Evaluating Plays at Small Pots from a Meta-standpoint

[DavidC]

I make a lot of plays at small pots, and I'm curious as to how this effects how people perceive me when I play medium-to-large pots, and what effects this will have on my bottom line.

Please discuss.

[Cosimo]

I think they'll see you as bluffy, which means they'll look you up more often, which means be careful with semibluffs in big pots. But when you have the goods, I think you can push more.

The last few days, I've been playing more position-sensitive, often bluffing (post-flop) from last position when it's checked to me. I hope this is helping my image, tho I know it's also pushing my AF thru the roof. If anyone has a HUD on me, they prolly think I'm a maniac, and I think that's a good thing (if I use it properly).

[Mercman572]

depends on how perceptive your opponents are. it depends on how capable they are of adapting, and more importantly how much they are able to adapt correctly. most aren't that perceptive, the majority in small stakes games won't be able to adapt, and those that do won't do so correctly (i.e. they will keep the same range preflop but become married to a hand postflop even if you've been reasonable in play beyond the flop). So you can keep making plays at small pots, but don't just assume that will mean someone will play back, make sure you have some instances of it before you back a marginal hand.

[DavidC]

bizump.

Thanks for the replies already, guys.

[tagtastic]

My thoughts on the subject, if the table is passive/weak enough for alot of little plays to be profitable, then by all means, bet, bet, bet and take down pots and even just blinds - at the right table where people just lay down, lay down, lay down this is just printing money in between in big hands. Just don't get carried away and let stealing a small pot turn into losing a big one. Overall this will definitely help your image and let you win some big pots when you hit (many otherwise good opponents confuse behavior in small pots with behavior in big pots).

At tables where you're being played back at enough that stealing small pots doens't seem to be working enough to be profitable, then don't. These kinda tables will give you action on your big hands despite your past behavior.