PokerCoaching.com: Overpair In A Multi-Way Pot

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You are nine-handed playing a $600 WSOP Online bracelet event. You have a 54,000 stack with the blinds at 150-300 with 30 ante. You raise 9 9 to 600, the button, an unknown, but active player calls, and the small blind raises to 3,333. The big blind folds and it is on you.

Question 1: Should you fold, call, or reraise to 10,000?

Answer: Folding is out of the question. While your hand is certainly strong, it isn’t so strong that you should four-bet. Given the activity level of the player on the button, it’s fair to assume that they don’t have J-J or 10-10 too often because they would probably three-bet those hands. So, you easily call a three-bet with position on the small blind and a clear range advantage against the button, assuming they call as well. Four-betting also has no merit because it allows the small blind to five-bet, which would be a disaster.

You call and so does the button, making the pot 10,569. The flop comes 6 4 4 and the small blind checks.

Question 2: Should you check, bet 3,000, or bet 7,000?

Answer: Although you can remove many of the stronger pairs from the small blind’s range since they checked, you still have to be aware of your risk to getting check-raised if you bet, especially because you are multi-way. So, while betting small with a size of 3,000 can seem enticing, facing a check-raise from the original three-bettor would be an uncomfortable spot.

Further, facing a raise from the button likely means you are now in a position where you are playing for their entire stack. Therefore, you should avoid placing yourself in an unnecessarily tough spot by checking.

You check and the button bets 2,500 with 16,700 left behind. Next, the small blind goes all-in for 30,200.

Question 3: Should you call or fold?

Answer: The fact that this hand is multi-way adds a few layers of complexity to this decision. If you make the assumption that you are usually ahead of the button, your decision comes down entirely to how often the small blind will overbet jam with 10-10+.

On the one hand, some players wouldn’t do that very often because they want to continue extracting value from two opponents. Those players are more likely to make a move like this with something like A-K. On the other hand, there are certainly many players who would see this amount of action as threatening to their premium pairs and elect for the aggressive all-in move.

While calling this all-in can sometimes be good, with the correct reads on your opponents, folding is certainly the ideal play given you are multi-way, don’t have great pot odds, and don’t have enough information to adequately understand where your range is compared to both of our opponents.

You fold. The small blind wins with K-K against the button’s 7-7. ♠

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