Poker Plays with Pokerpeaker: Folding An Overpair In A Multi-Way Pot

I'm still amazed at how many people are willing to lose their stacks with an overpair.

Knowing when to fold an overpair is a great way to save money and learn how to become a winning player.

All right, I'm playing a full-ring cash game on PokerStars, and I have a full, $50 stack in this .25/.50 NL Holdem cash game. I'm dealt Q-Q in the small blind. It's a nice hand, and when two players just limp to me, I pop it to $3.

This is a big raise, 6xs the Big Blind, but you've probably guessed my objectives. I want to get heads up with my pair, where it has a better chance of holding up, and I also wouldn't mind if I just took the pot down right here.

Unfortunately, both players call, and I'll be out of position with my Queens.

The flop comes 7♠ - 8♠ - 4♣.

Well, crap. That really isn't the kind of flop I want to see, especially with two other players. There are all kinds of draws there, and it's possible that one of the players is happy, given that the kind of hand they would call with in a multi-way pot would fit this flop. I'm thinking suited connectors here or a small to medium pair.

Still, it's possible my hand is best here, at least right now, because I know I'm not up against K-K or A-A. I probably would have been re-raised before the flop. So I bet a reasonable $4, which is just under half the pot. This bet looks a tad weak but not weak enough, in my mind, for someone to just jump all over it.

Both players call.

Well, crap. That tells me nothing. They could easily both be on draws, and it's also possible one could be slow-playing a big hand like a set (which would be a mistake, in my mind, but that's exactly what people love to do at this level regardless of the flop).

All right, a 5♦ falls on the turn. That card isn't as scary as it looks because it means someone would have to be calling me with an inside straight draw or a double belly-buster. But still, it does mean any six out there beats me.

I'm out of position, and I have no idea where I'm at at this point. I haven't put a ton of money into this pot, and a lot beats me. This looks like a good chance to check. If that means someone will take advantage and push me off the hand, so be it.

The second player bets $8. And the third player calls.

When I'm considering folding an overpair, I always ask myself a few questions. Here are some that I think are relevant here:

• What game are we playing? In other words, are we in a tournament, where the increasing blinds are always a threat and I just need to go with a hand if in fact my stack is low? Or are we in a deep-stacked cash game, where there's no need to lose all my chips on one hand?
We are playing a deep-stacked cash game, and I will have other chances to get my stack in the center with a better hand.

• What is my opponent telling me with his bet? Well, here, he bet $8, which is not a bet that is designed to push me off a hand. It's designed to make me call him. He's also betting into a player who raised initially and then showed strength on the flop (me) and a player who appears willing to call or could even raise him.
He's telling me he has a hand. A hand that is most likely better than mine.

• Is there a caller after him? Definitely. Why is that important? In my mind, when one player bets, he could be pushing me off a hand, but when another player calls, he's got something. Is it better than what I have? Sure, if he has a draw. Is my hand better than both of their hands? I really doubt it.

• How many are in the pot? I've already addressed this, but this is a multi-way pot, and that means the chances are fairly high that one of my opponents has something better than my pair.

• Am I committed to the pot? No. I've put in less than a fifth of my stack. If that commits me to a hand, I need to stop playing deep-stacked cash games.

 • Am I out of position? Yeah, I am, and if I call here, not only do I think I'm beat, but I'll have to act first on the river, which is a huge disadvantage.

Given all that, the fold is easy. On the river, a 2♣, my opponents show a set of 7s and the third player an A-high spade draw. Yep. That makes sense. The second player bet his set on the turn, so good for him, and the river scared him because of the straight draw, so he checked and his opponent, who missed his draw, checked behind him.

And I avoided losing a good pile of money.

Mar 2010

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