Techniques are provided for overdrive pacing the ventricles using a pacemaker wherein an increase in an overdrive pacing rate is performed primarily to achieve a high degree of rate smoothing. The ventricles are paced at an overdrive pacing rate selected to permit the detection of the least some intrinsic ventricular pulses and then the overdrive pacing rate is dynamically adjusted based on the detected intrinsic ventricular pulses. In one example, an increase in the ventricular overdrive rate is performed only in response to detection of at least two intrinsic ventricular beats within a predetermined search period. If at least two intrinsic ventricular beats are not detected within the search period, the overdrive pacing rate is decreased. Various techniques are also provided for determining when to activate ventricular overdrive pacing depending, in part, on the capabilities of the particular pacemaker, the current mode of operation, the density of premature ventricular contractions, the degree of heart rate stability, and the presence of atrial fibrillation. Adaptive techniques for automatically adjusting ventricular overdrive pacing control parameters are also described.