuver and take down uncontested small pots is one of the best skills a player can develop.
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