How often have you been in a situation where you invested so much from the pot that you just couldn’t fold cards?
Many people call this “Pot-Committed”. But is it true?
Of course not. This term has nothing to do with how much you have invested in a pot. The worst part is when players really believe that they are in a “Pot-Committed” situation and end up losing the chips they could have gained.
The biggest mistake of the players is that they compare the size of the pot with the size of the bet made by their opponent, or worse: they simply estimate that they simply invested too much in the pot to back down. In this case, the term “Pot-Committed” has absolutely nothing to do with it.
So what is “Pot-Committed” and how to play to avoid this situation and, moreover, to play effectively, once in this situation?
By itself, this term literally means that you are tied to a pot. But to understand if this is really the case, you need to compare the pot odds relative to your stack with the chances of winning a particular hand. If the pot’s odds are higher than the chances of winning, you are in a “Pot-Committed” situation.
What can we do to avoid getting into a “Pot-Committed” situation or to effectively play for ourselves?
Don’t get into a big pot fight with a hand that you’re not ready to play after seeing the flop.
Do not focus on how much you have already invested in the pot - this does not bind you to the pot, and regardless of how much you have invested in the pot and how many chips you have left, do not forget that you can and should fold if this is not a “Pot-Committed” situation.
Use math - it’s effective (calculating outs and the chance of winning is not so difficult).
Control your stack - don’t make big bets with weak hands. The higher your bet, the bigger the pot will be, and subsequent bets may put you in a “Pot-Committed” situation. If you effectively control your stack and your bets, the easier it will be for you to fold without losing a lot of chips.
Make decisions sensibly, on every street. Don’t invest too much in the pot before the flop.
Know who you are playing against: study your opponents - this will help you make a decision.
I hope this article will help many people better understand what this term is and how to avoid being in the red when it could have been avoided.
I would say, neither. But it is a thing that some poker professionals like to include in their training materials.
Though, often our good strategies are destroyed by baboons we play against.
I agree that thinking you are “pot committed” can give you a reason to call when you should fold. I think it is important not to bet so large that you have more than your remaining stack in the pot. Betting smaller and trying to keep the pot controlled will make it easier for you to make a lay down if the board and the opponents’ actions scream that you are beat. When someone is short-stacked and shoves on your Big Blind, I think you may truly be pot committed to make the call to try to bust them, but it depends on your stack size.
I rarely find myself pot committed suddenly . I usually play very carefully , try to get the tight odds before I do sth . So basically ot is not a surprise to me when it is good to go all on or go untill the end because of the very good odds . Usually this is what I want from the beginning of the hand with my cards , usually I don’t get right odds , but when rarely happens it’s good , go for the big pot ))) .
If you’re accusing me of plagiarism, then that’s not it. I read about 10 articles before writing my own, and in fact I tried to summarize everything I read in one place, but I did not read the article you mentioned.
Being pot committed refers to a situation where one or multiple opponents have already put a significant portion of their chips into the pot, making it difficult to fold without losing a considerable amount of their stack. Essentially, the player feels “committed” to the pot because they’ve invested so much, even if the current situation may not favor them.
Hats about it and there is not much more to discuss imo. Personal definitions do not matter.
Let’s say you open pocket tens from late position. A decent, aggressive player in the big blind 3-bets to 13bb. You 4-bet to 30bb, they 5-bet jam for 100bb total.
You’ve put 30bb into the pot, but it’s going to be more than double that to call, so that’s not why you’d be pot committed. It’s simply that even though you’re going to be losing this hand more often than not, the money already in the pot makes it a profitable call in the long run.
@Maxogon15 I’m not sure why anyone would need to avoid being pot committed though?
There’s not enough information, but TT is a pretty good pair to play it that way preflop.
I focus more on what happens on every street, when we can calculate the real chances on every street. Just imagine what happens when you chase Flush, but you still haven’t caught the right card: if you invest too much in this chase, you may end up in a “Pot-Committed” situation with nothing. Your stack is tiny and you just go to the end because you just have too few chips left. This could have been avoided if you had controlled your stack and not chased after a lot of chips.
I had a head up hand. The player made on Flop a high bet, on Turn much higher, and went on River all in. He had on Flop a Flush draw, on River nothing, only the little Pair on table. Not easy for him to check, fold, lose on River after his high bets. He was angry to lose his bet chips, tried to bet me out of the hand.
I had on Flop Full House, laughed, and called him to death.
I’ve definitely fallen into the “I already put too much in” trap before. I need to remind myself that folding is sometimes the best move, no matter how much is in the pot
It looks like I’ve touched on a controversial topic. Many people think it’s simple and doesn’t require discussion, but I’m really grateful for your every opinion.
I read about 10 articles before writing my own, and in fact I tried to summarize everything I read in one place, but I did not read the article you mentioned.
