Poker games will have varying table stakes, and everyone wants to win from the main pot. However, side pots can also be lucrative. This guide will delve more into the side pot, and suggest some betting basics to help you win extra money.
What is a side pot in poker?
Unlike the main pot, side pots are additional pots that are created when one or more players are all in. Sometimes, side pots can be a little bit more complex when there are multiple players involved.
Although side pots sound less prominent when playing poker, they can end up providing pots that have huge sums of money for those who have the best hand. Poker is a zero-sum game and poker tournaments will always have winners and losers.
Anyway, once all in bets have been placed into the middle of the table, the side pot springs into action. We will explore the rules of and how to win when it is not the main pot.
Side Pot Rules
A side pot is an interesting dimension, and as explained a side pot is created when the all in player will put all his chips into the middle of the table, therefore leaving the other players with enough chips in hand before they place further bets.
Anyway, below are some of the key components of side bets, although in some poker games, you can have multiple side pots running simultaneously:
- With side pots, you can compete for two pots instead of one, thereby increasing your chances of landing more money from a winning hand.
- Each player must match the whole stack or a full all-in bet to continue betting.
- If the side pot is created on the turn, you will still be able to bet on the river.
- Players don’t have to slow down if the other player has produced an all-in bet with their remaining chips.
- By the time of the showdown, the player with the best poker hand in the main pot will be revealed before the pot winner from the side pot or side pots is declared.
- You need to have a better kicker than your opponent to claim the side pot in a cash game.
- In Texas Hold’em players in cash games can carry on playing until they have run out of chips.
How does side pot work in poker?
Once an all in player shows their hand, the remaining players with a shorter stack will continue betting on the side, hence why it is known as the side pot. There are full bet and half bet rules in the final betting round. To explain how the side pot limit works, we have used a couple of examples below:
In a $1/$2 no-limit game, Player A may choose to raise to $8 from an early position, while Players B and C will have to wait their turn. After getting the go-ahead from the dealer, Player B will reraise with $20, while Player C calls the reraise from the dealer button, while there are further player calls from Player A.
With the main pot established, Player A and Player C will slit into the side pot.
Alternatively, another good example of limit poker would be if Player A bets $50 into the pot and Player B goes all in with a $65 bet. While the extra $15 isn’t considered to be a full raise on Player A’s original bet, a third player, Player C could still raise instead of call as he hasn’t had the opportunity to put all the chips he has in.
Player A, should he or she choose to do so, could then call the amount of Player C’s raise. If Player C were to just call on his opponents bet, then Player A would essentially be re-raising his original point which would defeat the whole point of the pot. Player A would call the extra $15 from both players and he would go into a separate side pot of $30. The main pot will have $50, and three players would be trying to win $150.
How to calculate side pot odds
With table stakes, chips can only be bought between hands, and chips can’t be removed or rat-holed to be brought out later. Calculating the main pot and side pots are quite straightforward.
The smallest stack should go into the main pot, and match the bet size of another player. You can create the first side pot by subtracting whatever is left in the next smallest stack and matching it with the chips of the other players. This process will be continued and repeated until you are left with the biggest stack’s excess bet that can’t be matched by the other players. We have explained using an example for both the main pot and the side pot.
The first player makes a $100 bet, and the next player, Player B, will only have $20 to call. The best way to figure out what players can win from the main pot is $80 ($20 x four players). Once the $80 goes into the main pot, the side proportion for the three players remaining will be $240 ($80 x3).
At this point, the dealer should announce who can win the main pot before, and this will take place before the small blinds and the big blind.
Of course, a good early position counts for a lot, but not everyone will be so lucky when it comes to their betting or how many chips they will have for a given round.
Side pot poker strategy
The side pot poker tactic revolves around the all in player. If you want to start playing poker, the side pot shouldn’t be negated, and we have emphasised a few key strategic pointers that might be useful to help you win more often.
Consider board texture
If you are going to go all in, then make sure you are aware of what hand beats what. Pocket aces are generally considered to be the best hand for a pre-flop, but they aren’t the best hand in the post-flop as they count for just one pair.
If you have aces pre-flop, you will want to go all in after the small blind, but if you don’t have this, then you should think twice before going all in, especially if you want to win the main pot. Having the second best hand in poker is probably the worst position when it comes to betting and sacrificing more chips.
Weigh up different playing styles
It is also worthwhile to categorise the playing styles and assess your opponents bet. An all in from a tight active player in a good early position is more sensible and far removed from a maniac in the further betting rounds or streets, such as the turn or the river.
A fish, for example, may be more likely to call an all in for previous betting rounds thinking it is a fish, while a nit won’t be inclined to play for stacks without the nuts, so you should shove the last active player into folding a really good hand.
Don’t be desperate
An all in is perhaps more common in tournament play than an all in for regular online poker games. The total pot for tournaments is also generally much higher given the stakes involved, and the quality of the field. Sudden and untimely all ins when you have fewer chips isn’t recommended.
Getting blinded out of a tournament is also a big mistake. You should never let your chips level as the shorter stack wins less frequently. Those with a small stack should perhaps consider going all in if they are getting at least 2/1 odds for both the main pot and the side pot. If you aren’t closing the action, you run the risk of someone re-raising, and they could win the second side pot.
How is side and main pot determined poker?
Essentially, all players that have gone all in are compelled to match whatever the same amount of the smallest stack, and this will determine the main pot.
In contrast, the side pot consists of those who have gone all in to meet the remaining betting amounts of players with the next biggest stack, and they will be placed into a side pot. With more than two players, you can have multiple side pots running along each other.
How to determine which players are eligible for the side pot?
Those players with an unequal amount of chips will qualify for the side pot. Players will have to match the smallest stack that has been contributed, as well as with fewer chips. Usually, there will be at least two players contesting the side pot.
Who wins side pot in poker?
If the all-in player wins the hand, they can win the main pot. And in a further face-off between Player B and Player C for the side pot, Player B can win that too if they hold the best hand.
Difference between a side pot and a main pot
There is a distinct difference between the side pots and the main pot. Whichever all in player wins with their hand, then they will take the main pot, while side pots involve multiple all-in players still betting, and as such, Players B and C, for example, could take part in multiple side pots.
Summary
At this point, you should have a clearer understanding of how side pots work. In poker, there are always fine margins, but if you can apply some of the strategies we have outlined during the pre-flop and post-flop, then you will see your game go from strength to strength. And you will have fun doing so!