smooth calling preflop in MTTs

how often do you smooth call* preflop in MTTs?

what's the best time to do so? i.e. optimal setting to smooth call?

what kinds of hands should you be considering smooth calling with?

or is smooth calling preflop not a good play?

personally, i rarely smooth call preflop (i tend to prefer to stay aggressive and raise/reraise), but i just wanted to hear some opinions from others.

*for clarification, by smooth call i mean: A call made when a player would typically have been expected to raise or reraise.

Comments

  • okok, first of all, whats a smooth call ???
  • I call a lot, I like flops
  • darbday wrote: »
    okok, first of all, whats a smooth call ???

    A call made when a player would typically have been expected to raise or reraise.
  • trigs wrote: »
    A call made when a player would typically have been expected to raise or reraise.

    really? To me a smooth call is just a call
  • Richard~ wrote: »
    I call a lot, I like flops

    i'd really like to hear more info.

    what's your general VP for full table MTTs?

    what types of hands are you looking to play? do you play a lot of low connectors and such or are you calling preflop with pretty much anything and are just more worried about position?
  • Richard~ wrote: »
    really? To me a smooth call is just a call

    really? idk that what i always thought it meant. that's actually a copy and pasted definition off the internetz.

    and that's the definition i was meaning to ask about.
  • lol smooth call and the amount it was said in OP is lol
  • costanza wrote: »
    lol smooth call and the amount it was said in OP is lol

    umm...what?

    thanks for the input costanza.
  • this is largely a question about gap theory then correct?
  • darbday wrote: »
    this is largely a question about gap theory then correct?

    well yeah i would think so. although doesn't gap theory suggest a raise in these types of positions? and smooth calling is kind of going against this principle?

    idk if that's correct.
  • trigs wrote: »
    well yeah i would think so. although doesn't gap theory suggest a raise in these types of positions? and smooth calling is kind of going against this principle?

    idk if that's correct.
    Yes, except gap theory tells you what hands to flat.

    This is the best I can explain it (and I may not be completely correct):
    https://vimeo.com/44913652
  • darb just likes to use fancy words and complicate things
  • Richard~ wrote: »
    darb just likes to use fancy words and complicate things
    oh no no...you won't find that so much with me. What happened here is we stumbled upon a fundamental, so we shouldn't unfancy it any further. ^-^
  • darbday wrote: »
    oh no no...you won't find that so much with me. What happened here is we stumbled upon a fundamental, so we shouldn't unfancy it any further. ^-^

    HmMMMMMMM...
  • darbday wrote: »
    Yes, except gap theory tells you what hands to flat.

    This is the best I can explain it (and I may not be completely correct):
    https://vimeo.com/44913652

    thanks darb. i'll check it out and let you know if i have more questions ;)
  • Is this darb's video or someone else. Had to quit 8 min in because the guy doesn't know how to use pokerstove at all. Seriously tilting at watching him manually click each starting hand. ARGGH! DUDE JUST DRAG THE SLIDER BAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN TO THE RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • moose wrote: »
    Is this darb's video or someone else. Had to quit 8 min in because the guy doesn't know how to use pokerstove at all. Seriously tilting at watching him manually click each starting hand. ARGGH! DUDE JUST DRAG THE SLIDER BAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN TO THE RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    :-\:p

    But then it picks a bunch of hands we don't want?

    I think the idea is to think about picking individual hands so we think about really customizing ranges rather than giving general ranges like loose, average, and tight or 20% 25% 30% etc.

    But maybe I should watch it again and watch out for that in the future ^-^

    criticism= good though
  • good video darb. it was helpful for sure. still got a few questions though

    so obviously we're looking to occasionally smooth call only when our hand holds up against their preflop raise range. i get that.

    but how often should we be doing this as opposed to raising/reraising with a hand that we'd normally be raising with? does it just depend on the opponent?

    i'm assuming a smooth call should be thrown in every now and then just to keep opponents guessing. i so rarely use it and i'm wondering if it's an aspect i'm missing out on.
  • Ahh...ic so you really meant smooth call as opposed to just flatting.

