Posts Tagged ‘side pot’

Heads Up Odds

Hi,

Just recently, I had an argument with a certain guy online. Well, he went all in with Queens and had two callers who created a side pot. Back then, I had AJ. There was another guy but I don’t know what he had then as he folded earlier. At some point, I had running Aces on the turn and river to win the hand. He then started complaining about my luckiness. I told him afterwards that Queens was not a mortal lock as long as I had one overcard and straight potential. And that with two callers, he was actually the favorite but also the overall dog.

I’ve been watching WSOP for some time now and from it I’ve learned a few things. The most important thing I guess is the one about when a pair against two overcards is a 53% favorite head’s up; the higher of two pairs is an 80% favorite head-to-head.

Anyway, guy who hosted the house game said I played the worst starting hand (72) against the best (AA) which will win about 12% of the time. Your thoughts?

On a side note, what are the odds of QQ against AJ as outlined above? I think the answer would be around 65%.

Thank you in advance!

Best regards,
Tyler
Tyler,

Pocket queens are 71% against A-J. 7-2 offsuit will indeed beat A-A 12% of the time. You were incorrect with him being an overall underdog with two callers. Actually, with 2 callers, he becomes more of a favorite over you depending on the hand. His win percentage is lowered, but so is everyone elses.

As far as your hand, you were fortunate to win, but heads-up both of the hands were very strong. He is just upset you won.

Side Pots and Calls

Hello,

Do you think a player who called the main pot but doesn’t want to play in a side pot can still play for the main pot or else he’s going to be eliminated from both pots?

Say there are four players, player A, player B, player C, and player D. Player A for $50 goes all in. Player B for the same amount calls. Player C raises to $100. Now $50 main pot and $50 side pot. Finally player D folds.

Do you think player B to be able to stay in the game has to call the $50 or he can actually pass on the raise and just play for the main pot? And in your opinion, will it matter in case player B called the original raise which was $50 but later on opted not to call another raise from player C? Any thoughts?

More power!

Many thanks,
Brian
Brian,

One a player goes all in, the remaining players in the hand compete for the side pot, which includes the rights for the main pot. If a player folds to a bet in the side pot, they forfeit their rights to the main pot. They cannot pass on playing for a side pot. They must play it.

An Argument About Side Pot

Hi,

I was in a no limit Texas Holdem tournament the other day. Unfortunately, an argument about side pot came up.

There were four players left, player A, player B, player C, and player D. Player A with 1000 first called the 100 in the big blind. Player B with 500 called the 100. Player C with 300 went all in for 300. Player D folded. All figures were in chips.

Later, player A called the additional 200 from the all in bet of player C. Player B followed and also called the additional 200. Flop came with three way action: player A, player B, and player C. Each player had invested 300.

Because he was the first to act after the flop, player A then made a move and then went all in, 700. Well, all of us knew then that player C had a great chance of winning 900 if his hand was the best hand at the table. Also, it was obvious that in the event player B calls the bet of player A, there would be a side pot and that whoever of the two has the best hand would win the side pot at hand. Finally, player A would have the additional 500 he placed in the pot that the other players could not cover as well as the pot from Player 1, Player 2 and Player 3.

Now, what do you think will happen in the event player B folds to the all in bet of player A? Also, in case player B folds after player A goes all in with more chips, do you feel player B can win the original pot against Player A as well as player C?

Personally, if I will be asked, if ever player B has chips left he has to call all his chips off to the bet of player A to win the main pot. In the event he folds, he will not anymore be able to have the pot. On the flip side, my friend insisted that player B should claim the all in bet after the flop of player C as he matched such bet before player A went all in. He argued that player B doesn’t need to put his chips at stake to have the original pot.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Rayner
Rayner,

Once a player goes all in and has multiple callers, the callers then are allowed to bet on the side. They are not just betting on the side, but they are also battling for the rights to the main pot. If player B folds to the all-in bet of player A, he forfeits his rights to the main pot.

Side Pot Issues

Hello,

I’m new to poker so I have some issues in mind. Please help me. By the way the issues are more on side pot.

The first one, what determines the number of side pots? Second one, say there are 8 players and there are two two all in, will this call for 2 side pots?

I hope I make sense here.

Thank you so much!

