Betting Into Crowds

By betting into crowds, I am referring to situations in which you have a decision to make as to whether or not to bet the flop when no one else has bet and you have at least four opponents. Many players have a dilemma as to what to do when they have a hand like top pair and a weak kicker, or a draw, and are facing numerous opponents. The pot may be large and the odds may look attractive, but having lots of opponents can be a mixed blessing. The more opponents you have, the less likely it is that your hand is good. Furthermore, having many opponents means that it will be harder for your hand to hold up when it happens to be the best. If you are drawing, it may get expensive to continue with your draw, and the likelihood of someone else having a better draw increases as you increase the number of opponents. The texture of the board, the previous betting action, and your position play a decisive role in deciding what action to take. The following six hands, taken from live-action play, illustrate some of the key considerations that come into play.

Hand No. 1 ($15-$30 game): You are in the big blind with the A 9. A middle-position player opens with a raise and four other players call. You call. There is $190 in the pot and six players.

The flop is A J 10. What should you do?

Answer: This hand was hotly debated on an Internet forum. This is a horrifying flop for you to be leading into a crowd of five other players. The board is highly coordinated and has possibly helped the preflop raiser more than you, plus there are four other players in this hand. Someone could easily have a better ace. If you lead, you are likely to get raised, costing you two bets to take a card off. Furthermore, in the small percentage of cases when you are ahead, you will find that you can be easily overtaken. There will even be a small number of cases in which you are practically drawing dead when someone has a straight. You should check and await developments.

Hand No. 2 ($10-$20 game): You are in the big blind with the K 6. An early-position player, two middle-position players, and the button limp. You take a free play. There is $55 in the pot and five players.

The flop is 8 7 4. What should you do?

Answer: Bet. You have a flush draw, a gutshot-straight draw, and a king overcard. There are 15 outs with two cards to come, making you better than even money to make a flush, a straight, or a top pair of kings by the river. You might win the pot outright, although it's unlikely against four opponents, and you have several outs if you get called.

Hand No. 3 ($20-$40 game): You are in the big blind with the K 9. Two early-position players, all three middle-position players, and the small blind limp in, so you get a free play. There is $140 in the pot and seven players.

The flop is K 10 10. The small blind checks. What should you do?

Answer: Leading into a field of six other players with an open pair and two-flush on the board, and two cards in the playing zone, is a very bad idea with your top pair, weak kicker hand. In fact, you should plan on folding if it's bet and raised back to you after you check. In many cases, you should fold if it's bet and there are several callers. When someone bets into a large crowd with a board like this, you should hit the door immediately. With all of these players, it is too easy for someone to have a 10 or a bigger king. Furthermore, if you are in the lead, it will not be for long, because with this many players, there will be all kinds of draws out there. There are lots of cards that can come off on the turn that will destroy your hand. Any club, an ace, a queen, a jack, and a 9 are all bad.

Hand No. 4 ($10-$20 game): You are in the big blind with the 8 3 and get a free play when an early-position player, two middle-position players, and the button limp in. There is $55 in the pot and five players.

The flop is 8 2 2. What should you do?

Answer: Bet. Despite having four opponents, you should bet top pair, no kicker when the board pairs small and is rainbow in an unraised pot in which no one has shown any strength. It would be disastrous for it to get checked around, since any card higher than an 8 could give one of your opponents a better hand than you. If you get serious heat, you can fold, but you must protect your hand with a bet.

Hand No. 5 ($10-$20 game): You are in the small blind with the J 9. Two middle-position players and the cutoff limp in, as do you. There is $50 in the pot and five players.

The flop is Q 10 3. What should you do?

Answer: Check. With a drawing hand of the ordinary variety (that is, an open-end straight draw or a flush draw), your play is easy. You bet if there is a reasonable chance of winning the pot outright by betting. You check if the number of opponents and/or the flop texture makes a win seem remote. With four opponents and two cards in the playing zone (a queen and a 10), checking is clear.

Hand No. 6 ($10-$20 game): You are in middle position with the A 6. An early-position player and two middle-position players limp in. You and the small blind also limp in. There is $60 in the pot and six players.

The flop is J 6 3. Everyone checks to you. What should you do?

Answer: The board is not threatening and no one is betting, which means no one has top pair, in all likelihood. You have middle pair with the top kicker, which is a good hand under the circumstances. You should bet the flop while your hand is still good. A free card figures to help one of your numerous opponents far more than you. Anything higher than a 6 but lower than an ace that comes off on the turn could easily give someone else a better hand.