Multiway Versus Short-Handed Play
1. In a multiway poker pot, you need a very good hand. What about in short-handed pots ?
Ans : It doesn’t matter as much.
2. What are the most important factors in short-handed pots ?
Ans : Your position and playing against weaker opponents over whom you have good control.
3. Why are these factors important ?
Ans : Because if a weak player can’t make a low, he frequently fold, and unless he has a great high hands, he gets scared by any card that comes out.
4. What happens to typical players ?
Ans : They become accustomed to seeing many cinches in multiway pots and thus don’t realize that in heads-up pots, they are not running into monster hands all the time.
5. What does this mean ?
Ans : You can bluff and maneuver your opponents when the pot is short-handed.
6. In a multiway pot, what does it mean when someone desperation bets from an early position ?
Ans : He usually has the nuts or something close to it.
7. How does this affect your play ?
Ans : You usually should get out, unless you also have a big hand.
8. Suppose four or five players are in the pot and it is clear that they have fairly good hands. you have a wrap-around hand with draws at both a good low and a good high, but these draws are not for the nuts. What should you do ?
Ans : In this situation, you usually should fold.
9. What if the pot is heads up and you hold the type of hand just described ?
Ans : You can go ahead and jam.
10. Example ?
Ans : You start with A 
3 
6 9 , and the flop comes 5 
7 K . If many players are still in and it looks as though there may be a lot of action, you should fold. But if you are heads up and have a fairly big hand, you should play it as such, unless you are against a very tight player.
11. What about a hand like A 
2 4 J ?
Ans : This hand does OK heads up. But because of the redraw possibilities , it does very well if you expect many players.
12. What is the best hand to have in a heads-up pot ?
Ans : The high hand. But you also would like to have a low draw, even if it is a poor one.
13. Why do you also want a low draw ?
Ans : Because you might be sharing the high hand with your opponent.
14. Suppose you have what looks like a big hand but there are many possibilities the other way ?
Ans : You must plan for these possibilities and determine the best way to deal with them.
15. Example ?
Ans : In a two-handed pot, you start with A K J 10 and the flop is 9 8 7 . Even though you have the nuts for high and no low is yet made, if your opponent plays back at you, you could be against the same high hand as you hold, plays a low draw. Consequently, you may want to check and call on fourth street, no matter what hits.
16. How do most people play when the game becomes five-handed or less ?
Ans : Along the same lines as they normally play.
17. What does this mean ?
Ans : You have the opportunity to steal a lot of blinds.
Introduction / General Concepts / More Specific Ideas / General Concepts / Position / Low Hands / High Hands / Your Starting Hand / Starting With Big Pairs / When You Are First In / How To Play Your Hand / Play on the Flop / When You Have the Best Hand / High Versus Low in Three-Handed Pots / Loose Games / Multiway Versus Short-handed Play / Scare Cards / Getting Counterfeited / Getting Quartered / Playing Against Steamers / Playing Against Tight, Solid Players / Your Playing Style / Reading Hands / Psychology / Afterthought
