poker strategy

At this year's World Series of Poker, we saw a mix of entrants: amateurs, professionals, online players, veterans, young guns and close to 300 women as well.

Everyone comes into the event with their own view as to what's the best strategy. Some players bet large sums early in the hand, looking to steal pots before the flop; others only play small pots pre-flop, trying to win big by taking advantage of their opponents' mistakes after the flop.

There are pros and cons to both strategies.

Being a dead money player means that you're risking large amounts of chips in order to win small pots. It's a very effective strategy that works a high percentage of the time, but when you're wrong it can be very costly.

Let's look at a typical move of a dead money player.

With blinds at 100-200, and an ante of 25, three players limp into the pot. The small blind calls as well, and it's now up to our dead money player in the big blind. There's already 1,225 in the pot.

The dead money player often sees this as an opportunity to steal the pot. Since no one raised before the flop, he may perceive weakness and pounce with a big raise.

The key to the play's success is gauging whether the first limper is setting a trap with a big hand. Generally, at least one limper would have raised if he had a premium hand; if dead money can get by that first caller, he's probably home free.

The other key consideration is the amount of the raise; it's precisely what makes the play risky. Dead money must make a substantial raise to force his opponents out. Making it 600 or 800 won't cut it. In order to take the pot right there, he'll probably need to bet about 1,500 in chips.

Notice, I never mentioned what hand dead money held. The reason being, it simply doesn't matter. He could make this big blind play with 2-7 offsuit, and many professionals will do just that if they think the moment is right.

While that play can help keep your stack from dwindling, there's another less risky approach to winning. It's known as playing small ball.

With the blinds still at 100-200, and a 25 ante, the small ball player will attack a pot that no one has entered, preferably from late position. His hand doesn't matter all that much, but being suited or connected helps.

Let's say small ball holds 6h-8h.

Rather than call, or make a large raise to steal the blinds, small ball might raise to just 500. He's almost inviting the player in the big blind to call. More often than not, that's exactly what will happen, and the pot would grow to 1,325.

The flop comes As-9c-2h.

The big blind will often check, and this is where the small ball player must bet despite having nothing at all. A bet of about 800 should do the trick. It will force the big blind to fold, unless, of course, he happens to have a pair of aces or better. If that happens, small ball had better fold quickly.

Another advantage to the small ball approach comes when the 6h-8h actually gets lucky and hits a good flop. If the flop were to come 5-7-9, there's no way that any player could figure him for a straight. If his opponent has two pair, trips or even an overpair, the trap will be set. Small ball will be looking for his big payday.

Both strategies are effective, but the dead money approach has limited long-term prospects; it's a play that should be used sparingly. It will never win you a huge pot, but could cost you much of your stack.

With the small ball approach, you can accomplish two objectives: You'll continue to build your stack slowly, and, occasionally, you'll hit a big flop and double up.

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At this year's World Series of Poker, we saw a mix of entrants: amateurs, professionals, online players, veterans, young guns and close to 300 women as well. Everyone comes into the event with their own view as to what's the best strategy. Some players bet large sums early in the hand, looking to steal pots before the flop; others only play small pots pre-flop, trying to win big by taking advantage of their opponents' mistakes after the flop. There are pros and cons to both strategies. Being a dead money player means that you're risking large amounts of chips in order to win small pots. It's a very effective strategy that works a high percentage of the time, but when you're wrong it can be very costly. Let's look at a typical move of a dead money player. With blinds at 100-200, and an ante of 25, three players limp into the pot. The small blind calls as well, and it's now up to our dead money player in the big blind. There's already 1,225 in the pot. The dead money player often sees this as an opportunity to steal the pot. Since no one raised before the flop, he may perceive weakness and pounce with a big raise. The key to the play's success is gauging whether the first limper is setting a trap with a big hand. Generally, at least one limper would have raised if he had a premium hand; if dead money can get by that first caller, he's probably home free. The other key consideration is the amount of the raise; it's precisely what makes the play risky. Dead money must make a substantial raise to force his opponents out. Making it 600 or 800 won't cut it. In order to take the pot right there, he'll probably need to bet about 1,500 in chips. Notice, I never mentioned what hand dead money held. The reason being, it simply doesn't matter. He could make this big blind play with 2-7 offsuit, and many professionals will do just that if they think the moment is right. While that play can help keep your stack from dwindling, there's another less risky approach to winning. It's known as playing small ball. With the blinds still at 100-200, and a 25 ante, the small ball player will attack a pot that no one has entered, preferably from late position. His hand doesn't matter all that much, but being suited or connected helps. Let's say small ball holds 6h-8h. Rather than call, or make a large raise to steal the blinds, small ball might raise to just 500. He's almost inviting the player in the big blind to call. More often than not, that's exactly what will happen, and the pot would grow to 1,325. The flop comes As-9c-2h. The big blind will often check, and this is where the small ball player must bet despite having nothing at all. A bet of about 800 should do the trick. It will force the big blind to fold, unless, of course, he happens to have a pair of aces or better. If that happens, small ball had better fold quickly. Another advantage to the small ball approach comes when the 6h-8h actually gets lucky and hits a good flop. If the flop were to come 5-7-9, there's no way that any player could figure him for a straight. If his opponent has two pair, trips or even an overpair, the trap will be set. Small ball will be looking for his big payday. Both strategies are effective, but the dead money approach has limited long-term prospects; it's a play that should be used sparingly. It will never win you a huge pot, but could cost you much of your stack. With the small ball approach, you can accomplish two objectives: You'll continue to build your stack slowly, and, occasionally, you'll hit a big flop and double up.