How do you play in unraised pots?

Introduction

In this article

• The special characteristics of unraised pots
  
• Play your made hands correctly in these situations
• Protection vs. pot control
  

Many players only have their eye on the big pots and the most profitable situations. However, these players often miss the fact that you can get a lot of value out of small pots as well if you look into it more closely.

As a disciplined poker player it's only natural that you would like to get to know all the facets of the game and that is why you also have to be able to deal with small, unraised pots.

This article should show the best way to react in these situations, how you can rate your hand strength and which possible lines are available.

Since many of these small / unraised pots often occur at full ring tables, you will only find FR examples in this article. The same applies here as well: post-flop thoughts also correspond to the shorthanded game!

How is an unraised pot created?

• You limp in and nobody raises
• There is already a limper, you complete the small blind
• There was possibly a limper and the small blind is completed, you take the option and check in the big blind

Since you should raise first-in in shorthanded play - almost without any exceptions - this situation mainly occurs on full ring tables!

The two most common situations are limping in from an earlier position with a pocket pair…

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
Hero ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 2 , 2
1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, 5 folds, BU calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25, BB checks

…or limping in with a drawing hand after a few players have already entered the hand:

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
UTG+1 ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
Hero ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 8 , 9
UTG calls $0.25, 2 folds, MP1 calls $0.25, MP2 calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.25,…

The second option is when you complete from the small blind. You usually get very good odds of seeing the flop. Additionally, you have the post-flop disadvantage of having to play out of position in what is normally a large pot.

Your hand is clearly too weak for a raise, but the odds are good enough for the call.

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
UTG+1 ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
Hero ($25)
BB ($25)
Preflop: Hero is SB with A , 2
UTG calls $0.25, 6 folds, BU calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, BB checks

Flop: ($1.00) A , 5 , J (4 players)
Hero…

It is often the case that you are sitting in the big blind with a weak hand, like any-2, and nobody in front of you raises. If you do not think that your hand is strong enough to make a raise, you can just check.

Basic principles in unraised pots

What basic points do you have to keep in mind and what situations might you come across in unraised pots? None of your opponents have shown any pre-flop aggression, meaning that none of them think they have a very strong hand.

They're more likely to have weak or drawing hands. The problem here is that because of the wide range of hands your opponents could be holding, there's hardly a hand that can be ruled out. That means even an innocent or inconspicuous looking flop might have hit one of them perfectly. That is why there is an easy to remember motto that goes:

This should of course be taken with a pinch of salt and not applied to all situations. If you yourself hold a very strong made hand you should also try to get the most value out of it. Yet see this sentence as a warning when facing heavy resistance with only medium strength hands.

There are not many reasons for trying big bluffs in an unraised pot (the original pot is too small). Thus, a raise here usually represents clear strength. Hands like top pairs or even two pairs (preferred "bottom two pair") are usually no longer good enough.

• The strength of your hand is not easy to define.
• You can often be in a multiway pot. These will put your hand strength into perspective again.
• You should concentrate more on "value play" than "bluffs"
• The fold equity is very low because it is very inexpensive to see the turn card (compared to the stack, not compared to the existing pot. But this does not bother many players!)
• Implied odds and reverse implied odds are very difficult to estimate
• You should continue betting with strong hands. Bet/fold is always better than check/call with average hands as well.
• If anything, you can play on odds and outs with draws

Possible hand strengths

What can you hit on the flop? The spectrum is surely wide since you can theoretically see the flop with any 2 cards (after checking in the big blind).

Therefore, you can roughly split your hand strengths into 5 categories:

• No hit: You did not hit anything!
• Draw: You picked up a draw that is more or less strong
• Weak hand: You hit something on the flop (for example, middle pair)
• Good hand: You hit a really good hand on the flop that could, however, not be very strong in an unraised pot (top pair, bottom two pair, etc.)
• Monster hand: You hit a very strong hand that you are ready to go broke with - even in an unraised pot (set, straight, flush). Now you just have to maximize value

• Heads-up or multiway?
• Implied odds and reverse implied odds
• Pot control > protection with moderate hands

First and foremost, the number of opponents that are in the hand with you on the flop is important. The basic principle also applies here: a lot of opponents means low fold equity, but higher implied odds.

It is hard to estimate the implied odds in an unraised pot, because you have not yet (pre-flop) gotten any information about the actual strength of your opponent's hand. You cannot guess what hands your opponent could possibly have, thus, an estimation of the implied odds would be nothing more than speculation.

Reverse implied odds, however, make for a different story. If, for example, you have a really weak hand and bet the pot, you can already fold on the flop if there is a minimum raise. Your hand will certainly not improve and now you have the information that your opponent would like to at least pretend they have something. Every bet that you would have to call on the following streets would be too much.

If you think you have a hand with showdown value, but you are not ready to risk your entire stack for it, you should rather play for pot control. Just as in raised pots, raise/fold is not ideal with a moderate hand.

Since you do not want to turn your possibly strongest hand on the table into a bluff in unraised pots, you should play your hands passively. Due to the small pots, free cards do not hurt much since you can easily fold your hand if there are less than desirable cards on the following streets.