Warm regards,
Fry
Fry,

In the scenario above, if two players are all in, then unless the two players have equal stacks, there will be two side pots.

Turning Cards Face Up

Hello,

I’m Gerry and I’ve just started playing poker recently. As a newbie I have some questions so I hope you can bear with me. For now, I’ll just ask two questions.

1. On TV, I’m wondering if why players don’t opt to just reveal their cards after the showdown every time. Any idea?

2. Once I was able to watch a certain event. There were two players left, player 1 and player 2. Someone whispered to me that player 2 can only win as much money as he has in front of him. However I’m curious, what if player 1 raises and player 2 have a better hand though doesn’t have much money, will a side pot then with player 2′s money and the equal amount of player 1′s money be created? But in the event you create a side pot, what will happen if player 2 win the hand and he has only contributed with money in the side pot?

Thanks in advance!

Gerry Wetzel
Gerry,

1. Some players don’t like to show hands when they are beat, especially if they are beat or made some type of poor play.

2. If player two has fewer chips than player one, the most player two can win from player one is the amount in player two’s stack. Anything left in player one’s stack stays with player one. There will not be a side pot.

Last Two Places

Hi,

I hosted a No limit Texas Holdem tourney. The tourney was held at my house the other night. It was with $50.00 buy-in and $850 starting. I believe everything went well. In the end, three players were left for the prize money. By the way, money for the first placer was $400, for the second $200 and for the third $100.

At certain point, player A had approximately $5000, player B had $4500, and player C had $200. All figures were in chips. Later, player C went all in with $200 to post his blind of $150. Player A then called the $200 and then went all in too. At such moment, the main pot was already $400 and the side pot was $4600.

Eventually, player B called the all in and placed $200 in the main pot and $4300 in the side pot. That time, my belief was that only player C was entitled to win the main pot of $600 and players B and C were up for both the main pot and side pot.

Well, as expected, flop, turn, and river came. Player A had something so he won the pot of $600 and beaten player B in the side pot 8700 chips. But we don’t know who exactly will take the two other places, 2nd and 3rd. For me, players B and C were all out of chips, but player B had more chips on the call compared to player C and so player B should be the second placer while player C the third placer. What do you think?

Thanks!

Regards,
Needham
Needham,

In a tournament when multiple players are eliminated, the eliminated player that had the most chips at the start of the hand gets the superior placing. In your scenario above, player C is the third place finisher since he started with only 200 chips.

About Winnings

Hi,

I was in a no limit tournament the other week. If I remember it right, there were four players left for the pot. One has different amount of chips from the others.

Mid part, all of the players called the blinds and have seen the flop. Right after the flop, player 1 had $19 and checked. Player 2 had $61 and went all in. Player 3 had $98 and called all in. player 4 had $74 and placed $71 to match the previous all in. For $19, player 1 then called the all in. Player 3 followed and called the all in of player 4.

Turn and river came which gave player 1 his winning hand, a straight, while player 4 his pair of aces which gave him the side pot.

I want to ask if player 1 should win $19 as that was what he called the all in with. Any idea? Or else $19 from each player totaling $76?

Thanks in advance!

All the best,
Epps
Epps,

Player one wins $19 from each player plus the money that was in the pot preflop.

About the Second Place

Hello,

In a recent tourney, something came up. There were three players left and the first two pots were paid. Player A first acted out and placed 500 bet. Player B called the bet, he was then all in. Player C went all in however he has 550. Player A called the extra 50, thus having 100 in a side pot.

Later, player A had a full house, player B two pair and player C had ace high. Player A won the two pots but we were confused then who was the second placer. We thought of player B because of his hand that beaten player C’s hand in the final hand but we also considered player C as he had chips that player B can’t have technically. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Regards,
Coleman
Coleman,

In a tournament when multiple players are eliminated, the eliminated player that had the most chips at the start of the hand gets the superior placing. Since player C started the hand with more chips, he finishes in 2nd.

On Side Pots and Split Pot

Hi,

I’m curious about the rules regarding side pots. Can you help me? I want to know all the rules. Well, once in a certain event I saw 6 players went all in and 5 winners came back.

Another thing, in some games, whenever 2 players have the same 2 pair, the pot is not given to the player with the highest kicker instead is divided. How come? I don’t totally understand why.

Thank you so much for your time.

All the best,
Musso
Musso,