Side pot situation

$15-30. Two limpers, a raiser, I called on the button with 22, one of the limpers goes all in for eight chips, and we are five, with one all in.


Pot size: 42 chips (SB folded).


Flop: 5-4-3.


They check to me and I bet. One caller. The preflop raiser folds.


Turn: 4. Check, bet, call. He almost folded here.


River: 3, I'm playing the board. Check ... ???


The side pot is 18 chips. I've got no shot of winning the main. I think he'll call on the river with ace-high and fold a king-high.


If the side pot was dry, it'd be an automatic check. If the main pot was very small, it'd be an automatic bet. Somewhere in between, the main-pot/side-pot ratio sways the decision to bet or check. Where?


Tommy

B4 flop you get 5:1 for two bets; pretty marginal at best. But you are in poor position vis-a-vis the raiser [1] Someone may limp-3-bet [2] when you flop your set a raise is likely to face the other 3 players with a double bet. Doesn't look like there is much money to be made with this hand.


Lets not forget that the presense of the all-in player should influence the live opponent to fold. Follow it through. When called proudly turn over you hand and announce "two pair". They will remember this hand which I believe is over-all good for you.


- Louie

Louis' last line puts a nice spin on it,but if you're playing with people that know you it won't mean much.


The answer is bet because the side pot is decent enough sized for you to venture one big bet on the notion that your opponent missed whatever it was he was looking for. With the size of the two pots, AQ AJ or AT gives him fair odds to call looking for a loose ace, loose side card to give him overpair/acekicker, or gutshot 2 (not knowing that this was his worst nightmare on the river). When he missed, with you having called a raise cold and betting out all the way, it's way too easy for him to put you on a small over pair (66 and 77 come to mind immediately) and lay down his hand, than to call on the off chance that he takes down half the action with an ace.

Well, if you bet the pot is laying you 3-1. If you think there is just a half-decent chance he might not hold an Ace or a pair it sounds like a bet to me.


BTW I don't much like the preflop call but you probably had your reasons. Also what do I know since I took about 7 months off this year net for questionable personal reasons and essentially spent my bankroll, so I am going in tonight to play $5-10. Rebuilding time, and perhaps this could be viewed as a test to see if I can get from $5-10 to a spread of $20-$40 through $75-150 in one year for my regular games which I would like as my goal. Maybe I am 1/4 nutz, not sure;-) We'll see;-) I also really should lose 70 lbs. and get in top shape in one year. Wish me "luck", or better yet, "strength" please Tommy;-)

The main pot size has no bearing on your decision. The only thing that matters is how often your lone opponent will give up on a two pair board with bad hands which beat yours. You are getting 3:1 that he will fold to a bet, it's a no brainer to make this play against every opponent who will fold a king high or worse.


If we make no assumptions about the hands he holds, then less than 1 in 4 hands will call that bluff -- if he'll fold king high as advertised. If we assume that he doesn't have a big pocket pair, or a 4 or a 3, then your chances of getting a better hand to fold are even better.


- Andrew

Good luck and strength!


Trivia thingy: The longest word with one vowel is: Strengths.

The main pot comes into play in assessing the likelihood of being called, because the main and side pot together represent the maximum potential payoff of calling Tommy's bet.