Pro Tips with Alexander Fitzgerald: Simplify your thinking in multiway pots

Alex Fitzgerald at the WPT Borgata Poker Open, 2018
Alexander Fitzgerald
Posted on: January 19, 2025 05:00 PST

Let’s talk today about simplifying your thinking in multiway pots.

Let's say you're deep in a live low stakes tournament and you raise with offsuit from the hijack. The button calls and the big blind calls.

The board comes . It's checked to you, and you continuation bet. The button, who you know is actually a fairly solid player (who you never really see get out of line), raises you. The raise is a decent amount. The big blind folds, and it’s on you.

Now what most people do in this situation is they start panicking. They start thinking, ‘Am I massively exploitable here if I fold? If I call, what is my plan?’ And because they're thinking about everything, they end up thinking about nothing.

Don't overthink - simplify

What you have to do in this situation instead is simplify. Does this player do this with X, when X is the best hand that you beat? X in this situation would be . Do you believe your opponent is raising you with ?

If the answer is no, well you should seriously consider a thin exploitative fold right here or at the very least you should be folding the turn. You should also ask yourself if this person ever raises a straight draw.

There's going to be some people in your card room who are so basic and straightforward that every single time they raise you know you're up against a set or two pair. You can make really thin exploitative folds versus them which essentially gives you extra opportunities in a tournament. Look for these situations. It will help you out.


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