You should not make any reckless bluffs, but if you are in position in heads-up, for example, and your opponent checks to you, you can almost always bet (position bet). A bet of 2/3 of the pot size will create positive value in the long run with this "move".  

This is different if you are out of position; here you can also bet/fold with any2, but a check/fold is not a bad idea here either. Your readiness to make these bluff bets should decrease if multiple players are in the pot, even though a bet in position is still possible.

In contrast to raised pots, the stats in unraised pots are not very significant. The VPIP/PFR ratio says little about the limp ranges of your opponent. Additionally, the small and big blind are often in the pot and you cannot give them a range in any case.

Only the aggression factor and the "went to showdown" percentage (after an appropriate sample size) can give you certain information about the play of your opponent.

Very loose players that have a high "went to showdown" percentage tend to pay the "cheap" prices for the showdown, particularly in unraised pots. Nevertheless, you should not overvalue these values in unraised pots.

Accordingly, there are no stats in the examples, each time you play against unknown players.

Examples for unimproved hands  (=>bluffs)

The first category consists of hands that completely missed the flop.

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
Hero ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 2 , 2
1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, 5 folds, BU calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25, BB checks

Flop: ($1.00) K , J , T (4 players)
Hero…

You limped in with 22 pre-flop and hit nothing. You have a weak hand and you will never be ahead here. It is just as improbable that you can eliminate three opponents on the flop through an out of position bet. It is by far the best decision to immediately give up the hand and to play check/fold. 

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
Hero ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 2 , 2
1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, 7 folds, BB checks

Flop: ($0.60) A , 4 , 9 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.50

In this example it doesn't matter what cards you have.

Villain checks to you on the flop, you can make a standard bet here (you bet the same here with a draw, made hands, monsters, etc....). The fold equity is enormous

Here you have the advantage of only having to play in heads-up and you can also react in position.

But what happens in the next case:

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
Hero ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 2 , 2
1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, 7 folds, BB checks

Flop: ($0.60) A , 4 , 9 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.50, BB calls $0.50

Turn: ($1.60) 6 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1.20,…

If your bet on the flop is called, there is of course the possibility of a 2nd barrel on the turn. Which factors are important here?

• You know that your opponent often calls on the flop in unraised pots, but folds on the turn
• How well can you play the turn card?
• Are draws possible?

Particularly with the low pot size it is not a problem to check behind on the turn and thus to give up the hand. However, if you suspect fold equity against better hands - try it.

It is also possible to pick up a draw in unraised pots. In raised pots, you are normally rather aggressive in regards to your behaviour, but in unraised pots it is better to be calm and not to invest too much money with a draw.

As mentioned, you know nothing about the fold equity and can not even remotely estimate if you have enough implied odds. While you can sometimes go all in on the flop with a draw in raised pots, this should almost never happen in unraised pots (as always: the exception proves the rule).

"Semi bluff bets" are always an option for taking down the pot. The basic conditions are similar to those found in category 1. If you have the option of reacting first-in and in position at best and you have enough fold equity, an attack at the pot is a welcome sight. 

However, it is a completely different story if someone bets before you. A "semi-bluff-raise" is to be used wisely on your behalf. Particularly in multiway pots, that will not be profitable in the long run. In heads-up situations, however, this could lead to success.

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
UTG+1 ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
Hero ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 7 , T
8 folds, SB calls $0.25, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.50) 8 , 9 , 3 (2 players)
SB bets $0.25, Hero raises to $1.00

In this situation, you decide to raise. The situation is optimal: you are heads-up and you are in position. The board gives you a nice 8-outer that you do not really want to give up.

The problem: a call is out of the question. Even if you "hit" the turn, you do not know if you will even get another cent for your hand. Thus, you cannot give yourself the implied odds.

Thus, a raise is much better due to the following reasons:

• You will often win the pot directly
• You create an aggressive image
• Should your opponent call and you hit the turn, it is easier for you to get more value out of your hand
• Should your opponent call and a scare card comes on the turn (in this case, an overcard maybe), you could fire a second barrel
• Should your opponent 3-bet, it is a painless fold for you (unless he does a minimum 3-bet so that you are offered very good odds)

However, in multiway pots the fold equity is considerably less and it is usually better to play more passively. This means if you are out of position you can check/call and in position you "only call". Of course, you must always make your decision depending on the odds and outs without much consideration of implied odds.

Above, weak hands were described as hands that hit "something". For example, a middle pair or a weak top pair without a kicker that is too strong to directly give up, but too weak to play a large pot with.

Here you can differentiate between two cases: you react first-in or someone already bet.

When first-in, you act exactly like the previously described categories. You rarely make a mistake with bet/fold. If your middle pair is raised on the flop (or even check raised), you are often behind and can usually no longer remain profitable in the hand due to the reverse implied odds.

