[xSCWx]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think it's a great article and very well written, however I don't completely agree with #5 as small or minbets throw opponents off and the opponent will raise to find out where he's at, then the opponent will 3 bet. It's a different tactic used to get your opponent to raise (if he's aggro)

[/ QUOTE ]

In an unraised pot there's certainly a place for a minbet; that represents a little over 50% of the pot so it's a reasonable size for a bet.

In a raised pot -- your play is interesting, but it's not really any different from a checkraise, is it? Do you find that people fold to minbets in raised pots much before the river?

[/ QUOTE ]

I use minbets (1/2 psb) in limped pots, I don't really find that it has much value anywhere else.

The only use a minbet really has in raised pots is as an expensive check or as a psychological advantage. You may face an opponent who is prone to betting when you check but does not like to come over the top, so the min bet may confuse him a little bit although it is not much different than a check. As far as an expensive check goes, that is pretty much it. Against a smart player who will consider this to be nothing more than a bluffy check, he will come over this often. In this case, it can be used as a pot builder because he will probably end up putting more in with his raise than he would normally bet if you checked. However, if you are not doing this with your weaker hands as well a smart player should recognize that your min bet often represents stronger hands. If done correctly I think it is =EV to what we would consider standard, but in my experience almost all villains who do this are clueless and very -EV.