Cbetting merged in MW pots?

Originally posted by Hackett77
So mostly I have a poloarized flop cbet strategy but im starting to be of the opinion that in multi way pots sometimes we should switch to a merged strategy.

Example. We open AJs EP and get 3 callers (2 IP plus BB) - Flop is KJ2r

Heads up a check call I think is standard but I don't think we can really do this in multi way pots as there is much more chance of us getting bluffed off the best hand on later streets.

In these spots I think we can use the perception of our range by position and turn our hand into a semi bluff as the size of the pot is already pretty nice and taking the pot now is I feel more valuable than if we were HU, where we can look to pot control and induce.

Obviously villain dependent but this introduced too many variables so just in general, what do you think?

UTG w/ initiative plays differently than IP with or without initiative.

If you lead on that flop, are you going to fold or call the inevitable re-raise?
If you check that flop, given you are UTG, it hits your range hard, so a check/raise might be in order.
A delayed CBet can be good too, if everyone checks behind and you get a decent turn card.

You can treat this the same as a way-ahead/way-behind situation, too, and just check/call.

Interesting spot -- I'm interested in what others think...

Cheers,
VS

you should start checking more top pairs and not cbet AJ. Don't think people are necessarily going crazy when checked to.

Originally posted by mbml
you should start checking more top pairs and not cbet AJ. Don't think people are necessarily going crazy when checked to.

I think you've misread the thread. AJ is always a check call here HU as part of a good polarized betting strategy but im looking at multi way spots specifically in a full ring game where it's much harder to check call here and get to showdown, especially if the BB blind is any good and can check raise liberally if the last person to act bets.

Originally posted by Hackett77

Originally posted by mbml
you should start checking more top pairs and not cbet AJ. Don't think people are necessarily going crazy when checked to.

I think you've misread the thread. AJ is always a check call here HU as part of a good polarized betting strategy but im looking at multi way spots specifically in a full ring game where it's much harder to check call here and get to showdown, especially if the BB blind is any good and can check raise liberally if the last person to act bets.

You say "there is much more chance of us getting bluffed off the best hand on later streets he didn't misread the thread he told you the perfect way to deal with that problem (strengthening your checking range).

It seems like you are adamant that you need to get to showdown with second pair in a multiway pot but that really isn't the case. It's totally ok to sometimes be bluffed off the best hand (if you have stronger hands in your checking range villain can't bluff a ton), much better than taking a losing hand to showdown out of pride.

Imo 4way it cant be bad to cbet flop for protection and turn it into bluff on later streets if you get called because you block strong hands and villians are not going to call multi streets vs big bets in 4way pot. Imo it can be played also as check down. Also i think that protecgin check range with value hands in 4way pots is just waste of EV because the spots occure very infrequently and the chance that somebody really knows that you protect check range or not is super low.