A3o in the BB: Playing a Small Multiway Pot

[James.]

folds to MP1 who limps(23/8/1.5), sb completes(19/4/1.1), i check A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] in the BB.

Flop(3sb): A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

sb checks, i check, MP checks.

Turn(1.5bb): T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

sb bets, i call, MP calls.

River(4.5bb): 4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

sb checks, i bet, MP calls, sb folds.

how'd i do?

[BigBadBabar]

i bet the flop. take this small pot down now and don't let a free card come off that gives someone some random something.

[JojoDiego]

My first thought on the flop was to 1) bet for value and 2) bet for balance because I'm also typically betting mid- and bottom-pair and nice draws here.

[WalkAmongUs]

i also stick a flop bet in. i don't like giving free cards and they can't make a bad call if i don't bet.

also, if you check the flop and its checked through and then you bet and get raised on the turn, can you throw it away?

[Utah]

[ QUOTE ]
i bet the flop. take this small pot down now and don't let a free card come off that gives someone some random something.

[/ QUOTE ]I like checking here and letting mp1 take the lead. There are a lot of mp1 players who will auto fire here. It is very unlikely mp1 has an A given his open limp. I would love to catch him with a mid pair here or a J10 type hand and have the turn hit him because your A is disguised a bit.

However, I can also make a case for firing at the flop if the player will call or raise.

If mp1 had bet the flop then what were your intentions?

[Utah]

[ QUOTE ]
i also stick a flop bet in. i don't like giving free cards and they can't make a bad call if i don't bet.

[/ QUOTE ]What free card are you worried about? There are no draws on the board. sb is 1.5 so he is likely firing if he has any pair so you dont fear 2 pair too much. Flop was unlikely to hit mp1. Therefore, there are very few cards that hurt you on the turn. Thus, the tradeoff for extra bets when they hit a hand like K,Q (when a Q hits the turn) may be worth giving them a free thin draw.

[Harv72b]

This seems ridiculously standard?

EDIT: read the prior responses, guess not. Check/calling the flop is the correct move here--if we've got the only ace then we are way ahead in a small pot, so feel free to give the others a chance to catch up to a decent second-best hand. If someone else has an ace they probably have us outkicked, so no reason to bet into a possible raise. The turn call is also correct because SB may have a better (or equal) ace to ours, he may not have enough of a hand to call a raise should we make it (where he would call a river bet), and we'd like for MP to overcall. Easy bet when it's checked to us on the river.

[WalkAmongUs]

i do kind of like the way the had was played.

i was mainly worried about what to do if the flop is checked through and then we bet the turn and get raised.

[James.]

[ QUOTE ]
This seems ridiculously standard?

EDIT: read the prior responses, guess not.

[/ QUOTE ]

it is standard, but several fundamentals are involved in this hand and i want to make sure we understand what/why we're doing what we're doing here.

[James.]

[ QUOTE ]
i do kind of like the way the had was played.

[/ QUOTE ]

good because it's optimal.

[ QUOTE ]
i was mainly worried about what to do if the flop is checked through and then we bet the turn and get raised.

[/ QUOTE ]

i'm not fighting over a pot this size. in fact, the pot size is what dictates all of my actions here.