Extra Money in the Pot

"Extra money in the pot" means one or more players have posted blinds besides just the small blind and the big blind. It usually occurs when a new player enters the game and does not want to wait until it is his big blind before playing a hand. On occasion, more than one new player will post an extra blind. Sometimes, extra money will be placed in the pot when a new player joins the game and an established player returns. For example, suppose you are playing $10-$20. There is a $5 small blind and a $10 big blind. Now, suppose an established player returns to the table and decides to make up his small blind and his big blind so that he can be dealt right in. This makes $30 of blind money in the pot. Further, suppose a new player joins the game and wants to play right away, so he puts in a big blind of $10. There is now $40, or four bets, already in the pot before any cards are dealt.

So, how does this extra money influence your play? If you are going to play, you should frequently come in with a raise. You are getting good pot odds and the pot was built by players holding random cards. The risk vs. reward ratio is quite favorable, assuming you have a hand that you were going to play anyway. About the only time you would not raise is if other players have come in ahead of you. Your purpose in open-raising with a hand that you would play anyway is to put pressure on everyone else to fold. In the rare event that you raise and everyone folds, you gain immediately. Just being able to eliminate players and keep some, if not all, of the players posting blind money from getting a free flop is worth something.

Suppose you are the new player who is posting a late-position blind just behind the button and everyone folds to you. How should you play? Look at your cards and then raise regardless of what you have. This may seem like strange advice, but the likelihood of your winning the pot outright against only three opponents holding random cards is high enough to make this ploy correct. You also have position over two of your three opponents if they choose to play. Look at your cards, because you do not want your opponents to know what you are doing. Make them believe you have some kind of hand for your raise. Keep in mind that between the blind money and your posting of a big blind, there would be $25 already in the pot in a $10-$20 game, and a raise costs you only another $10. So, you are risking $10 to win $25. Your three opponents have to fold only a fraction of the time to make this correct. You also have the possibility of making the best hand.

Perhaps the following hands, taken from live-action play, will help clarify these ideas.

Hand No. 1 ($20-$40 game): You are on the button with the K 10. Everyone folds to the cutoff, who posted a late-position blind of $20. The cutoff checks. What should you do?

Answer: Raise. Having two big cards is a good hand under the circumstances, as all three of your opponents have random hands. This is especially true when you have position. The player on your right figures to have nothing, since he did not raise after everyone folded to him despite being halfway in. With $50 in blind money already in the pot, it is worth raising to $40 to put pressure on the blinds to fold. You might even win the pot outright, and you will flop a decent-sized pair about a third of the time, which can easily hold up against a small field.

Hand No. 2 ($30-$60 game): You are in the big blind with the A Q. The new player in the cutoff seat, who is a good player, posted a $30 blind. It is folded to him and he raises. The button and the small blind fold. What should you do?

Answer: Reraise. The poster is most likely raising with a worse hand than yours under the circumstances. Had some other players limped in, his raise might be more meaningful. As it is, you have an excellent playing hand and should three-bet despite your poor position.

Hand No. 3 ($20-$40 game): You are a new player and post a $20 blind right in front of the button. Everyone folds to you. You look at your cards and see the 3 2. What should you do?

Answer: Raise. There is $50 in the pot and it costs you another $20 to raise. Your raise may force the button out and give you position over the blinds if they choose to play. You may even win the pot outright. These two factors alone make raising worthwhile regardless of your hand. In this case, your small suited connector represents some semblance of a hand. There are many flops you can catch that allow you to play aggressively with position over a small field. This gives you opportunities to bet your opponents out of the hand at a later stage, as well as the remote possibility of ending up with the best hand.

Hand No. 4 ($10-$20 game): You are on the button with the 5 4. The player on your right in the cutoff seat had to post a late-position blind of $10. Everyone folds to him, and he raises. What should you do?

Answer: Fold. I realize that the cutoff may have absolutely nothing if he is a good player who is capable of making the play I outlined earlier. But most players do not play this way, so the likelihood of your being up against a better hand is quite high. I think your hand is too weak to be getting involved, especially in a raised pot in which you have to call two bets cold and it figures to be either shorthanded or heads up. You have a hand that needs multiway action in an unraised pot to be profitable.

Hand No. 5 ($15-$30 game): This is a sixhanded game. You are in the big blind with the A Q. Two new players just sat down, and each posted a $15 blind between the button and the small blind. This unusual practice is allowed in this particular cardroom. There is one player behind you plus the button. The player behind you is the first to act, and he folds. The button raises. The two new players and the small blind call. You consider reraising but realize this will not drive out anyone, since all four of your opponents are already committed. You call. There is $150 in the pot and five players.

The flop is Q 7 6, giving you top pair, top kicker. The first new player bets, the next new player raises, and the small blind folds. What should you do?

Answer: Reraise. You must realize a few things. First, the two new players who are willing to post money with bad position are basically gamblers. Rather than wait until the button passes, they are willing to post because they crave action. So, these guys will frequently bet or raise with very little. Second, there is $195 in the pot, which is 13 bets, so this is a big pot. Third, you have a quality holding with top pair, top kicker. Your top pair is also a big pair, making it less likely that you are or will be overpaired. The bettor and the raiser probably have worse hands than yours given that board. One guy could be betting any pair, and the next guy could be raising on top pair with a worse kicker than yours. Fourth, the button is the only player besides yourself who might have had a legitimate hand before the flop. It is important to drive him out, thereby eliminating your main competition and giving you position over the remaining players. Failure to three-bet here would be a serious mistake.

Editor's note: Jim Brier has co-authored a new book with Bob Ciaffone entitled Middle Limit Hold'em Poker, and it is available through Card Player.