Pot-Limit Concerns

I almost exclusively play pot-limit games now and, as a result, have to deal with some different issues while playing than I used to while playing limit or no-limit. In case you’re reading this and don’t know the difference, in no-limit games, you’re allowed to bet any amount from the size of the big blind to everything you have in front of you. In pot-limit, you’re allowed to bet any amount from the size of the big blind to however much is in the pot when you make your bet. If you have less than the size of the pot in your stack, you can go all-in and bet everything in front of you.

As a result, almost all regular pot-limit players have a running total of how much is in the pot in their head or some close approximation thereof. Some don’t of course, and that’s ok because someone else at the table, ideally the dealer, will know how much is in the pot and they can ask. It’s very common for someone to bet the pot by just saying “pot” and then the actual amount is figured out if the nobody knows it.

Recently, I was playing in a pot-limit game and there was a hefty amount in the pot, something like $500. The action was checked to an experienced player who had about $100 in his stack. It was clear to him that he had considerably less than the size of the pot in his stack and he said “pot.” Dealers have quite a bit to do in a pot-limit game and this one took a bit to calculate the pot in his head. In the meantime, I said, “He doesn’t have a pot-sized bet, it’s around $100,” because I was sitting next to him and we were on the other side of the table from his opponent. The opponent folded and after he did so, the person who bet $100 into $500 by saying “pot” turned to me and said, “Are you supposed to say that?”

Let me start by saying that I’m not sure of the exact rule in this casino with regards to this situation. My guess is that there isn’t a rule clarifying this exact situation, but there might be. It’s an incredibly nuanced spot that really doesn’t need to be spelled out in a rulebook ahead of time. I told him that I wasn’t sure, but that I feel like it was up to me since nobody else had done so to protect the other player in the pot from what I thought was innocent until he asked me the question. Once he asked me the question about whether I should say anything in the situation, I knew for sure that he was attempting to deceive the player as to the size of the bet he was making.

If this was no-limit and he said “all-in” or if, even in this game, he had said “all-in,” I wouldn’t have said anything unless another player in the hand asked how much it was and then someone gave an incorrect estimate or count. However, because he said “pot” and only had about 20 percent of the pot in his stack, I felt like it was incumbent upon either the dealer or another player to say that he was all-in for less than the pot.

Poker is a visual game and it’s important to protect yourself from people who are looking to take advantage of you not paying attention. However, it is also a social game and if this player had pulled this move against someone who was in a conversation or only mildly paying attention, they may have been able to get a fold with a misleading announcement of a bet.

In different games, there are different ways that people can try to mislead you. This is one way in pot-limit. In draw games, a player who is in later position can start putting cards to the side to try to influence you to draw differently than you would have. No-limit has all kinds of ways that people have been trying to shoot angles over the years. It’s important to protect yourself, but it’s also important to protect others in the game.

I made it clear to this person that I knew what they were trying to do and why they were trying to do it and since then, I’ve attempted to do the same thing in similar situations. I don’t always think this is done maliciously, but when the amount bet is considerably less than the size of the pot, I want to make sure that both sides are protected. Make sure that you’re paying attention at all times, especially when you’re playing in a new casino or a new game and if you have questions about something you see when you’re playing, don’t be afraid to ask the dealer or the players around you. Each casino and each game may have differing rules that govern situations that you’re used to from your home casino. And, if you’re experienced in a game and you know someone does something that is questionable to try to influence the situation in an unfair manner, don’t be afraid to speak up to help yourself or someone else. ♠

Gavin Griffin was the first poker player to capture a World Series of Poker, European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour title and has amassed nearly $5 million in lifetime tournament winnings. Griffin is sponsored by HeroPoker.com. You can follow him on Twitter @NHGG