However, if a player acts before you and places a bet, you must use your head to think more:

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
UTG+1 ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
Hero ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J , 8
UTG calls $0.25, 7 folds, SB calls $0.25, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.75) 3 , 8 , 7 (3 players)
SB bets $0.50, Hero…

You hit a top pair, which must not necessarily be the worst hand on the table. The small blind now bets on the flop. You have three options:

Of course, you can fold your hand and thus avoid further problems. The problem: you often fold the best hand and miss out on the value of your hand!

You could look forward and try to protect your hand through a raise. The problem: your hand is too weak for protection, which means that you would have to give up your hand against a 3-bet. Thus, you would play raise/fold and not get any value from weaker hands, however, with stronger hands you still push money into the pot.

Raise/fold is basically a move that you should avoid with a made hand. At least in heads-up or in small pots. In multiway pots, it is a different story (see (example 9) below).

Through a call, you take yourself into a type of way ahead / way behind situation. This is obviously not a wa/wb situation, because drawing hands that have many outs against you are possible. Don't forget that a player can still act after you. You give away free cards with a call, but you keep the pot small.

Now compare all possible lines, the call is the best option in this case to keep the pot small with a low variance and a reasonable hand. The alternatives, on the contrary, fail to do so.

 A "good hand" is a hand that is obviously very good, but loses considerable value particularly in unraised multiway pots.

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
UTG+1 ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
Hero ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 2 , 5
UTG calls $0.25, 4 folds, MP3 calls $0.25, 1 fold, BU calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25, Hero checks

Flop: ($1.25) 2 , 5 , 6 (5 players)
SB bets $1.00, Hero raises to $4.00, 2 folds, BU calls $4.00, SB raises to $12.00, Hero…

You have gotten a free play in the big blind and flopped the bottom two pair. This is actually a really strong hand, but 5-handed on a board with many draws is not exactly the best situation. After the bet from the small blind, you raise in order to protect your hand. After you, however, there is a cold call and the small blind reraises. You should fold after this

Now, of course, the question is: "didn't it say earlier that you never raise/fold with a made hand?"

That is correct, however, as usual there are exceptions that prove the rule. Even if raise/fold alone from principle is not a profitable way to play, there is simply a lack of alternatives in this situation!

After the bet from the small blind, you could just call, but two things have changed in contrast to example 8:

• You have a hand that is worth protecting
• You have 4 instead of 2 opponents

Simply calling here would not help you much and because of your call you give the player acting behind you good odds, the probability is high that you will have to make a difficult decision on the turn.

And how do you play if someone behind you decides to raise? Should you 3-bet? Continue to call down? Both should not be played in principle. That would mean that your line would be : "call/fold". Is that ideal with this hand? Of course not.

So you raise and you now ask the question, why should I not go broke after the 3-bet from the small blind. Quite simple: you are seldom ahead here. Both opponents have already showed considerable strengths. Of course, someone can have a flush draw and an A6, you would be ahead against that. But would they play these hands this aggressively in an unraised 5-handed pot?

In contrast to this, there are a few hands that can beat you. 55/22 are not very probable, since you are blocking two cards, but 66 and 34 can hit well here. Don't forget that you would not even be a favourite against strong draws (especially not against two draws).

Thus, you decide to play raise/fold on the flop, which is acceptable under these circumstances.

Every once in a while you hit the flop perfectly. In these cases, you do not want to hear about pot control or even insignificant protection. Here you have to try to get as much value as possible:

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
Hero ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 4 , 4
1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, 5 folds, BU calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25, BB checks

Flop: ($1.00) 4 , 2 , 2 (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero…

What you have to do in this situation should be clear! The pot won't grow by itself. Provided nobody bets, you must be the first to act. There may very well be many hands that are ready to call a bet, whether they are overpairs, straight draws, flush draws, 2x...

However, what would happen if the following were to happen:

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (10 handed) HandRecorder v0.9b

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
Hero ($25)
UTG+2 ($25)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($25)
MP3 ($25)
CO ($25)
BU ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 4 , 4
1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, 5 folds, BU calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25, BB checks

Flop: ($1.00) 4 , 2 , 2 (5 players)
SB bets $0.50, BB raises to $1.50, Hero…

Now you have to think how you can extract the most value. One thing is clear: you do not need to protect and it appears as if there are two players who are interested in the pot.

Since you have position on your two opponents, a call is a good idea here. Should they act differently on the turn and become more passive, then you can always act.

Additionally, you give the players behind you the chance to stay in the hand with a possible draw. If one of the players has a flush draw, for example, it would be fantastic if they would pay again on the flop in order to draw (not knowing that they are already drawing dead).

It would be even better if the flush would come on the turn, then even in this unraised pot you could expect a large win with your full house.

Summary

As you can see, unraised pots can be more complicated than just a few standard moves. If you often hold back and fold the best hand, because you would like to avoid the problems on later streets, you can leave quite a bit of value on the table.

However, if you play too aggressively and prefer to bluff half of the table out of the pot in these situations, you will often run into situations where you push your money into the middle as a clear underdog.

Look for the right spots, do not bluff too much, value bet when you think it is appropriate and simply call down if you think you have the best hand. This well thought-out, partially aggressive, but still somewhat variance free type of play will pay off in the short and long run.