How important are the nothing pots?

[kitaristi0]

Folded to button who limps, SB completes and you check the BB. The flop is checked around and on the turn SB checks.

Two limps in front of you, you limp OTB, SB completes and BB checks. It's checked around to you.


How important is winning these small, "nothing" pots (I define nothing pots as 2-6BBs and the action indicates that no one has much of anything) to your overall winrate? Does whether you're playing 6-max or FR affect the answer?

[Stealthy]

I only play 6 max but whether I stab at them or not depends very much on my opponents and how I have been running.

If I have been playing tight I tend to stab at more than if I have been active. But if opponents will fold if you so much as look at them I'll take as many as I can get away with.

[Casper05]

I think its huge to your BB/100, so long as you arent stubborn and try to take a 2nd shot at these kinds of pots. If you ONLY bet those hands when you have a made hand, are you expecting to get paid off?

So, important w/out metagame. VERY important w/metagame.

[Ratamahatta]

I like making stabs when HU or 3 way at the flop in unraised pots. I don't like waiting until the turn though and I'm not sure if it's + or -EV.

[ajmargarine]

IMO they are somewhat important, especially at SSNL where you see limped pots more often. The key is understanding flop texture and only taking stabs at certain "orphan pots."

[snakekilla88]

somewhat important is your answer...well said aj

[sunpar]

I'm the kind of player who takes down a lot of these pots... but I frequently have these doubts too, mostly because even though like 75-80% of my stabs are successful, the few times I do get caught it seems like I lose enough money to make my sucessful stabs more or less inconsquential.

[Tupacia]

Not making stabs at these pots was one of those "AHA!" moments for me. To each their own I guess.

[ajmargarine]

Sunpar: do the math.

3bb pot. You bet 2bb's and take the pot down 75% of the time, losing the 2bb's 25% of the time. + or - EV?

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Tupacia]

Ehh it's not that simple AJ. From my observations, if trying to take down small pots is +EV for you (and for the way certain people play, it certainly can be), then you need to work on your aggression in big pots. Does anyone see the relation between the two?