Small Ball Poker
‘Small ball’ online poker refers to the act of playing at the casino online less aggressively on a pot by pot basis, and instead trying to turn a profit by keeping pots small and acting with strong online poker hands.
This definition, of course, more refers to preflop and prospective hands on the flop, as when you have a super strong hand you are going to try to get as much in the pot as possible. Preflop, though, rather than risking your whole stack with a hand that has yet to be defined by the flop and the opponents actions thereon, players who actively pursue ’small ball’ poker would rather act with as much information as possible, and thus will often minimize pot sizes by calling more often than raising even with hands like QQ and KK. Playing small ball poker can be nice in that you are never risking too much of your bank roll at a time, if possible. Those more sensitive to swings and sudden bad beats can take their time playing more carefully and keeping the amount they risk on any one hand at a minimum. Even pro players like Doyle and Todd Brunson have been known to exercise this kind of method, especially in high stakes situations where one turn of the cards can mean a year’s salary.
