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Are You Maximizing Your Big Pot Equity?

Big pots are the most exciting part of poker. Of course winning players tend to not get excited about things like big pots, big winning sessions, or anything else really. The flip side of that is they don’t get upset over losing or losing streaks either. That’s the best way to be.

But big pots are at least interesting. Because most of us play No Limit these days, a big pot is defined as a large multi-way pot, not a heads up all-in situation. In fact I am not necessarily referring to all-in situations at all. I am talking about pots that get big naturally from multiple players putting in above average size bets.

The thing about big pots is that even losing players can show a long-run profit from them. When you win one it tends to make up for a lot of lost bets. But a winning player does better from big pots then a losing player in the long run. Not only does he know when not to be involved in them, but he is skilled at squeezing more money out of his opponents when he has the winning hand.

A weak player will often not possess the tact necessary for getting the most value out of a big pot when they hold the nuts. They will either just push all-in, slow play at inappropriate times, or make a value bet that is so small the opponent has to call it. Those are all weak ways to play.

A strong player, on the other hand, understands risk. He doesn’t play scared and he doesn’t scare off his customers either. He embraces risk as the wonderful tool that it is and puts it to profitable use. Very often in a large pot when holding the winning hand this means betting an amount that is a good cross between fear and greed. That is, he balances the fear of betting so much that the opponents will all fold with the greed of wanting to win a large bet.

This is an art form that winning players cultivate which applies to pots of all sizes. But it is especially critical in larger pots because that’s where your opponent will pay off a bet up to a certain size. It’s your job to find that size. Don’t scare them away, but don’t leave money on the table either.