    Def too advanced for me to suggest when to do it but I think its important to point out (although obvious) we make money vs weaker players by value betting (3betting) our nut hands. So I wouldn't worry about it much at all, but someone else better has to tell you when to actually use it.

    Just seems to me you would do it against good players you will continue to have a history against. But that being said you are prob better of to add bluff hands to your 3bet range then to flat your nut hands.

    Curious how others see smooth calling...
  • Ive been playing for a long time.

    You can raise call or fold.

    Please define "smooth call"

    1) limping pre.
    2) calling after someone raises (flatting)
    3) wtf
  • Wetts1012 wrote: »
    Ive been playing for a long time.

    You can raise call or fold.

    Please define "smooth call"

    1) limping pre.
    2) calling after someone raises (flatting)
    3) wtf
    trigs wrote: »
    *for clarification, by smooth call i mean: A call made when a player would typically have been expected to raise or reraise.
    trigs wrote: »
    A call made when a player would typically have been expected to raise or reraise.

    i thought i mentioned the definition. i am asking specifically in preflop situations.

    EDIT: just to try to explain it further, what hands and when should you CALL preflop with a hand that you'd normally raise with (i.e. smooth call).

    from what i thought, flatting doesn't necessarily suggest you have a raising hand but smooth calling means you have a hand you'd normally raise with

    i'm assuming that some would say to never (or very rarely) do this but i'm also assuming that there are times that it could be recommended. i almost never do this (i almost always raise/reraise in these spots)
  • So in what situations would I limp pre?

    Or what situations would I flat a raise pre?

    Im not sure what is meant by "when someone would expect a raise".
  • Wetts1012 wrote: »
    So in what situations would I limp pre?

    Or what situations would I flat a raise pre?

    Im not sure what is meant by "when someone would expect a raise".

    not limping pre.

    after someone makes a preflop bet and action is on you. you have a hand that normally you would raise/reraise. do you ALWAYS raise or do you switch it up and just call. when and in what situations do you just 'smooth call' like this. never? random? in specific situations? what situations are best?

    i hope you understand what i'm trying to say.
  • Yes makes sense now.

    How often do I flat in spots where I would raise a greater % of the time.

    Internet answer: it depends.

    Position, stack sizes, villain nittiness/aggressiveness all come into equation. Not really something I can comment on specifically with out a real time example.
  • I guess also we can say 'flatting to trap', its terrible wording ("when someone would expect a raise" the websites wording not trigs) there but it seems trigs is correct about that being 'smooth calling'. Funny I don't know the simple lingo like that..I look like the biggest tool live for that stuff.

    Ya aggressiveness is one...if villain is raising a lot pre (wide range obv) but folding to 3bets, and hes cbetting a lot of flops.
  • Wetts1012 wrote: »
    Internet answer: it depends.

    Position, stack sizes, villain nittiness/aggressiveness all come into equation. Not really something I can comment on specifically with out a real time example.

    I was coming in to say this it all depends how deep you are there are times i flat AK if the stacks are deep enough
  • Wetts1012 wrote: »
    Yes makes sense now.

    How often do I flat in spots where I would raise a greater % of the time.

    Internet answer: it depends.

    Position, stack sizes, villain nittiness/aggressiveness all come into equation. Not really something I can comment on specifically with out a real time example.

    i'm assuming we should rarely if ever be smooth calling out of position. obviously we need deep enough stacks to make a play like this. how deep though?

    are we only looking to smooth call aggressive villains? it seems like it could work against nits as well in the right situation maybe.
  • darbday wrote: »
    Ya aggressiveness is one...if villain is raising a lot pre (wide range obv) but folding to 3bets, and hes cbetting a lot of flops.

    yeah, villain's cbet percentage and post flop aggression should definitely be considered here.
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